I love Avatar: The Last Airbender. The art is gorgeous. The story is gorgeous. The characters are beautiful. This is one of the best shows out there, much less children’s shows.
Don’t fuck it up. Seriously, casting an all Caucasian leading cast? Are you idiots? This is OBVIOUSLY a very universal story with a strong Asian flavor. DO NOT fuck this up! Please please look at the crazy, wonderful success of Kung Fu Panda, which did NOT need to “Americanize” things for us to love it.
Hell, the cartoon series didn’t try to Americanize it for us. Let it be what it is. Anything else will be killing it and this series deserves better.
And while we’re talking about it… Shamalan? Seriously? After The Happening and Lady in the Water and The Village and Signs? This is what you want?
To everyone else: If you haven’t seen Avatar, you should. And if you want to join those of us writing in our outrage to Paramount here’s how to do so.
This is a chance Paramount, a chance to stand up and be better that the status quo. A chance to include the billions of minority children in the fantasties and fun of movies rather than once again isolating and excluding them. The face of the world is not white. The face of America isn’t even white. Stop assuming it is.
And futhermore, stop treating us Causasians like idiots. Stop assuming that we can’t handle anything other than our faces in movies, on TV and in commercials. Even white actors and models are NOT an accurate reflection of us so why bleach your product at all? Give us a little credit. Trust us to accept a story based on the story and not the ethniticity of the leads.
And again… Don’t fuck this up.
