A fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender on recently shared their art showing some of the main characters redrawn in the style of Studio Ghibli. Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the adventures of Aang, the titular last Airbender as he travels across the world to learn mastery of the four elements and bring balance to the world. Studio Ghibli is an animation studio based in Japan responsible for such animated classics as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle.
Studio Ghibli was a clear influence on Avatar since both have themes of environmentalism, spirituality, and a sense of whimsy to their design. The renewed interest in Avatar comes from its acquisition by Netflix, releasing the series and its spinoff, The Legend of Korra, onto its streaming service, as well as an announcement of a live-action remake of the series, featuring Daniel Dae Kim as Firelord Ozai. Studio Ghibli also has a new film in the works titled How Do You Live? to be directed by the head of the studio, and master storyteller Hayao Miyazaki.
New fan art comes from Reddit user u/100_zarlo and depicts main characters Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Toph drawn in the style of Studio Ghibli, with the trademark large, wondrous eyes, rosy cheeks, and very small mouths. Secondary characters Azula and Princess Yue also feature in the post. One such drawing of Katara and Zuko invokes the memory of Howl's Moving Castle with the main characters Howl and Sophie being channeled in the image. Check out the images below:
The new Avatar live-action remake will feature an all Asian cast, including Pen15 star Dallas Liu as Zuko. This is a conscious move on Netflix's part to avoid the accusations of cultural appropriation retroactively leveled at the original series, where its white creators were accused of using East Asian culture and spirituality as a jumping-off point for its world-building. This criticism can be indirectly applied to the inspiration it took from Studio Ghibli, whose sense of scope and whimsy can be felt in Avatar's presentation.
Studio Ghibli is one of the most recognizable and influential companies in the world, with films that hold up as some of the most consistently well-crafted pieces of artistic expression of all time. The aesthetic and tones can be felt everywhere from video games to manga, to animation, to any modern fantasy series. Avatar is just one of many properties to take influence from the studio, and with its live-action remake coming, it's sure to bring that influence to a whole new generation of viewers, but with a much more conscious and respectful appreciation for where it came from.
Source: u/100_zarlo/Reddit