Forces unknown bonded Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko over their love of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and other pop culture favorites at the Rhode Island School of Design.

They knew they wanted to create something that integrated their love of fantasy, Japanese Anime, Kung-Fu cinema, and Eastern philosophy.

Soon, their dream would come to life. In 2005, Nickelodeon premiered DiMartino’s and Konietzko’s Avatar: The Last Airbender — the story of a boy deemed the Avatar, who could master bending fire, air, water, and Earth elements — and created a cult classic.

Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert

Now, award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman is bringing the music of Avatar to life with a live concert on December 2 at the Buell Theatre. Zuckerman and the orchestra will play live music while showing clips from the animated series.

Before experiencing this concert in person, take some time to familiarize (or refamiliarize) yourself with this cartoon masterpiece.

The Plot

Avatar: The Last Airbender focuses on the world split into four nations based on four different elements: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.

Each land has a ruler and people who master how to control or “bend” their specific element. An Avatar is a rare person who can master bending all four elements and is destined to keep peace across all four nations.

However, the Fire Nation decided to wage war and conquer the other nations so they could rule the world. The Avatar was a young boy named Aang. Grappling with his identity as the Avatar at age 12, Aang ran away with his flying water bison, Appa.

Aang, seen on screen in Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert

Unfortunately, Aang and Appa fell into a body of water due to a powerful storm, and Aang’s waterbending abilities froze them in ice and kept them safe for 100 years (sort of similar to Steve Rogers/Captain America’s story), leaving the Fire Nation to wreak havoc.

After 100 years, waterbending siblings Katara and Sokka discovered Aang and Appa in a river and unfroze them. While catching up on the speed of things, Aang learned he was the last of the airbenders (hence the title, Avatar: The Last Airbender) because the Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nation.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka set out on a quest to bring peace back to the world. Aang also had to fill the gaps in his Avatar training to bend all four elements.

The show lasted from 2005 to 2008 with 62 episodes.

Characters

Numerous characters breathe life into Avatar with their varying personalities. Here are a few of the key players:

• Aang: The Avatar and the last of the airbenders who must bring peace back to world.
• Katara: A waterbender who discovered Aang in the 100-year-old iceberg and accompanies Aang on his quest.
• Sokka: Katara’s brother and waterbender who also accompanies Aang on the life-changing quest.
• Toph: A blind earthbender who helps Aang, Katara, and Sokka on their journey.
• Zuko: A fire bender and leader of the Fire Nation until his banishment. He plotted to restore his reputation by capturing the Avatar.

Katara, seen on screen in Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert

Cast members included Zach Tyler Eisen, Dee Bradley Baker, Mae Whitman, Mark Hamill, Grey Griffin, and more.

Spinoffs and Reboots

Avatar: The Last Airbender had spinoffs and reboots that ranged from mediocre to great.

First, The Legend of Korra (2012-2014) was a spinoff series created by DiMartino and Konietzko focused on the new Avatar, Korra. Korra swore to protect Republic City from physical and spiritual forces. Some of the original characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender also appeared throughout the show.

Next, M. Night Shyamalan (director of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Lady in the Water, and more) penned and directed a live-action movie called The Last Airbender (2010). In a Nerdist interview, DiMartino and Konietzko said no one took their input, and the final film didn’t sit well with them, the critics, or the fans. This version earned a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Last, Netflix took a crack at a live-action show of the animated series in 2024 and earned two more seasons. Despite DiMartino stepping away from the project, this version received high praise and has a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

After almost 20 years, fans still embrace Avatar: The Last Airbender with open arms. You can experience this cult classic in concert at the Buell Theater while watching Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the rest of the ensemble on the big screen.

DETAILS
Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert
Dec 2 • Buell Theatre
Tickets