What A:TLA has that the movie doesn't?
With over 20 episodes in Avatar: The Last Airbender's first season, I knew M. Night Shyamalan would have to cut a lot to adapt it. But what ended up on the cutting room floor could have really helped this film.
M Night made a lot of changes, from changing the name pronunciations, to changing the ethnicities of the four nations, to making firebenders bend from a source. But here are some of the other changes from the cartoon that, in retrospect, really didn't work out.
As silly-angry as I can get about non-canon moments in The Last Airbender, like showing the Fire Lord's face so early in the game, they're not as important as other things that Shyamalan cut out — or didn't consider including at all. Here's what I picked from an article from io…
TLA script (part 8)
Shift to a long trail in the snow that goes to the horizon, then cut to a shot of Zuko's feet tramping through the drifting snow, Aang's feet dragging behind him. After some steps, the ice underneath Zuko begins to crack and cave in. Within a few seconds most of the ground around him is collapsing. He begins to run with Aang on his back. He manages to keep just ahead of the yawning hole that his footsteps over thin ice have caused to appear. The hole finally stops expanding as Zuko trips and falls. They are now on the lip of a newly formed canyon. He looks ahead to see a rock ledge overhanging a small cave.
Cut to a shot from inside the cave. Zuko appears, dragging Aang inside by the collar. Outside the blizzard continues. He dumps him at t…
TLA script (part 7)
Opening scene begins with an underwater shot in one of the Water Tribe City canals. The camera pans up above the water line to reveal the canal and the surrounding buildings. Cut to the plaza at the foot of the citadel steps where Katara faced off with Master Pakku earlier. The segmented ice columns that Katara toppled during the duel have been repaired. It is morning and two waterbending students face off against each other. Cut to the student on the left, a nervous looking teenage boy whose left eye twitches slightly in anxiety. Cut to a close up of the boy's opponent, Katara. She looks very confident, a slight smile on her face. Cut back to a longer shot of the boy who raises up a ball of water, turns it to ice, and throws it at his opp…
TLA script (part 6)
Opening shot of some open water. Almost instantly a koala otter backstrokes into view. He looks up as a shadow passes over him. He ducks beneath the waves as Appa passes just overhead. Cut to Sokka leaning over Appa's saddle, looking backwards over his beaver like tail in the direction they came from.
- Sokka (petulantly): I'm not one to complain, but can't Appa fly any higher? Seriously, we've been flying for two days straight and for what? We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here.
- Aang: (angry) How about you try to carry -
Suddenly a noise is heard up ahead. Ice is moving rapidly towards Appa. Cut to Aang who screams and pulls Appa's reigns to starboard. Appa banks right and avoids the ice, but almost tips his pass…
TLA script (part 5)
Fade to a night scene. A red hawk like bird flies through the moonless night sky and cries out. Cut to a shot of the upper reaches of a Fire Nation fortress. The shot pans down to reveal several towers connected by the walls of the fortress. All are manned and have fires burning in them. Pan left to reveal Fire Nation ships in the water beyond the fortress. Cut to a shot of several fierce looking archers, their faces painted either for decoration, camouflage or both. They release volley after volley of arrows which strike their archery range targets dead center. Successive arrows split the one already occupying the bulls eye right down the middle of its shaft. Shift to wide shot of the archers which pans up to one of the fortress towers wh…