47-470: Book One: Water is the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender , an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio . The first season aired on Nickelodeon from February 21 to December 2, 2005, and consisted of 20 episodes. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen , Mae Whitman , Jack DeSena , Dante Basco , Dee Bradley Baker , Mako Iwamatsu and Jason Isaacs as
94-518: A CGI reboot of Rugrats for Paramount+ . The first-ever SpongeBob spin-offs ( Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show ) were also produced. The studio also collaborated with corporate sibling CBS Eye Animation Productions to produce Star Trek: Prodigy . In 2021, Avatar Studios , a division of Nickelodeon Animation dedicated to producing projects from the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise,
141-528: A Foley stage (for recording live sound effects), a post-production area, sound editing and mixing rooms and an upstairs loft area with skylights for colorists. In September 1999, Nickelodeon opened a major new digital animation studio at 1633 Broadway in Manhattan . The New York studio primarily took over production of Nick Jr. animated properties. At the same time, the Los Angeles facility animated
188-480: A cost of $ 100,000 each before selecting three. Seeking the most innovative talents in the field, the products of this artists' union – Doug , Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show – represented twelve years of budget-building toward that end. Coffey was hired as Nickelodeon's Executive Producer of Animation between the pilots and series production. The Nicktoons were produced by external studios, Jumbo Pictures , Klasky Csupo and Spümcø , with oversight from
235-508: A desire to refocus on "more Nickish shows." Looking for original concepts, Nickelodeon Animation Studio created the Nickelodeon Animated Shorts Program , under which it would produce new animated shorts with the potential to turn into whole shows. A select few were greenlit and premiered within the following years. In 2016, Nickelodeon's Burbank animation facility moved into a five-story glass structure that
282-410: A miniature golf course (with a hole dedicated to Walt Disney ), an indoor basketball course/screening room, an artists' gallery, a studio store, and a fountain that shoots green water into the air. The Nicktoons studio houses five, project driven production units. Each has its own color and design environment and includes a living room, writer's lounge, and storyboard conference room. The studio also has
329-546: A multiple-year output deal for Netflix , which will include producing content, in both new and preexisting IP, for the streaming platform. The studio was founded in 1990 under the name Games Productions Inc. A subsidiary called Games Animation was established in 1992. It oversaw the production of three animated programs for Nickelodeon: Doug , Rugrats , and The Ren & Stimpy Show . In 1992, Nickelodeon began work on Games Animation's first fully in-house series, Rocko's Modern Life . Games Animation produced much of
376-480: A ride on Appa, during which Sokka notices a storm of "soot", a tell-tale sign of an impending Fire Navy raid. As the tribe prepares for battle, the chief asks for volunteers for a dangerous mission, to which Sokka immediately agrees. As Zhao's armada closes in, Iroh meets with Zuko in disguise as a Fire Nation guard, as he tells Iroh that he's working on a plan of his own. As the Northern tribe takes up battle stations,
423-468: A series of single-disc sets containing four episodes per disc. Later the Complete Book 1 Collection was released on September 12, 2006, containing all twenty episodes plus extras on six discs. PAL versions of the single-disc volume sets started being released on February 19, 2007;. As with the original Region 1 NTSC DVDs, each set contains four episodes per disc. The Complete Book One Collection
470-492: A settlement with him. The creative tug of war was closely watched by both animators and the television industry and covered in the national press. In response, Nickelodeon moved the series' production to its own studio, Games Productions Inc. According to Vanessa Coffey, "Nickelodeon had a corporation already set up called Games. They didn't want to spend money to open a new corporation, so they put [Nickelodeon's animation division] under Games." A subsidiary called Games Animation
517-642: A small Earth Kingdom village that is being attacked by Hei Bai, a monster from the Spirit World. The villagers believe that Aang can make peace with the spirit, since the Avatar is the bridge between the Physical and Spirit World. Aang unsuccessfully tries to calm the monster, which kidnaps Sokka in the process of attacking the village. Aang pursues Sokka, but fails to rescue him and ends up in the Spirit World, from which he cannot be seen or heard, nor does he have
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#1732780550077564-530: A spiritual oasis at the top of the city by Yue, with Aang hoping to find the Moon and Ocean spirits for help. Aang begins to meditate in front of a koi pond with two fish circling each other, and when he realizes they resemble Yin and Yang he crosses into the spirit world. Zuko arrives shortly after and battles with Katara until sunrise, when he overpowers her and escapes with Aang's body as the Fire Nation resumes
611-467: A team of writers, which included Nick Malis, John O'Bryan, Matthew Hubbard , James Eagan, Ian Wilcox, Tim Hedrick and Elizabeth Welch. All of the show's music was composed by "The Track Team", which consists of Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn, who were known to the producers because Zuckerman was Konietzko's roommate. Two alternating Korean studios were enlisted to provide animation production support for
658-623: Is an American animation studio owned by Paramount Global through the Nickelodeon Group . It has created many original animated television programs for Nickelodeon , such as SpongeBob SquarePants , The Fairly OddParents , Rugrats , Avatar: The Last Airbender , and The Loud House , among various others. Since the 2010s, the studio has also produced its own series based on preexisting IP purchased by Paramount Global, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Winx Club . In November 2019, Nickelodeon Animation Studio signed
705-674: Is an instant classic." As for the video and picture quality, Gord Lacey from TVShowsOnDVD.com claims "the colors are bright, and the picture is nearly flawless." He says later in the review that "the audio is very nice, with lots of directional effects and nice musical cues." Barnes & Noble reviewer Christina Urban praised the season's masterful combination of "elements from Chinese kung fu , Tibetan philosophy , Japanese martial arts forms, and even Hindu spiritual beliefs ". According to Aaron Bynum from AnimationInsider.net, "the series posted double digit year-to-year gains in May". He also said that
752-572: Is captured by Earth Kingdom soldiers while bathing in a hot spring. The soldiers plan to take him to the Earth Kingdom capital, Ba Sing Se, to face justice, but Iroh proves to be an immensely formidable firebender even while restrained. Zuko eventually catches up with the soldiers to help free him, forgoing his chase for the Avatar for a time. Part 1 : Some time later Katara has developed into Master Pakku's star pupil, earning her his highest praises. Sokka and Yue spend more time together including
799-579: Is part of a larger studio complex. The move was intended to bring animated productions currently produced elsewhere in Southern California under a single production facility. Because it houses both animated and live-action productions, the Burbank location has been renamed to simply "Nickelodeon Studios" (which is not to be confused with the original Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida, which closed in 2005). The studio also houses
846-517: The Games team. However, this method of production led to both Spümcø and Jumbo Pictures having strained relationships with the network, with only Klasky Csupo retaining a relationship with the network to the present. In fall 1992, the studio fired John Kricfalusi and Spümcø from The Ren & Stimpy Show . Coffey asserts that John was in breach of contract for not delivering on time, creating disturbing content and going over budget. Kricfalusi suspected
893-553: The Italian studio Rainbow SpA , the creators of Winx Club . Following both purchases, Nickelodeon Animation Studio began to produce new content for both franchises: a continuation of Winx Club and a reboot series of TMNT . Since they were produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Nickelodeon refers to both continuations as official Nicktoons . By 2013, Nickelodeon's deal with DreamWorks Animation had reached an end; according to Bob Schooley , Nickelodeon Animation expressed
940-692: The Nickelodeon time capsule, first buried in Orlando, Florida in 1992 at the original Nickelodeon Studios and later at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in 2006, which has moved to the new studio by the latter's closure and rebrand on June 1, 2016. The capsule is set to be opened on April 30, 2042. The new studio opened on January 11, 2017. In October 2018, Brian Robbins became president of Nickelodeon. In November, he appointed Ramsey Ann Naito as head of animation at Nickelodeon; she
987-579: The Power of Juju (based on the video game series of the same name ). Back at the Barnyard (a spinoff of the theatrical film Barnyard ) was released that same year. These shows showed Nickelodeon's increasing willingness to collaborate with a diverse portfolio of companies, with Mexopolis and THQ being examples. In 2009, Nickelodeon acquired the rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Mirage Studios. In early 2011, Viacom bought 30 percent of
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#17327805500771034-728: The United States, each containing four episodes from the season. On September 12, 2006, Nickelodeon also released the "Complete Book 1 Collection Box Set", which contained all of the episodes in the season as well as a special features disc. The original releases were encoded in Region 1 , a DVD type that plays only in North American DVD players. From 2007 to 2009, Nickelodeon released Region 2 DVDs, which can play in Europe. Part 1: The Spirit World : The trio find themselves in
1081-495: The ability to airbend. While there he is told that the previous Avatar, Roku, has a message for him on the Winter Solstice the next day, delivered by the spirit of Roku's dragon. After returning to the physical world, Aang calms the attacking spirit, who was upset that the nearby forest he watches over was destroyed by the Fire Nation. Hei Bai leaves in peace, returning all of the villagers and Sokka unharmed. Elsewhere, Iroh
1128-494: The attack as the waterbenders will draw power from the nearly-full moon. Zhao cryptically notes he is working on a solution, but agrees with Iroh for the interim. Iroh then meets up with Zuko, who plans to kayak from Zhao's ship and infiltrate the North Pole to capture Aang. He nearly drowns after choosing to free swim under the glacier to find a way in, but is able to infiltrate the city. Meanwhile, Aang and Katara are brought to
1175-497: The attack. The show was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and aired on Nickelodeon , both of which are owned by Viacom . The show's executive producers were co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who worked alongside head writer and co-producer Aaron Ehasz. Eight episodes were directed by Dave Filoni. Animation directors Lauren MacMullan and Giancarlo Volpe directed five episodes each, and Anthony Lioi directed two. Episodes were written or co-written by
1222-411: The fabled Willy Wonka chocolate factory), created "a playful, inspirational and cutting-edge lab which will hopefully give birth to the next generation of cartoon classics." He added, "For me, this building is the physical manifestation of a personal dream, which is that when people think of cartoons, they'll say Nicktoons." Nickelodeon and parent company Viacom threw a bash to celebrate the opening of
1269-476: The fifth season of the show, Nickelodeon sold the intellectual property of the show to The Walt Disney Company in 1994, forcing Games Animation and Ellipse Programme to depart from the show. However, it left Games Animation with guaranteed control over all the shows they would eventually produce aside from Rugrats . Following the end of Rocko's Modern Life , Games Animation produced the pilots for Hey Arnold! , The Angry Beavers and CatDog , along with
1316-418: The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender because it attracted the attention of "an audience beyond the children's market with crisp animation and layered storytelling." On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the season has an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A brilliant blend of magic, humor, and adventure, Avatar
1363-406: The former's first 26 episodes, and the second's first 13 episodes. The latter was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio along with the other two by this point forward. In 1996, Albie Hecht , then-president of Film and TV Entertainment for Nickelodeon, met with Nickelodeon artists for a brainstorming session on the elements of their ideal studio, and, with their feedback (and some inspiration from
1410-475: The four elements (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire) to end the war. Along the way, Aang and his friends are chased by various pursuers: the banished Fire Nation Prince Zuko , along with his uncle and former general Iroh , and Admiral Zhao of the Fire Navy. Each episode of the season attracted more than a million viewers on its first airing. Between January 31 and September 19, 2006, five DVD sets were released in
1457-751: The intro for The Amanda Show . It was reported in 2005 that the Burbank studio was up for sale; this was later corrected, as the owner of the building was selling it. In mid-2006, Nickelodeon announced a collaboration with DreamWorks Animation to create shows based on DWA's films. The first DWA co-production was The Penguins of Madagascar , which would eventually premiere in November 2008 (followed by 2011's Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and 2013's Monsters vs. Aliens ). In 2007, Nick launched El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (the first Nicktoon created in Adobe Flash ) and Tak and
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1504-610: The main character voices. The season revolves around the protagonist Aang and his friends Katara and Sokka going on a journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara. The Fire Nation is waging a seemingly endless imperialist war against the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes , following the genocide of the Air Nomads one hundred years ago. Aang, the current Avatar, must master
1551-518: The network's mid-1990s output in partnership with other animation companies like Klasky Csupo . In 1998, the studio moved from Studio City, California to Burbank with the construction of a new facility. It was renamed Nickelodeon Animation Studio and later Nickelodeon Studios Burbank . In 1999, a second facility in New York City was opened, named Nickelodeon Animation Studio New York . The Nickelodeon Animation Studio's beginnings lie in
1598-463: The new Nicktoons animation studio on March 4, 1998. During the launch party, a gathering of union labor supporters formed a picket line to protest Nickelodeon's independent hiring practices outside the studio's iron gates. Located at 231 West Olive Avenue in Burbank, California, the 72,000-square-foot (6,700 m ) facility, designed by Los Angeles architecture firm AREA, houses 200–300 employees and up to five simultaneous productions. It also contains
1645-402: The raid begins. Aang and Appa work to help disable the lead ship, but are overwhelmed at the size of the fleet that follows. In preparation for the chief's secret mission of infiltrating the Fire Navy, Sokka clashes with a Northern soldier named Hahn before realizing he is Yue's fiancé. The chief takes Sokka off the mission and assigns him to protect Yue. As nightfall nears, Iroh warns Zhao to halt
1692-471: The real reason was that the network was uncomfortable with more crude humor. Nickelodeon objected to most of his proposed plotlines and new characters—including George Liquor , an Archie Bunker -ish "All-American Male." After Kricfalusi and Nickelodeon missed several promised new-episode delivery and air dates, the network—which had purchased the rights to the Ren & Stimpy characters from Kricfalusi—negotiated
1739-430: The roots of the channel's Nicktoons endeavor. In 1990, Nickelodeon hired Vanessa Coffey as a creative consultant to develop Nicktoons, charging her with the quest of seeking out new characters and stories that would allow the channel a grand entrance into the animation business. The high cost of high-quality animation discouraged the network from developing weekly animated programming. Although most television networks at
1786-887: The series alike and grossed $ 319 million on a $ 150 million budget. The first season would once again be adapted into an unrelated live-action series and released on Netflix on February 22, 2024. The series received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. List of animated television series These are lists of animated television series . Animated television series are television programs produced by means of animation . Animated series produced for theaters are not included in this lists; for those, see List of animated short film series . These lists include compilation series of theatrical shorts such as The Bugs Bunny Show since they often feature some new wrap-around animation. Nickelodeon Animation Studio Nickelodeon Animation Studio (also known as Nickelodeon Animation , and on-screen known as Nickelodeon Productions ),
1833-486: The series, DR Movie and JM Animation Co. Most of the show's main characters made their debut within most, if not all, of the first episodes: Zach Tyler Eisen provided Aang's voice, Mae Whitman as Katara's voice, Jack DeSena as Sokka's voice, Dante Basco as Zuko's voice, Mako as Iroh's voice, and Dee Bradley Baker as the voices of both Appa and Momo . Additional supporting characters include Commander (later Admiral) Zhao, voiced by Jason Isaacs . Film critics appreciated
1880-413: The show has been number one in the boys 9- to 14-year-old demographic, and has attracted many age and gender groups in its pool of 1.1 million viewers who watch each new episode. In addition, the season has won many awards throughout its runtime. During the 33rd Annual Annie Awards , the show was nominated for the "Best Animated Television Production" award. Because of the episode "The Fortuneteller",
1927-547: The show was nominated for the "Writing for an Animated Television Production" award. For the episode "The Deserter", the season was nominated for and won the "Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production" award. During the 2005 Pulcinella Awards, the season won the "Best Action/Adventure TV Series" award as well and the general "Best TV Series" award. Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment started releasing Season One DVDs in North America on January 31, 2006, with
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-481: The time tended to go to large animation houses with proven track records to develop Saturday-morning series, often generally pre-sold characters from movies, toys or comics, Nickelodeon desired differently. Inspired by the early days of animation and the work of Bob Clampett , Tex Avery and Chuck Jones , Nickelodeon set out to find frustrated cartoonists swallowed up by the studio system. Nickelodeon president Geraldine Laybourne commissioned eight six-minute pilots at
2021-579: Was approached by the studio with intentions of developing a new animated series for Nickelodeon. The series became Games Animation's first in-house production, Rocko's Modern Life , which premiered on the network in 1993. Games worked on the show for three years and employed over 70 people during the course of its run. Executives did not share space with the creative team. The show ended in 1996 as its creator Joe Murray wanted to spend more time with his family. Games Animation also lost Doug from internal conflicts with Jumbo Pictures. After declining to produce
2068-433: Was established in 1992. The series was moved to Games, who hired practically everyone from Spümcø but Kricfalusi and Jim Smith , and put under the creative supervision of Bob Camp , one of Kricfalusi's former writer-director partners. Nick's plan was to hire bright, young animators and let them do almost anything they want. Coffey soon stepped down as animation vice president for Nickelodeon, to pursue her own projects. She
2115-469: Was later promoted to president of Nickelodeon Animation Studio in 2020. In both roles, Naito reported to Robbins. Under Robbins' presidency, Nickelodeon began to focus more on expanding some its preexisting franchises. At Nickelodeon Animation Studio, this effort encompassed continuations for legacy shows, including Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus for Netflix and
2162-488: Was released on January 26, 2009, containing all twenty episodes on five discs. These Region 2 releases lack the commentary tracks and other DVD extras found on the Region 1 releases. The Last Airbender is a live-action film based on the first season of the animated television series and had a theatrical release on July 1, 2010. The film, directed by M. Night Shyamalan , was universally panned by critics, audiences and fans of
2209-557: Was replaced by Mary Harrington, a Nickelodeon producer who moved out from New York to help run the Nicktoons division that was a near-shambles after Kricfalusi was fired. Games' initial duty was to continue producing The Ren & Stimpy Show after Nickelodeon dropped Spümcø and Kricfalusi from their duties on the show. At the time, Games was located in an office building in Studio City, California . In 1992, animator Joe Murray
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