Join Racebending.com on Thursday July 1, as we protest the discriminatory casting practices in The Last Airbender! We’ll have protesters on the ground in Los Angeles and Seattle. Hope to see you out there! Check out the details below.

If you’re in Los Angeles…

Where:
Arclight in Hollywood, Corner of Sunset & Vine

When:
Thursday, July 1st at 5pm

Contact:
Mike (mike@racebending.com)

LA Event Page

If you’re in Seattle…

Where:
Regal Thornton Place & Imax in Northgate

When:
3:30 to 7pm

Contact:
Catherine (promote@racebending.com)

Seattle Event Page

As with any movie adaptation, there are bound to be changes. However, fans are always interested in what’s different between a film and the source material. This is intended to shed light on what has changed, not to pass judgment (positive or negative) on the changes.

The lists below are meant to document the differences between the feature film and the television series. We made an attempt to document the differences in as neutral a manner as possible.

Thank you to Paramount for allowing Asian American groups to watch a screening at their studio in Los Angeles. The Paramount representatives were very gracious and we will have a write-up of our discussion later this week.

Credit to AvatarSpirit for the screenshots; they’re an amazing site.

The changes fall under three categories:

• Events now explained by exposition (monologue or voiceover), but no longer actually depicted on-screen.
• Alterations to characters or sequences of events.
• Events removed entirely from the film.

Spoilers follow.

Events Explained but not Depicted

• Aang flees from his home in the middle of a storm, goes crashing into the ocean, enters the Avatar state, and is frozen in a sphere of ice.
  
• The Fire Nation storms the Southern Water Tribe and Katara’s mother is killed.
• Almost all of the scenes depicting Zuko as a young boy, struggling to impress his father are explained, not shown. There is a brief look at a young Zuko as he backs off from his father during the forced Agni Kai.
• Sokka and Yue spend time together, growing closer despite cultural and socioeconomic differences.
• Gyatso is shown in many flashbacks, but he is never shown speaking. His personality and relationship with Aang are explained through voiceover/exposition.

Alterations to Characters or Events

• ORIGINAL:
  The Air Nomad elders sit before Aang. They inform him that he is the Avatar and that he must be sent away to begin his training in the four elements. Aang makes the decision to run away.
  
  FILM:
  Aang stands before the Air Nomads as they inform him he is the Avatar. They kneel before him. He is told that as the avatar, he is not allowed to have a family. He decides to run away because he is afraid of not having a family.
  
  This is different from the original series, where Avatars were allowed to have families. Avatar Roku’s descendants, in particular, have a dramatic impact on the lineage of important characters in the Airbender television series.
• ORIGINAL:
  Katara inadvertently frees Aang from the ice as she yells at her brother. Her anger manifests when she waterbends, breaking the iceberg surrounding the frozen Aang. After the ice is cracked open, Aang and Appa awaken. They ride back to the tribe on Appa’s back, with Appa swimming.
  
  
  FILM:
  Sokka notices that the ice beneath them is glowing. The sphere rises up, cracking open the ice surface. He yells “Katara! Don’t touch that sphere!” Katara cracks open the sphere and there is an explosion of light. The camera reveals a crater, where Aang and Appa lie unconscious. Katara and Sokka argue, then decide to bring them back to the village.
• ORIGINAL:
  Aang wins over the hearts of the young children in the Water Tribe. He explores an abandoned Fire Nation ship with Katara and inadvertently sets off an explosion/flare. Sokka demands that Aang leave the village. When the Fire Nation arrives, Sokka is easily defeated by Zuko. Aang allows himself to be captured, then escapes. In the process, he uses the Avatar State. Katara and Sokka leave the village with Appa and help save Aang. Katara helps Aang escape by freezing several Fire Nation soldiers. They escape on Appa.
  
  FILM:
  The Fire Nation arrives almost as soon as Aang awakens. He allows himself to be captured. Iroh performs a test where he sets four items, one of each element, before Aang. Each object’s element reacts to Aang’s presence, proving he is the avatar. Aang uses his airbending to escape. There’s some fighting, then Aang flies away from the ship and meets Katara and Sokka on Appa.
• ORIGINAL:
  Haru, a young Earthbending boy, uses his bending to protect an innocent. He’s captured and sent to a metal coal processing camp, with other Earthbenders. Their powers are vastly limited by their metal surroundings.
  
  
  Katara allows herself to be captured and is taken to the camp. She shows the Earthbenders that they can fight – and (with the help of Aang and Sokka) arranges for a huge supply of coal for the prisoners to use as they win their freedom.
  
  FILM:
  A nameless Earthbending boy hides behind Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Fire Nation soldiers arrive and accuse the boy of being a bender who “bended pebbles at their heads.” They are all captured when it is discovered that Katara is also a Waterbender.
  
  They are taken to an internment village. Aang rallies the captured Earthbenders, telling them that they are surrounded by earth and can fight back. He begins to fight the handful of Firebender soldiers guarding the village. Katara and Sokka join. Finally, the Earthbenders intervene, and together are able to defeat the Firebender guards.
• ORIGINAL:
  Aang arrives at the Northern Air Temple to find it is overrun with new occupants. They have changed so much about the temple that Aang is offended and upset. He comes to appreciate, however, that they have the “spirit” of Airbenders, if not their lineage or bending abilities. It is revealed that the Mechanist is making weapons for the Fire Nation and they must eventually battle off a Fire Nation siege, using a war balloon design that Sokka is able to finalize.
  
  FILM:
  The Northern Air Temple is abandoned when Aang arrives. There is one Earthbending citizen who informs Aang that he enjoys walking through the temple. He takes Aang to the room full of his previous incarnations, then reveals that it is a trap. Firebenders storm the room and the Earthbending villager takes his payment in the form of metal coins and leaves.
• ORIGINAL:
  Katara faces off with Zuko before the ocean and moon spirits. She uses her recent training to defeat him, with the power of the moon behind her. When the sun rises, Zuko frees himself and is able to defeat Katara.
  
  
  FILM:
  When Katara faces off against Zuko before the moon and ocean spirits, she loses after a very brief battle. She never gains the upper-hand.
• ORIGINAL:
  After Zuko defeats Katara, he takes Aang (whose body was left behind as Aang traveled to the spirit world). He immediately sets off with his captive across the ice, leaving the battle between the Water Tribe and Fire Nation behind him.
  
  FILM:
  Zuko takes Aang and hides with his captive in one of the many buildings in the Northern Water Tribe. He decides to wait until nightfall to escape. It is not implied that his Firebending strength is linked to the sun.
• ORIGINAL:
  Zhao pulls the moon spirit out of the water and captures it in a bag. He pretends to show mercy and releases the spirit back into the pond. He then kills the moon spirit by firebending into the spirit pond.
  
  
  FILM:
  Zhao pulls the moon spirit out of the water and holds it in a bag. He then stabs it with a knife.
• ORIGINAL:
  During the siege of the Northern Water Tribe, Aang and the Ocean Spirit La join. They act with one combined strength, knocking back many navy ships with their power, and beat back the invading Fire Nation Navy.
  
  
  FILM:
  Aang stands alone at the wall of the Northern Water Tribe. He enters the Avatar State. From the wall, he bends the water into a large tidal wave. The Fire Nation soldiers and navy grow fearful and retreat. After, Aang walks down from the wall where he is greeted to the sight of both waterbenders and defeated firebenders wanting to accept him as their avatar.
• ORIGINAL:
  Zhao is pulled beneath the ocean waves by the Ocean Spirit, as revenge for killing the Moon Spirit.
  
  FILM:
  Zhao does battle with four waterbenders. They use waterbending to drown him.
• ORIGINAL:
  On the winter solstice, Aang travels to the Fire Temple, where he encounters Avatar Roku. Roku explains that Sozin’s Comet will arrive at summer’s end, granting unprecedented strength to the Fire Nation. Aang has only months to master all four elements.
  
  
  FILM:
  At the end of the film, Ozai explains that Sozin’s Comet will arrive in three years, granting Firebenders the ability to generate their own fire (instead of relying on existing sources of fire). Normally, only very high-level Firebenders are able to generate their own flame (unlike the series, where all Firebenders generate flame from their own chi). He states that they must prevent the Avatar from mastering the elements in that time.

Absent from the Film

• Katara is not shown fighting with the Northern Waterbending Master, or earning the right to train along with the men in the tribe. The subplot of Katara’s grandmother and the Waterbending Master from the Northern tribe is completely cut out. The focus is on Aang and his training.
  
• There is no mention of Avatar Roku.

  Instead of Roku, there’s a “spirit animal” for Aang – a dragon. He provides exposition.

• The Kyoshi Warriors, despite showing up in some promotional material, are never mentioned or shown. The statue of Aang’s previous incarnation, Avatar Kyoshi, is shown and discussed.
  
• Jet and his freedom fighters are not depicted.
• Aang and his allies never travel to Omashu or meet King Bumi.
• Aang never encounters Master Jeong Jeong, his first Firebending teacher in the television series.
• Zuko never challenges Zhao to an Agni Kai duel. In the film, when Zhao publicly insults Zuko, Zuko walks by him and states, “One day you will bow before me.” Then he walks away.
• Teo, his father the Mechanist, and the other occupants of the Northern Air Temple are not shown. The temple is depicted as completely abandoned.
  
• The Yuu Yan archers and the demonstrations of their prowess and talent. The Blue Spirit is taken out by one scared Fire Nation soldier with a bow, who is pushed by Zhao to action.
• There are no examples of Aang learning to bring people together or resolve differences, or to solve problems between the human and spirit world. His trips into the spirit world are all about learning how to use the Avatar state (or at least “let his emotions flow” to allow it to happen).
• Aang never crosses “the Great Divide” (the largest canyon in the world), and as a result, never solves the 100-year feud between the two Earth tribes.
• Aang never travels to the Fire Temple to receive a message from Avatar Roku.
• The pirates are not depicted. The Waterbending scroll is found in the first Earthbending village, among confiscated items from the Fire Nation.
  
• The Fortuneteller and Bato, from the Water Tribe, are not encountered.

Nickelodeon has restricted to lead role in Power Rangers to white actors only, despite the franchise’s past history of diversity and ‘colorblind’ casting. Racebending.com has written Nickelodeon’s CEO asking that he re-release the casting breakdown and give actors of color a fair and equal chance to audition for the lead role. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help!

The Power Rangers franchise is nearly two decades old and has run on children’s television in the United States for 17 seasons. Since the first season of Saban Entertainment’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, aired on FoxKids in 1993, Power Rangers has introduced two generations of American children to incredible growing monsters, interlocking robot suit zord-things, a floating disembodied blue head in a tube, and a diverse cast of heroes.

The first season cast of Power Rangers, circa 1993

In early May 2010, casting breakdowns for the roles were distributed throughout the industry, including a posting on Actor’s Access. Roles for the Green, Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Gold Ranger were listed as open to actors and actresses of “Any ethnicity”–matching the franchise’s tradition of casting actors of various ethnicities to play the show’s diverse ensembles of heroes. In stark contrast, the casting break down for the lead role, “Red Ranger-Reese” looked like this:

[ RED RANGER - REESE ]
Caucasian male, 18 – 23 to play 17-19 years.
Reese is an attractive young man with super hero looks and a slim athletic build, approx 5′10″. Natural leader, reserved quiet and mysterious. Martial arts a plus.

This casting notice raised the eyebrows of Racebending.com supporters not only because it recalls similarly worded casting calls used for The Last Airbender–another Nickelodeon property–but also because of Power Rangers’ past history of diversity. Power Rangers has an established precedent for considering and even hiring actors from underrepresented communities when casting for this lead role, which is not locked to any specific ethnicity. Because of the franchise’s past willingness to consider actors from underrepresented groups as well as actors who are white, several of the Red Rangers have been played by actors of color–including Selwyn Ward, Pua Magasiva, Brandon McLaren, and last season’s Eka Darville.

Selwyn Ward as TJ Johnson, a Red Ranger and leader of the Power Rangers

Yet, after only recently acquiring the franchise, Nickelodeon has restricted the lead role of this children’s series to only white actors in its casting process. While we applaud that Nickelodeon will audition actors and actresses of any ethnicity to play the other Power Rangers, restricting submissions for the leader of the Power Rangers–and main character of the series– to white actors still signifies a glass ceiling.

Racebending.com surveyed the diversity of human characters in shows aired on Nicktoons from 1991 to present, and found that only 25% of lead characters were people of color. This number hardly reflects the diversity of the American children in Nick’s audience, 45% of whom are people of color.

The concept behind Racebending.com’s protest of this casting breakdown is simple: Given the “Power Rangers” franchise’s rich history of diversity, Nickelodeon should not discriminate by excluding actors of color from auditioning for the lead role. We are not asking that actors of color be given special treatment or consideration for this role, but that they be given the same opportunity the white actors currently being sought have received. We are asking that Nickelodeon afford actors of color a fair and equal chance to audition for the main character and the lead hero, as previous Power Ranger seasons have done in the past.

We are simply asking that Nickelodeon at least consider actors of color for the lead role of Red Ranger.

On Friday, May 21st, Racebending.com sent a letter to Nickelodeon Global Network Ventures, Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Dunn. The letter, which can be viewed here, urges Nickelodeon to immediately re-release the casting breakdown for the character of “Red Ranger – Reese,” reworded to allow actors of all ethnicities the chance to submit and be considered for this role. Racebending.com writes: “Re-releasing the casting breakdown and allowing actors of all ethnicities an equal chance to audition for the Red Ranger lead role will expand the pool of talent available for “Power Rangers,” and reaffirm Nickelodeon’s interest in diversity and commitment to a fair casting process.”

We hope Nickelodeon will respond to our concerns and make the role open to submissions from actors of all ethnicities.

Last week Racebending.com contributor Erikonil presented an overview of the history of the Los Angeles based theater group, East West Players as well as touching on their continuing work developing young talent both on and off stage through community programs and educational opportunities. This week we’ll take a look at their contribution to the television show that introduced us to one of the first American animation fantasy worlds in steeped in Asian culture.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was a milestone in contemporary children’s television for many reasons. It featured a world that wasn’t just made up with the superficial trappings of various Asian cultures for the sake of tapping into the current love affair with Kung-fu. Instead, it presented itself with a strong respect for the cultures it drew inspiration from, exposing children to Chinese calligraphy, historically accurate clothing, architecture and traditions. The animation team also brought in the Media Action Network for Asian Americans to act as cultural consultants, continuing a sense of respect for the cultures they were representing. Because of this respect and cooperation, Avatar: The Last Airbender also became a showcase for voice talent for actors of East West Players.

The names that most people will know off the top of their heads will of course be Makoto “Mako” Iwamatsu and Dante Basco, the voice actors for the characters of Uncle Iroh and Prince Zuko.

Mako was a long time advocate for Asian American actors up until his death in July of 2006, not only as a spokesman, but also co founding the EWP in 1965 and acting as their artistic director.

“Generally for him it was particularly hard, because he was an immigrant…. There was the linguistic challenge, but he recognized we needed more opportunities to practice our craft.”

George Takei, 2006

Born in Kobe, Japan and coming to the US with the intention of becoming an architect, Mako found himself drawn to theater. He gained a reputation as being an actor who could pull depth to the stereotypical roles that Asian Americans were offered at the time, earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination in 1966 for his role as the Chinese laborer Po-han in ”The Sand Pebbles”. To younger audiences, Mako is more associated with his voice acting work, not only as Uncle Iroh, but also as the villain Aku in the critically acclaimed Samurai Jack and as Master Splinter in the 2007 film, “TMNT”.

The voice of Prince Zuko, Dante Basco, is known to many by one name. Rufio. 1991’s “Hook” saw Basco as the leader of the Lost Boys, a role that secured him a place in pop culture and one that seems to be making a resurgence in part to fans of Prince Zuko taking a closer look at his voice actors work. He’s also lent his voice to another cartoon featuring an Asian American lead in Disney’s American Dragon: Jake Long. Not simply an actor, Basco is also a poet, dancer and rapper, bringing all these skills when he performs.

The current artistic director for the EWP, Tim Dang preformed the role of Yan Rha in book 3 episode “The Southern Raiders”. Dang is a prolific voice actor, working on several series including Batman Beyond, The Wild Thornberrys and Jackie Chan Adventures . This year will mark his 17th year as the Producing Artistic Director with the EWP and he has overseen some of the largest growth the group has ever seen, overseeing it’s transition from it’s 99 seat black box theater to it’s new 240 seat house in the David Henry Hwang Theatre. He’s taken the group through critically acclaimed productions of Sweeny Todd and Pippen and is himself an award winning director. Be sure to check out Racebending.com’s interview with Tim Dang!

George Takei has name recognition that crosses generations and fandoms. In Avatar: The Last Airbender’s book 1, he voiced the Warden in the episode “Imprisoned.” His claim to fame though, is originating the role of Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek, a character who was one of the first positive reoccuring roles for an Asian American at the time while also breaking the mold for how Asians were portrayed. The swashbuckling Sulu was created to be the antithesis to the stereotype of the unemotional, inscrutable Asian often seen at the time. Aside from acting, Takei has also been involved in politics, being California’s alternate the Democratic National Convention in 1972 and serving seven years on the board of directors for the Southern California Rapid Transit District where he helped plan the Los Angeles subway system. He’s worked steadily in television, film and as a voice actor through the years and as of 2005 has added gay activist to his resume when he came out in October of that year. He and husband Brad Altman have been active in the LGBT community as well as the Asian American community where the two of them donated their winnings from The Newlywed Game to the Japanese American National Meuseam.

James Hong is a founding member of the EWP and two time Avatar: The Last Airbender voice actor, proving the vocals for Mayor Tong in the Book 2 episode “Avatar Day” and as an Air Nomad in “The Storm.” His acting career started as a part time gig where he acted on his days off from his job as a road engeneer for the city of Los Angeles. Some of his earlest work was dubbing imported Asian films such as “Godzilla, King of the Monsters!” and “The Human Vapor.” His live action resume streaches over 500 roles on both television and big screen and include “Big Trouble in Little China,” Kung Fu, Big Bang Theory, Friends and The West Wing. His list of voice acting credits includes Ping in “Kung Fu Panda,” Chowder, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! and Jackie Chan Adventures among several others.

Daniel Dae Kim is most famous for his role as Jin-Soo Kwon on the hit show Lost, but to those of the Avatar inclination, he’s the voice of the overly ambitious General Fong in book 2 episode “The Avatar State.” Working steadily, he’s been in films such as “The Cave,” the television adaption of The Andromada Strain, Charmed and Angel. Other voice acting work includes the video games like Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Saints Row 2 and as the Metron in Justice League Unlimited. He’s currently signed to play Chin Ho Kelly in the television remake of Hawaii Five-O.

Lauren Tom is an Obie Award winning actress who has worked on stage, screen and as a voice actress, preforming in Avatar: The Last Airbender as everyones brainwashed tour guide Joo Dee in book 2’s Ba Sing Se story arch and as Amy Wong in Futurama. Getting into acting at a young age (17 when she joined a touring production of A Chorus Line), she cites being introverted because of teasing about her Chinese heritage as the reason she began acting. When she began working in films, she landed small roles until a guest spot on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson led to her being cast in the critically acclaimed “The Joy Luck Club” as Lena St.Clair. While her live action work has slowed in recent years, she’s had an upswing as a voice actress. She’s worked on several shows including Kim Possible, Legion of Superheroes, American Dragon: Jake Long, Codename: Kids Next Door and The Replacements.

Love the sight of cabbages getting smashed by wayward benders? Then you love the soulful wailing of James Sie, professional voice actor and voice of the ever put upon Cabbage Merchant! Sie has provided the voices for numerous characters including another Avatar character, Oyaji from “The Warriors of Kyoshi.” While he has done live action work on shows such as ER and Charmed, most of his work is with his voice. He provided the voice of the animated Jackie Chan and the villain Shendu in Jackie Chan Adventures, had reoccurring roles on King of the Hill and Justice League Unlimited. He’s also worked in video games including Fing Fang Foom and Radioactive Man in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Metal Gear Solid 4:Guns of the Patriots and in Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, he voiced lead character Dennis Isenberg,

Sab Shimono has the distinction of providing the voices for one of the nicest and one of the sneakiest characters in Avatar, those being Aang’s mentor Monk Gyatso and Toph’s would be teacher, Master Yu. He’s also provided the voices for Uncle Chan in Jackie Chan Adventures, Justice League Unlimited and in the movie “Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword.” A prolific stage actor, Shimono has worked both on and off Broadway with actors such as Angela Lansbury. In the realm of big screen films, he’s been in the acclaimed drama “Come See Paradise” that deals with the treatment of Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor and in several Asian American independent films such as 2008’s “The Sensei” and 2009’s “Americanese.”

Takayo Fischer is the voice of Princess Azula’s mentors, Lo and Li. The daughter of Japanese immigrants, she and her family were part of the massive relocation of Japanese Americans following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and she spent time both in the Jerome and Rohwer Internment Camps before moving to Chicago, Illinois. There, she attended Rollins College. She’s worked both as an award winning stage actress, in independent films and big budget movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

East West Players is a wealth of talent, truly putting forth many voices that tell of the Asian American experience. They tell of hardship, discrimination, triumph and cultural pride while still proudly embracing what it is to be American. Avatar: The Last Airbender was a way for many to participate in something that educated, entertained and brought an often-exploited set of cultures to people in a respectful way.

In April 2008, after learning about the casting of the The Last Airbender film adaptation, East West Players sent a letter to the production expressing their concerns and asking for a meeting. The letter explains that “a golden opportunity was lost to cast ethnically Asian actors to play the lead roles in this Asian-inspired story.” Unfortunately, their concerns were never addressed.

• General Questions
• Specific Questions Related to The Last Airbender
• Questions About Hollywood Casting

General Questions

What is Racebending.com?
Racebending.com is an online community founded by fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Since our formation in 2008, we are now a grassroots organization dedicated to encouraging equal opportunities in Hollywood. To learn more, visit our Who We Are page.

How do I contact Racebending.com?
If you’re a member of the press, please visit our Press Page.
If you’re a reader, you can contact us using the information here, but please read through the FAQ first.

What does the term ‘racebending’ refer to and what does it mean?
The word “racebending” is a portmanteau coined by one of our co-founders. It’s a play on words that refers to the “airbending” and other elemental bending in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

The practice we’ve dubbed “racebending” on this site refers to situations where A) A movie studio/publisher, etc. has changed the ethnicity of a character B) with a resultant discriminatory impact on an underrepresented cultural community and actors from that community (reinforcement of glass ceilings, loss of opportunity, etc.)

What is Colorism?
We reference the term “colorism” frequently on the website. Colorism is a form of discrimination in which people are accorded differing social and economic treatment based on skin color. Colorism occurs across the world and can occur within an ethnic group or between different ethnic groups. In most entertainment industries–including Hollywood–lighter skin tone is given preferential treatment and darker skin tone is considered less desirable. Oftentimes, heroes are cast with lighter skin and villains are cast with darker skin.

Would Racebending.com rather have movie studios cast the best actor for the role or the actor who looks like or has the same ethnicity as the character?
Acting talent and ethnicity are not mutually exclusive–nor is acting ability some sort of innate racial trait. Any cultural or ethnic community in the United States will contain talented actors, so a movie studio should never argue that they had to choose between casting a talented white actor to play a character of color or an actor of color with terrible skills. There are equally talented actors of color, and they deserve the chance to represent their communities.

Why are people upset about The Last Airbender?
Our four minute video series breaks the issues down succinctly. We encourage people new to this site to check it out!

What is Racebending.com doing about the casting/cultural competency of The Last Airbender?
Our efforts include directly contacting Paramount and the production, speaking out and drawing awareness towards the production’s discriminatory casting practices (to the media, on university campuses, etc.) and connecting concerned fans to other media watchdog organizations. We are encouraging people to boycott the movie, so as not to financially reward the studio for discriminatory decisions.

What does Racebending.com do about other movies/books/etc. that “racebend”?
Racebending.com has expanded to monitor other situations where ‘racebending’ has occurred. We inform our members about the situation and occasionally take direct action. For example, we launched an email campaign when David Henrie was cast to play a Chinese American lead character in The Weapon. If you feel there is an issue in an upcoming movie that we should address, please contact us with more information.

How did Racebending.com get its start?
Racebending.com got its start through our sister site, Aang Aint White, a livejournal started by some anonymous folks (some with professional ties to the franchise) immediately after the principal cast was announced in December 2008. When the protest began to pick up steam, it became clear that a blog wouldn’t be enough, so we expanded to a livejournal community and eventually to our website, Racebending.com.

Are supporters of Racebending.com fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender? Can you guys still be fans if you’re critical of the movie?
Although we have received plenty of outside support, many of our supporters are fans of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

As fans of the original television show, we still hold the highest level of respect for the animated series and its culturally nuanced depiction of an Asian/Inuit fantasy world. The cast and setting were virtually unique in American media as a celebration of people and culture of Asian descent. For American children, it was an opportunity to witness heroes and heroines of color – an opportunity that enriched all of us, regardless of ethnicity.

We wanted to support The Last Airbender film, but we cannot in good conscience support a production that reinforces glass ceilings by systematically excluding people of color from heroic lead roles.

Are you just a small group of vocal fans angry about changes in the movie?
We comprised of several thousand supporters in 50 countries around the world. Although most of us are fans of the animated series, our supporters also identify as students, parents, advocates, academics, and professionals. Our primary concern is the bigger picture–The Last Airbender is just one example in a long history of Hollywood discrimination. For many of us, seeing this kind of discrimination associated with our favorite series is what spurred us into taking action.

Racebending.com has represented the Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom at Wondercon 2010. We have also presented at several universities, including MIT, UPenn, UCLA, and USC. We are also being studied by academics from MIT and USC as an example of social media and advocacy.

Specific Questions Related to The Last Airbender

Why is Racebending.com making such a big deal out of the casting in a movie?
There are several articles on our website outlining why Racebending.com is drawing attention to the cultural competency practices of The Last Airbender. Our primary concerns regarding The Last Airbender are:

• The outdated and discriminatory practice of casting white actors to depict Asian/Inuit characters.
• Casting calls indicating a preference for white actors for leads; people of color for villains, secondary characters, and background extras.
• Culturally ignorant language used by members of the production (e.g. “If you’re a Korean, wear a kimono” and “I definitely need a tan”)
• The colorist implications of featuring a villainous nation with dark-skinned actors and heroic nations led by white heroes who liberate the “Asian and African” nation.
• Cultural appropriation of Pacific Rim cultures and the franchise’s core Asian concepts, despite a glass ceiling blocking off Asian American (or Native American) actors from playing lead protagonists.

Why is Racebending.com so concerned over just a kid’s movie?
The fact that The Last Airbender is being pushed as a family film despite its cultural competency and discrimination problems is exactly why we are concerned. The Last Airbender is a microcosm of how readily present discriminative attitudes are in society–even in children’s entertainment. We are concerned that these casting practices will be presented to children of all ethnicities as something acceptable, normal, and not a big deal at all. Some of our interviews with academics cover the impact these casting decisions might have on children in greater detail.

How do the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender feel about the casting or Racebending.com?
The creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender have said nothing publicly about the casting other than Bryan Konietzko’s declaration on his MySpace, where he wrote: “I have NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CASTING WHATSOEVER for the feature film.” Other people who have worked on the show, including a director, artists, and cultural consultants, have publicly expressed disappointment about the casting.

Are the characters in the Avatar setting ethnically Asian/Inuit?
The Avatar: The Last Airbender series was established by the creators and Nickelodeon as set in a “fantastical Asian world.” The Intellectual Property Bible affirms that the world of the series is and should be authentically Asian, and cultural consultants were hired to ensure the depiction of the world and characters would be respectful. People who have worked on the original series have also affirmed that the characters were ethnically Asian/Inuit.

The default physical appearance for all characters in live-action fantasy worlds is not and should not always and only be anglo-saxon, western European facial features and coloring–particularly not in a series like Avatar: The Last Airbender, which featured ethnically Asian Pacific /Inuit characters and Pacific Rim cultures.

If the characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender are Asian, why don’t they have slanty eyes, yellow skin, or accents?
In traditional Western Animation, Asian characters are often depicted with stereotypical features. Avatar: The Last Airbender employs a style of anime from Korea that does not use those stereotypical markers. In addition, the voice direction of A:TLA was advised not to use stereotypical Asian accents to depict the characters. Depicting Asian characters with a stereotypical accent is an old Hollywood practice that generally no longer occurs in modern productions with Asian and Asian American characters (eg. Disney’s Mulan, Jake Long: American Dragon.)

Are the characters of Sokka and Katara White, Inuit, or Asian?
The characters from the Water Tribe are largely inspired by circumpolar indigenous cultures, with some influences from Asian and Pacific Islander indigenous groups. On a DVD commentary, the animated series creators noted that even Katara’s “hair-loopies’ hairstyle (not used in the film) is even an authentic Inuit hairstyle.

Circumpolar indigenous people hail from from Canada, Russia, Alaska, and Greenland. There are many Asian circumpolar indigenous people (from the Chukchi Peninsula), but not all circumpolar indigenous people are Asian.

Some of our readers have asked “if it really makes sense” for Water Tribe characters have darker skin than the other characters, even though they live in a cold climate. The real life explanation for why circumpolar dwelling people such as the Inuit have darker skin is explained by Vitamin D consumption, melanin adaptation, and UV light exposure. It is perfectly “realistic” for Sokka and Katara to have darker skin.

Some characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender have blue/grey/green eyes. How can they be people of color?
The creators of the series gave the characters eye colors corresponding to their “elements.” Airbenders have grey eyes, Earthbenders have green eyes, Waterbenders have blue eyes, and Firebenders have orange eyes.

That being said, people who are white do not have an exclusive monopoly on blue eye color. Many people of color also have blue/green/grey eyes. And one potentially “Caucasian trait” does not invalidate a person’s Asian Pacific / Inuit traits or cultural identity.

What issue does Racebending.com have with the actors in The Last Airbender, especially the white child actors?
Our issue is not with the actors selected, but with the production, which did not think children of color were suitable to play in a movie based on their own cultures. We will, however, hold adult actors accountable for culturally insensitive statements, such as Jackson Rathbone’s assertion that he would get “a tan” to play Sokka, a person of color.

What are Racebending.com’s thoughts on the original voice actors for Avatar: The Last Airbender?
While it is important to cast people of color to represent characters of color in all mediums, we are willing to give voice acting a freer pass. The voice actors are not a complete representation of the characters, as they only perform the characters’ voices. The voice actor for Appa, Dee Bradley Baker, isn’t really a bison, and Ash Ketchum from Pokemon and Bart Simpson from The Simpsons are voiced by middle-aged women. However, when characters in animation are depicted as people of color, we encourage studios to cast voice actors from those communities.

Why has Racebending.com labeled the character of Prince Zuko as the “enemy”?
For the purposes of the first season of the animated series and the film, Zuko is the primary antagonist of the main character, Aang. In the film, actors of color have been cast but only in antagonistic and ancillary roles, and this is a glass ceiling. In fact, the feature film markets Zuko as a villain.

Were the selected actors for the roles in The Last Airbender the best actors for the job?
By writing “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” on the casting sides for the lead roles, the production made their preference for Caucasian actors to play PoC clear from the beginning. (Normally when ethnicity is left open-ended, casting sides read “Any Ethnicity.”)

Jackson Rathbone and Jesse McCartney (the production’s first selection for Zuko) may be considered great thespians, but there are equally talented actors of color. When the production says these actors are “the best for the role” they are also reinforcing an appropriative glass ceiling. We believe Hollywood could have cast this film without reinforcing the glass ceiling, using equally talented actors of color. If in Hollywood, actors who are white are considered “the best” to represent people of color, then where does that leave actors of color?

70% of speaking roles in Hollywood go to male actors. 82% of lead roles in Hollywood go to actors who are white. This is not because they were always casting for the best actor and the best actor always happens to be white and male. This is because of discriminatory bias and not because women and people of color cannot act.

Why is Racebending.com advocating for actors of Asian descent to play the characters in the film if that would mean they would be playing a stereotype (martial artists)?
Casting actors who are white to play characters of color does not protect people of color from discrimination or stereotypes. We also believe the Avatar: The Last Airbender series took the proper steps to avoid being stereotypical, (eg: cultural consultants)–unlike the film adaptation.

Does the fact that M. Night Shyamalan is South Asian American impact Racebending.com’s position on his film at all?
Racebending.com believes that anyone is capable of making decisions with a discriminatory impact, regardless of their ethnicity, talent, and experiences–and regardless of their intentions. Our focus is on addressing that impact.

M. Night Shyamalan recently said that the film will be “the most diverse tentpole movie ever.” What is Racebending.com’s position on this diversity?
Racebending.com and other advocacy groups argue that there is a difference between diversity and equal representation and that this difference must be acknowledged.

Having a diverse palette of villains and extras is nothing new–Hollywood has upheld this glass ceiling for ages. The three heroic protagonist lead roles were still reserved for white actors. M. Night Shyamalan’s claim of diversity also does not address the production’s repeated culturally incompetent gaffes, including specifically casting for white actors to play the leads, cultural appropriation, and stereotyping (eg: Koreans come in Kimonos.)

The production has not acknowledged full impact of its actions. While actors of color are present in the film, they are not treated equally. Similar to a restaurant or store that employs people of color in the back room but places people who are white in the storefront, this production’s “diversity” is indicative of a glass ceiling. Glass ceilings with backfilled diversity are not indicative of true diversity.

What does Racebending.com think about Frank Marshall’s recent claim that the production of The Last Airbender did not create nor intend to use the “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” language?
We are very skeptical of this claim. Marshall told UGO.com that the “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” language was “not written nor distributed by the production, or the studio, but by a local extra casting entity that did not consult with either.” Yet, when this casting language was released to Breakdown Services, it came from the office Gail Levin, then-chief of Paramount Features Casting. The “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” breakdown was the most widely distributed casting language for th film’s lead roles.

The “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” language was used on several official casting websites, including the thelastairbendercasting.com site owned by Paramount and on Breakdown Services/Actor’s Access [source].

At Racebending.com we’re more concerned about the language–and the impact of the language– the production did use, rather than the language they meant to use. The production’s concrete actions had a discriminatory impact[learn more here.]

Does Racebending.com think the people involved in the production of The Last Airbender are racist? Does Racebending.com think fans of The Last Airbender movie are racist?
No. We are not in a position to judge whether any individual–unaffiliated with the casting or not–is personally racist.

What Racebending.com can assess is the production of The Last Airbender’s cultural competency and the discriminatory or disparate impact of the production’s decisions. A film production need not have discriminatory intent or be “racist” in order to make decisions with a discriminatory impact.

In the case of The Last Airbender, the production’s decisions–whether deliberate or inadvertant–have reinforced glass ceilings in Hollywood. The idea that Hollywood casts films with a glass ceiling is well established and has been studied extensively both in academia and by professional organizations including the Screen Actor’s Guild.

Similarly, we are not in a position to judge whether any individual fan is racist and going to see the movie is a personal choice. So many people who loved the series don’t realize that when they are supporting the live action movie, they are also indirectly supporting discrimination. Our goal is to raise awareness and inform fans that they can boycott the movie if they do not wish to financially reward the production for making decisions that have resulted in discrimination. We hope that one day, fans and media consumers will not have to choose between supporting a franchise and taking a stand against discrimination.

Questions about Hollywood Casting

How does Racebending.com feel about ‘colorblind casting’?
Racebending.com absolutely supports casting a role without considering an actor’s ethnicity, with a few caveats.

One is that ‘colorblindness’ should not be a free pass to ignore race, ethnicity, or culture altogether. A system that does not recognize race will also become unable to recognize when race-based discrimination does occur. And, given that in American society–and particularly in Hollywood–the default color is white, organizations like the Media Action Network for Asian Americans have found that when the ethnicity of a character is not listed in a casting call, old habits die hard and actors who are white may be preferenced anyway. Colorblindness should not be used as an excuse to ignore disparities or discrimination in Hollywood.

Another caveat is the double standard. This occurs when studios cast characters of color in a “colorblind” manner, but do not cast characters who are white in a “colorblind” manner. In this situation, studios select actors who are white to play characters of color (usually the lead) but actors of color are rarely selected to play characters who are white.

Lastly, it is important for studios to recognize that actors of color and actors from other underrepresented groups represent their communities. Nothing is stopping Hollywood from casting an abled-bodied actor to portray a person in a wheelchair, a male actor to portray a female character, and a white actor to portray a person of color–but there is a great distinction between an actor portraying a character, and an actor representing for an already underrepresented community. It would certainly behoove movie studios to take representation into consideration when casting for roles where the character’s identity as a member of an underrepresented group factors into the portrayal.

Is Racebending.com saying that white people can’t play Asians/Inuits? Isn’t that reverse racism? Shouldn’t actors be able to play any role?
Casting characters of color with white actors sends the message that white people are more qualified to represent people of color than people of color themselves.

“Reverse racism” isn’t endemic in Hollywood right now; quite the opposite. There are actors of color actors equally as talented as the white actors selected to play the roles in The Last Airbender–except Ringer, Peltz, and Rathbone have other lead roles (white leading characters) open to them and actors of color do not. 82% of lead roles in Hollywood go to white actors. Less than 2% of lead roles go to Asian actors and less than 1% go to Native American actors.

Asian American actors should have the same opportunities to play Asian characters as white actors have to play white characters. The same applies for Native American actors.

Does Racebending.com believe that only people from a certain group should be able to play characters from that group? For example, what does Racebending.com feel about British actors playing Italian characters?
Again, we’re examining double standards applied to actors of color in Hollywood. Advocate Helen Zia wrote: “To further suggest that Equity advocates the narrow-minded view that Jews can only play Jews, or Italians can only play Italians, or any similar casting that is drawn strictly along racial or ethnic lines, totally distorts the issue. Jews have always been able to play Italians, Italians have always been able to play Jews, and both have always been able to play Asian. Asian actors, however, almost never have the opportunity to play either Jews or Italians and continue to struggle even to play themselves.”

In addition to not seeing these movies, why launch letter writing movements, protests, and the website?
Racebending.com believes that it is important for media consumers to put studios that discriminate on notice. We are vocally protesting and pointing out that the kinds of casting practices used by The Last Airbender and other films are embarrassing, discriminative, and inappropriate. We hope to show the film industry that consumers will no longer stand for discriminative casting and that these practices are no longer financially viable.

What if casting decisions are driven not by racial discrimination but by financial motivations? Perhaps moviegoers would not see a movie without white actors?
It is certainly patronizing if Hollywood believes that most viewers are so intolerant and narrow-minded that they must need a white viewpoint in the story in order to ‘get it’. American audiences have happily embraced films like Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Slumdog Millionaire, and they also fell in love with Avatar: The Last Airbender even though all of the characters were people of color.

By casting The Last Airbender the way they have, Paramount has lost revenue from minority families excited by the prospect of a kids movie where their ethnicity is represented, people pleased that casting was done in a culturally competent manner, and all the fans who are boycotting the film now. Financially-driven discrimination is still discrimination, and would be unacceptable in any other industry.

Racebending.com has accepted the resignation of Jordan W.  from his administrative duties with our group.

Since joining the protest in December 2008, Jordan has made numerous contributions to the cause, including protesting in person in New York, representing us at Asian American Comic Con, moderating the youtube page, and co-presenting a workshop with Loraine Sammy at the 2010 East Coast Asian American Student Union conference. He was instrumental in helping set up our youtube page and has kept all of us and our readers updated with news items benefiting the protest over the past year.

Although Jordan is stepping down from his administrative duties, he will continue to participate in the protest, so you will definitely still see him around on the racebending livejournal community, facebook group, youtube, and other venues.

We greatly appreciate his contributions to racebending.com during his time as an admin, and are very thankful for his continued support. We wish him continued success in future endeavors and hope you will do the same!

The Racebending.com Staff

Last week, Spin Master Toys unveiled a new line of ‘The Last Airbender’ toys, including a version of the Katara action figure fans have always wanted.

2008 Barbie for President – Asian American

Over the past few months, Bloomsbury has been under scrutiny for using racebending tactics for the cover images of their young adult genre novels. What blogs across the web have been discovering, this practice is not uncommon. Various other publishers make the decision to whitewash characters of colour for the cover images of teenaged- and adolescent-themed books.

Editors have told me that their sales departments say black covers don’t sell. Sales reps have told me that many of their accounts won’t take books with black covers. Booksellers have told me that they can’t give away YAs with black covers. Authors have told me that their books with black covers are frequently not shelved in the same part of the library as other YA—they’re exiled to the Urban Fiction section—and many bookshops simply don’t stock them at all.

How welcome is a black teen going to feel in the YA section when all the covers are white? Why would she pick up Liar when it has a cover that so explicitly excludes her?”
– Ain’t That a Shame, justinelarbalestier.com [emphasis added]

Whitewashing Books: Not just Bloomsbury

It’s almost as though the publishers responsible for these decisions think that people of color are so shocking and distasteful that we have to hide them from casual view, and reveal their existence only to those who have already committed to spending money on the book and therefore aren’t likely to take it back.”
–RJ Anderson, commenting on Bookshelves of Doom

Lit blog Into the Wardrobe also noticed that Dragons Can be Whitewashed Too:

The Dragon and the Stars (DAW, May 2010) is a science fiction and fantasy anthology featuring Chinese writers from all over the world. The cover is of a Western dragon, not a Chinese dragon. Click here and here to read blog posts and comments about the cover.

Covers Uncovered: People of Color on Books

Just how serious are publishing companies about ensuring that Caucasian models are the focal point of young adult lit covers? The blog The Ya Ya Yas did extensive research over the past recent years, to end at one unnerving conclusion: “it’s not as if it’s unusual for Asian-American characters to have their race obscured on book covers.”

Jacket Whys looked at a total of 775 young adult novels, and found that:

80% of them had people on them. A full 25% of all book covers had white girls pictured on them, and 10% had white boys. Only 2% of the titles I looked at had African American boys or girls pictured on the covers – a sad state of affairs.”

How much can publishing companies get away with this? With most publishing companies, authors have little to no say in the cover of their book, particularly for first-time published authors. Book covers are tied in with marketing – the more appealing the cover, the more units will sell. What sort of message is being sent to teenagers when publishing companies blatantly whitewash their covers in the name of financial gain?

Taking Action: Fighting Discrimination in Book Publishing

As Blooomsbury has demonstrated (twice), your opinion can make a difference. If it wasn’t for people speaking out about Liar and Magic Under Glass, discussing it on their blogs and writing letters to the publishers, the changes would have never happened. If you find another case of a whitewashed cover:

• contact us at info@racebending.com
• post about it on your blog
• contact the publishing companies and ask them why they are whitewashing the covers of the book. Encourage your friends to do the same!

Related Links (non-Racebending.com)

• Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids’ Books
• Judging Publishing Companies By Their Covers
• Next Step: What Are We Going to Do? To Boycott or Not to Boycott
• Let the reading commence: People of Colour Reading Challenge
]]> http://www.racebending.com/v3/general/whitewashing-in-young-adult-lit/feed/ 1 http://www.racebending.com/v3/general/the-last-airbender-art-of-the-animated-series/ http://www.racebending.com/v3/general/the-last-airbender-art-of-the-animated-series/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:55:27 +0000 Marissa http://www.racebending.com/v3/?p=1613 Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series, a hardcover book to be released June 2nd, 2010.]]>



Dark Horse Comics has announced Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series, a hardcover book to be released June 2nd, 2010.

An in-depth look at the original art of the series, including never-before-seen concept sketches, the title boasts of the “diverse array of cultures, including those of China, Japan, India, and the Inuit” that influenced the show.




Click for full size cover.

We’re very excited to get a look at this book. Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko put a great deal of thought and care into the original series and this promises to be a wonderful chance to gain insight into their creative process.

If you’re interested in purchasing the book when it goes on sale and learning more about the conception of a critically acclaimed series, you can sign up on Amazon to be alerted when the book goes on sale.
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