While some legends are shrouded in mystery, the writers of Avatar: The Last Airbender will be dragged kicking and screaming into the light!
It was Homer who first put pen to paper in order to record the epic story of Achilles and the Trojan Wars! It was Madeline Miller who made that story better and gayer! It was John Milton who made some other guy put pen to paper to tell the tale of Paradise Lost! It was some Viking dude of unknown origin who originally composed Beowulf! It was another mysterious guy who wrote the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh whose tablets are now stored at Hobby Lobby! While famous legends have filled the world since ancient times, humanity has not always been privy to their sources. Could they be of divine origin? Or are they simply ancient fanfics that were kudosed into the hallowed halls of history?
Their names are Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, let it be known. As the Netflix live-action adaptation of the series approaches, more people are certain to start looking into its origins, even though the creators left the live-action series under less than encouraging circumstances.
But who ARE Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko?
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are old college chums! Born in Vermont and Georgia respectively, Michael and Bryan met while they were attending college at the Rhode Island School of Design. Michael DiMartino majored in animation, while Bryan Konietzko majored in illustration. A match made in heaven! The pair first had the idea for Avatar: The Last Airbender while in college, but were not able to bring their idea to the masses until years later. They bonded over their mutual love of epic fantasy and old kung-fu movies, as well as their mutual respect for Eastern philosophies. The writing process unfolded over years, during which time they collaborated with head writer Aaron Gabriel Ehasz, who was brought on to the series after it was greenlit for production by Nickelodeon.
Their ambitions were high from the beginning. Avatar The Last Airbender marked one of the first times that Nickelodeon had ever launched a major animated TV show without a “reset button.” Before Avatar came along, the network had found success with sitcom-style cartoon shows like SpongeBob Squarepants and Fairly Oddparents. A conflict occurred in each episode, and it was quickly solved by the episode’s end, with no ramifications carrying over into later episodes.
Nickelodeon had successfully tried its hand at a more dramatic and grounded series when the network came out with Hey Arnold, but even though that series has some lore when it comes to characters, it’s not exactly heavy on plot points. Essentiality, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko made kids’ cartoon history by creating a dramatic, character-driven epic aimed primarily at a young audience. And in doing so, they were able to create a franchise that has been enjoyed multiple generations. Avatar and its spinoffs and sequels just keep on giving. Thanks, Michael and Bryan. Legends, the both of you.
(featured image: Nickelodeon)
