On the one hand, reading the comments, I seem the only person convinced that Jesse McCartney can play brooding, angsty people, but then I've also -- you know -- played Kingdom Hearts.
On the other hand, what the HELL ALL WHITE CAST. IN AVATAR?!?!?!
Oh for chrissakes. Yet another unique work in which the original creator/s deliberately chose not to perpetuate whiteness as default, being adapted by someone who is clearly missing the point.
Sometimes, I just want to punch Hollywood in the face.
Just give me a feature length animated film with a good plot and explain where Zuko's mother is. I don't need this live-action poorly cast white-people-all-playing-Asians-again Shyamalan bullshit.
What?! No! Bad adaptation! They're all supposed to be Asian. Did you miss the Chinese writing everywhere? Or the costumes? Or almost everything about the show that made it unique and not another generic European fantasy?
ETA: Also, Sokka is way too pretty. Boy's supposed to be a goofball!
Except for the ones who are supposed to be Inuit-with-a-dash-of-Northwest-Coast-nations. But still, y'know, NOT WHITE. Arrgh.
(As for Sokka, yeah, he's a goofball, but considering what a total oyaji hottie Hakoda is, I could definitely deal with him being cast as a nice-looking kid who's decent at physical comedy and expressive enough to handle all the rubber-faced mugging -- IMO his goofiness is more a matter of behavior and expression and cheeseball sense of humor (which he seems to have picked up from dad), rather than his actually being funny-looking.)
Well, yes, I was generalizing. I should have noted that too, which makes the all-white cast even more egregious.
Alright, I can see that. But the thing is, he's so pretty. Hopefully he'll be able to pull it off, but we're supposed to laugh first when he hits on girls, not swoon. The only time I've seen this actor was for Jasper Hale in Twilight in which hemade people laugh, so there's a ray of hope, but either way I'm not holding my breath.
Well that's going to help identify the whole diversity thing of the seperate nations spread over the entire world and one of the main themes of the entire series. :-/
Though to be quite honest I had very few hopes for this movie from way back when it was first announced. Like tammylee above, I'd much prefer an animated movie that didn't rehash the series and filled in things like what happened with Zuko's mother.
OH MY GOD SOKKA AND KATARA ARE NOT WHITE. WHAT. I mean, it was my understanding that nobody in Avatar was supposed to be white, and that they were all supposed to be some variations Chinese/other Asian/Inuit/etc. But in Sokka and Katara it's by far the most noticeable, I think.
As horrible as that is, I think the casting for Prince Zuko looks pretty good (please don't kill me)- at least McCartney isn't pastey white; he has a nice tan... *ducks things that will soon be thrown my way*
Edit: I can't believe I said "pretty good", that sounds like I don't mind at all. I should have said that the casting for Zuko was not as horrible as the others. still expects things to be thrown at her
Man, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
What the holy living fuck?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People! I'm a Euro-mutt by heritage, and my skin tone's about three shades darker than Casper the Friendly Ghost. I've seen Asian folks with skin tones as pale as mine, or close to it. Not many, but I've seen a few.
NONE OF THEM HAD EUROPEAN/CAUCASUS FACIAL FEATURES!!!
You want someone to play a pale-skinned Asian kid, get...a pale-skinned Asian kid.
And Sokka and Katara should not be anywhere NEAR white. I can understand that it might be hard to find Inuit/PacNorthwestAmerind actors, because their population has been nearly wiped out by asshole settlers for the past 400-500 years. But I have seen literally dozens of Indian girls with skins the same color as the animated Sokka and Katara. A billion goddamn people in India and the casting agency didn't think to find a couple Bollywood stars to take the roles?
This is so totally FUBAR. This CANNOT be accidental.
Back before the last few episodes aired, when everyone was wondering "What the hell are they going to do with Azula? They can't have the main charaters kill her...but...it's AZULA!"
Before they went with that whole "spiritbending" thing in the finale, I was kind of expecting Aang to decide on a non-violent solution. Specifically, taking Little Miss Crazier-Than-A-Shithouse-Rat into the spirit world, a la that one 2-parter from the first season. Essentially, she'd have been given an eternal/immortal life sentence.
Was figuring on maybe a montage of her walking around freaking out, and towards the end, she winds up wandering into Ko's cave...cue lots of high-pitched screaming, followed by mutually assured destruction. Aang sure wouldn't have wanted that to happen...but he's just a teenager, and even most adults aren't able to foresee all the possible consequences for an action.
That or she'd manage to snuff Ko, lose most of her face in the process, and be lurking around the spirit world for the rest of Aang's life, waiting for an opportunity to hurt him: the next time he crosses over and gets worn out fighting a malevolent spirit, or for the barrier between worlds to thin, so she can affect things in the material world...say, an ending shot of mostly-faceless, half-tangible Azula looking at Katara and Aang's kids while they sleep and then picking up a pillow...
Probably not really the sort of note one would want to end a kid's show on, though.
Re: Man, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
And Sokka and Katara should not be anywhere NEAR white. I can understand that it might be hard to find Inuit/PacNorthwestAmerind actors, because their population has been nearly wiped out by asshole settlers for the past 400-500 years.
Um, actually, we're nowhere near extinct in spite of it all, thanks, though you might never guess it from looking at the movies due to the prevalence of having white folks with spray-on tans and dark wigs playing Indian characters. There are TONS of good-looking, talented Native actors in the U.S. and Canada...but they struggle to find work because, just as with so many other POC actors, casting directors, producers, etc. often view them as "too ethnic" for anything but specifically ethnic roles.
Re: Man, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
No worries, the attitudes behind such casting stupidity are far more offensive to me than not being able to rattle off the latest census statistics. ;)
(If you're curious, since I was just brushing up on the specific numbers myself to point out how flimsy the "they couldn't possibly find any Native actors" excuse was -- as of the most recent censuses, 4.1 million folks in the U.S. identifying as American Indian and/or Alaska Native, and 1.3 million in Canada identifying as Aboriginal (their census category that includes Inuit, North American Indian, and Métis).
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On the other hand, what the HELL ALL WHITE CAST. IN AVATAR?!?!?!
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Sigh.
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Also, maybe they can resurrect Elvis and cast him as Uncle. That'd be about right.
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I MADE AN ANONYMOUSE COMMENT THAR!
I'm really disappointed in the casting.
Agreed,
It's good for kids to learn that things don't always wrap up easily or prettily.
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Sometimes, I just want to punch Hollywood in the face.
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THE WORLD IS LOST! THERE IS NO AVATAR \T_T/
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That is just so ... !
Hate yourself much, Mr. Shyamalan?
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UGH.
Just give me a feature length animated film with a good plot and explain where Zuko's mother is. I don't need this live-action poorly cast white-people-all-playing-Asians-again Shyamalan bullshit.
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ETA: Also, Sokka is way too pretty. Boy's supposed to be a goofball!
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Except for the ones who are supposed to be Inuit-with-a-dash-of-Northwest-Coast-nations. But still, y'know, NOT WHITE. Arrgh.
(As for Sokka, yeah, he's a goofball, but considering what a total oyaji hottie Hakoda is, I could definitely deal with him being cast as a nice-looking kid who's decent at physical comedy and expressive enough to handle all the rubber-faced mugging -- IMO his goofiness is more a matter of behavior and expression and cheeseball sense of humor (which he seems to have picked up from dad), rather than his actually being funny-looking.)
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Alright, I can see that. But the thing is, he's so pretty. Hopefully he'll be able to pull it off, but we're supposed to laugh first when he hits on girls, not swoon. The only time I've seen this actor was for Jasper Hale in Twilight in which hemade people laugh, so there's a ray of hope, but either way I'm not holding my breath.
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Though to be quite honest I had very few hopes for this movie from way back when it was first announced. Like
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*I SEE YOU THERE, INEVITABLE LURKING PLANS FOR A HOLLYWOOD NARUTO REGURGITATION
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OH MY GOD SOKKA AND KATARA ARE NOT WHITE. WHAT. I mean, it was my understanding that nobody in Avatar was supposed to be white, and that they were all supposed to be some variations Chinese/other Asian/Inuit/etc. But in Sokka and Katara it's by far the most noticeable, I think.
...And sweet jesus, Zuko's blond. *cries forever*
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Edit: I can't believe I said "pretty good", that sounds like I don't mind at all. I should have said that the casting for Zuko was not as horrible as the others.
still expects things to be thrown at herMan, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
People! I'm a Euro-mutt by heritage, and my skin tone's about three shades darker than Casper the Friendly Ghost. I've seen Asian folks with skin tones as pale as mine, or close to it. Not many, but I've seen a few.
NONE OF THEM HAD EUROPEAN/CAUCASUS FACIAL FEATURES!!!
You want someone to play a pale-skinned Asian kid, get...a pale-skinned Asian kid.
And Sokka and Katara should not be anywhere NEAR white. I can understand that it might be hard to find Inuit/PacNorthwestAmerind actors, because their population has been nearly wiped out by asshole settlers for the past 400-500 years. But I have seen literally dozens of Indian girls with skins the same color as the animated Sokka and Katara. A billion goddamn people in India and the casting agency didn't think to find a couple Bollywood stars to take the roles?
This is so totally FUBAR. This CANNOT be accidental.
I am a disturbed person.
Back before the last few episodes aired, when everyone was wondering "What the hell are they going to do with Azula? They can't have the main charaters kill her...but...it's AZULA!"
Before they went with that whole "spiritbending" thing in the finale, I was kind of expecting Aang to decide on a non-violent solution. Specifically, taking Little Miss Crazier-Than-A-Shithouse-Rat into the spirit world, a la that one 2-parter from the first season. Essentially, she'd have been given an eternal/immortal life sentence.
Was figuring on maybe a montage of her walking around freaking out, and towards the end, she winds up wandering into Ko's cave...cue lots of high-pitched screaming, followed by mutually assured destruction. Aang sure wouldn't have wanted that to happen...but he's just a teenager, and even most adults aren't able to foresee all the possible consequences for an action.
That or she'd manage to snuff Ko, lose most of her face in the process, and be lurking around the spirit world for the rest of Aang's life, waiting for an opportunity to hurt him: the next time he crosses over and gets worn out fighting a malevolent spirit, or for the barrier between worlds to thin, so she can affect things in the material world...say, an ending shot of mostly-faceless, half-tangible Azula looking at Katara and Aang's kids while they sleep and then picking up a pillow...
Probably not really the sort of note one would want to end a kid's show on, though.
Re: Man, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
Um, actually, we're nowhere near extinct in spite of it all, thanks, though you might never guess it from looking at the movies due to the prevalence of having white folks with spray-on tans and dark wigs playing Indian characters. There are TONS of good-looking, talented Native actors in the U.S. and Canada...but they struggle to find work because, just as with so many other POC actors, casting directors, producers, etc. often view them as "too ethnic" for anything but specifically ethnic roles.
Re: Man, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
Re: Man, where's Ko the Face-Stealer when you NEED him?
(If you're curious, since I was just brushing up on the specific numbers myself to point out how flimsy the "they couldn't possibly find any Native actors" excuse was -- as of the most recent censuses, 4.1 million folks in the U.S. identifying as American Indian and/or Alaska Native, and 1.3 million in Canada identifying as Aboriginal (their census category that includes Inuit, North American Indian, and Métis).