Monday, September 14, 2020

Netflix Adds Audio Descriptions to 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ just got more accessible to blind audiences


Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Then, everything changed again when Netflix added audio descriptions to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Filmmaker James Rath, who was born legally blind, tweeted on Friday (September 11) that blind audiences and fans can now enjoy Nickelodeon's beloved animated series.


The streaming service acquired the rights to all three seasons of the series in May, and since then many have turned to its fantastic plot in quarantine. The series made history as the first title to spend 65 days in the top 10 streamed series on Netflix in what has been called a "stunning second life" for the series.

“So audio descriptions are cool,” Rath said in a YouTube video. “It doesn’t interrupt the dialog of most films and TV shows. It’s meant to be a narration in between dialog to help let you know the important narrative part.”

Netflix added audio descriptions to Avatar as well as its new documentary-drama hybrid The Social Dilemma and aesthetic favorite Get Organized With the Home Edit show on Friday, according to the Audio Description Project.

Netflix’s Access Services options include audio descriptions alongside features like assistive listening systems, closed captions, keyboard shortcuts, screen readers, subtitles and voice commands, which help those with hearing, sight or physical mobility needs access the platform’s content.

Blind people, of course, watch TV too, as Rath pointed out on YouTube. “Much like smartphones and computers, smart TVs have an operating system,” he said. “And an operating system allows you to navigate things, oftentimes with accessibility. Accessibility meaning letting people have access, even if they have a disability.”

One user added that earthbending master Toph Beifong from Avatar, who was blind since birth, would have benefited from the changes too. “Toph can finally see herself on tv,” they wrote.


Rath also clarified that both the TV series and the controversial live-action movie from 2010, The Last Airbender, now feature audio descriptions on Netflix.

A live-action adaptation of the series is also in the works at Netflix — even after the creators (Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko) announced they were leaving the project in August.

“When Netflix brought me on board to run this series alongside Mike two years ago, they made a very public promise to support our vision,” Konietzko shared on Instagram. “Unfortunately, there was no follow-through on that promise… We ultimately came to the belief that we would not be able to meaningfully guide the direction of the series.”



Well, friends... there you have it. Big sigh. 💔⬇️💔 I’m sure many of you will understandably want to know more and will ask me questions in the comments, here and on subsequent posts and live-streams and in-person encounters and everywhere else ad infinitum. I wish I could explain things in greater detail, but the above statement is really all I can say about the matter so I won’t be answering any of those. I encourage you to head over to my partner Michael DiMartino’s account to get his take on our departure too: @mike_dante_d Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, and I’m sorry our involvement in the live-action project did not work out. Time to get on with my life. Onward and upward. 💙 Love, Bryan #avatarthelastairbender #cocreators #michaeldimatino #bryankonietzko #bryke #atla #liveactionseries #netflix
A post shared by Bryan Konietzko (@bryankonietzko) on

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra on CBS All Access and Netflix!

Subscribe to the NEW official Avatar: The Last Airbender YouTube channel!: https://at.nick.com/AvatarSubscribe

Check out the Nickelodeon Animation Studio online: Website | Facebook | Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

More Nick: Toph Beifong to Feature in Her Own Standalone 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Graphic Novel!

Original source: Los Angeles Times; Additional source: ComicBook.

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon, NickRewind, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra News and Highlights!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Have your say by leaving a comment below! NickALive! welcomes friendly and respectful comments. Please familiarize with the blog's Comment Policy before commenting. All new comments are moderated and won't appear straight away.