How Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Brought Appa and Momo to Life

Sky bison, winged lemurs, and badger moles, oh my!

Updated:

Feb 24, 2024 12:50 am

Posted:

Feb 24, 2024 12:00 am

In a new featurette, executive producer/director Jabbar Raisani and VFX supervisor Marion Spates explain how they translated some of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s most beloved characters into live-action – and of course we’re talking about Appa and Momo.

“In the Avatar universe, almost all animals are hybrid creatures,” Raisani says in the video below. “It’s a fun detail that fans really love, I really love. So we started with imagery from the animated series and said, ‘okay, what are real-world representations of these visual ideas?’ And from there, built this library of visual information and language that we would then use to inform the physical and digital builds of all the creatures.”

Speaking to that hybrid nature, Spates says the team looked at various animals when building Appa’s live-action look. They particularly wanted the sky bison’s flying silhouette to remain similar to the animated series, using manatees as a reference for his tail. For his eyes and horns, they used buffalo as inspiration.

And, as Katara actress Kiawentiio explains, on the set, Appa is basically “half-back on a mechanical bull,” with footage showing the massive Appa rig they had on set.

“I’ve had some of my best days on Appa,” Sokka actor Ian Ousley says. “It feels like you’re flying through the air, which is a childhood dream.”

“On set, we had a full-size Appa head, but it had no emotion to it,” Raisani explains. “Gordon [Cormier, who plays Aang] did an amazing job relating to this thing, and our VFX team did an amazing job bringing that emotion to the character of Appa, so it matches with what Aang is doing in the scene.”

When it comes to everyone’s favorite winged lemur Momo, Raisani was making sure the creature still felt real. Spates points out how “emotive” Momo’s eyes in particular are.

“We reference a lot of different monkeys and lemurs for performances, because we didn’t want to lose all that personality,” Raisani says.

And then there’s the badger mole, which the team used bears as a reference for, especially in regards to the creature’s weight. Ostrich horses, meanwhile, take the form of a stunt vehicle on the set, with a stunt driver under the actors on a saddle.

“Audiences will love the characters, the emotional journey, the storyline, the epic action, the humor,” showrunner Albert Kim says. “But, I have a feeling they’re gunna love Appa the most. Or Momo. One of the two.”

For a whole lot more on Avatar: The Last Airbender, check out our digital cover story, our Season 1 review, and an exclusive clip. And get the rundown on what you can expect from the rest of IGN Fan Fest 2024 right here.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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