The animated film Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has earned an 89 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its July 25 release on Paramount+, making it the most well-received entry in the franchise since the original 2005 series.
According to Screen Rant, the film is directed by Lauren Montgomery and co-directed by Steven Ahn and William Mata. Eric Nam voices Aang, with Steven Yeun, Dave Bautista, Dionne Quan, Roman Zaragoza, and Jessica Matten rounding out the cast. Original series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko serve as executive producers.
The story picks up roughly a decade after the events of the original show. Aang searches for an ancient relic that could restore balance to the world by granting airbending abilities to nonbenders. The new cast steps into roles originated by Zach Tyler Eisen, Dante Basco, Michaela Jill Murphy, Jack De Sena, and Mae Whitman.
The original series sits at a rare 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel series The Legend of Korra holds an 88 percent. The franchise's live-action adaptations have fared far worse: the 2010 film earned a 5 percent rating, and the Netflix live-action version holds a mixed-to-positive 65 percent.
Not all reviews of the new film have been enthusiastic. Screen Rant's Molly Freeman wrote: "While there are some glimmers of what made the original series so much fun to watch, Avatar Aang is a merely middling return to the universe, with a blend of new and old that's, frankly, jarring to watch."
The path to release was uneven. The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical debut in fall 2026 but Paramount shifted it to a streaming release, moving the date up four months. A brief limited theatrical run will take place only in Los Angeles and New York, with those screenings serving to qualify the film for awards consideration. An audience score on Rotten Tomatoes has not yet been generated as of publication.
