Nickelodeon’s hit cartoon series,
Avatar: The Last Airbender has, in its more than three years on air, featured an extensive original musical score, courtesy of composers Benjamin Wynn and Jeremy Zuckerman, more popularly known among show and music fans as The Track Team. Unfortunately, Nickelodeon has yet to release an official compilation of the show’s music.
This could all change, however, should the combined efforts of avid
Avatar: The Last Airbender followers and the Track Team pay off in the near future. At present, a
petition for the network to create an official soundtrack for the series is going around online. So far, more than 3,900 signatures have already been collected for the petition, which was launched in January 27.
The fan sites are also encouraging that
Avatar: The Last Airbender viewers contact Nickelodeon directly via snail mail, e-mail or phone.
When asked two years ago regarding the availability of the soundtrack, Zuckerman said there was already talk amongst the show and the network of producing one, although he pointed out that “the more interest [fans show], the better chance there is of this coming to fruition.”
The Track Team has worked hard to ensure the music they create matches the show’s sensibility. According to Zuckerman, he and Wynn have combined “traditional instruments to create something that sounds traditional but isn't specific to any culture.” They have also used several non-western instruments together with “familiar sounds of the western orchestra.”
While there is still a degree of uncertainty surrounding the soundtrack (and the air dates of the remaining season 3 episodes for that matter), fans can rest assured that the live-action movie, to be directed by M. Night Shyamalan (
Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village), is gradually taking shape, with casting news and rumors constantly circulating the web. There’s also the upcoming release of
Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 - Fire, Volume 3 on DVD, slated to hit retail shelves on Tuesday, May 6.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Distant Horizon, Blue Spirit Gal, The Track Team Official MySpace
(Image Courtesy of Nickelodeon)