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How Neutral Jing Could Have Helped Avoid ‘The Legend of Aang’ Leak

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 Lauren Lola

In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are options in fighting called jing, which guide how one directs their energy. Of the 85 of them in existence, neutral jing stands out as a particularly methodical approach, where one listens and waits until the moment is right to strike. It’s known as the key to earthbending, as the likes of characters such as Toph and King Bumi specialize in, though there are other characters who have utilized this technique too; such as in Season 3, when Iroh waited until the solar eclipse before breaking out of prison.

Animation, Books, Interview

Randy Ribay on Returning to Write the Last of the ‘Roku’ Duology

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025 Lauren Lola

Avatar Roku is back in The Awakening of Roku. It is the latter half of his respective duology, as part of the Chronicles of the Avatar series — the young adult fiction series set within the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Animation, Movies

SpongeBob’s Soul’s in Danger in New ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’ Trailer

November 13, 2025November 13, 2025 Laura Sirikul

It’s no secret that SpongeBob is one of the most innocent and wholesome animated characters in the media. It could be because he’s a sponge, as they factually are brainless animals, so he’s in a constant state of ignorance. But still, it’s what makes him so lovable and one of the most popular Nickelodeon characters of all time.

Animation, Opinion, Television

Recasting Zuko for ‘The Legend of Aang’ is Unnecessary at Best, Tasteless at Worst

August 6, 2025August 5, 2025 Lauren Lola

It’s the 20th anniversary year for Avatar: The Last Airbender, and both fans as well as the cast and creators of the show came together to celebrate at the most recent San Diego Comic-Con. From an anniversary panel to announcements about what’s to come in the future for the franchise, there was a lot to go around.

Animation, Books, Interview

Author Judy I. Lin on Writing the Minor ‘Avatar’ Characters in ‘City of Echoes’

July 22, 2025July 22, 2025 Lauren Lola

There are several series in the world of books that continue exploring the universe and characters of the beloved Nickelodeon series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. From the graphic novels that continue where the original series and its followup, The Legend of Korra, left off, to the Chronicles of the Avatar young adult series, there’s been plenty more for fans of the franchise to explore.

Animation, Interview, Movies

Smurfing About Kindness with ‘Smurfs’ Director Chris Miller

July 16, 2025July 17, 2025 Mike Manalo

Some properties for kids are so legendary, they withstand the test of time. We’ve seen multiple iterations of Garfield, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Peter Rabbit, and Paddington hit screens big and small. Another such beloved property is Peyo’s timeless Smurfs.

Animation, Movies

‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ Set to Release This Christmas

July 10, 2025July 10, 2025 Laura Sirikul

Are ye ready, kids? SpongeBob SquarePants and his Bikini Bottom friends have been a part of everyone’s childhood since 1999. So, to see it continue and advance to 3D animation, alongside a new and rich story with the beloved humor it’s always had, is exciting.

Movies, Reviews

Lighthearted ‘Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado’ Ultimately Fails to be Inclusive

July 2, 2025July 1, 2025 Rosana Maris Arias

Nickelodeon is set to release a new live-action Dora film — Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado — tonight on Paramount+. It stars Samantha Lorraine as Dora and Jacob Rodriguez as Diego, who take over the live action roles from Isabela Merced and Jeff Wahlberg, respectively.

Interview, Movies

The Stars of ‘Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado’ on Reimagining a Childhood Classic

July 1, 2025July 1, 2025 Rosana Maris Arias

Nickelodeon’s live-action Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, starring Samantha Lorraine as Dora and Jacob Rodriguez as Diego, will simultaneously debut on Nickelodeon and Paramount+ on July 2. We had the opportunity to speak to Lorraine and Rodriguez about this new story set in the Dora universe, as well as co-stars Mariana Garzón Toro and Acston Luca Porto.

Gone Too Soon, Movies

Finding Representation Through Michelle Trachtenberg as ‘Harriet the Spy’

March 12, 2025March 10, 2025 Lauren Lola

When you grow up not seeing much in the way of representation of yourself onscreen, you grasp onto the instances where the bits and pieces do seep through. To be both Filipino and mixed race was a tall order of an expectation to see in mainstream media, and so I gravitated towards any representation that was close enough, even if it meant finding it in the just-as-hard-to-find character qualities.

Animation, Fandom

How the United States is This World’s Fire Nation

February 21, 2025March 28, 2025 Lauren Lola

In the 20 years since Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on Nickelodeon, a common question that’s shared among the fan base is which of the four elements — water, earth, fire, air — would one want to bend. Whether it be based on the element of one’s astrological sign or the connection they feel for a character who bends said element, it makes for a fun conversation topic.

Animation, Interview1 Comment

Ming-Na Wen, Gabrielle Nevaeh, James Hong, and Others on ‘Gremlins: The Wild Batch’

October 2, 2024October 3, 2024 Dominic Mah

Gremlins: The Wild Batch, the second season of the animated Gremlins series based on the Amblin films of the 1980s, premieres this week on Max. I got to talk with actors from the voice cast and the creative team about Gizmo the titular Mogwai, horror movies vs. kid shows, the Chinese American roots of the Gremlins universe, and of course, karaoke.

Animation, Interview, Movies

Paramount/Nickelodeon President of Animation Ramsey Naito on ‘Transformers One’

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 Mike Manalo

Here at The Nerds of Color, we’re always fortunate to get to sit down with some of the best, most talented names in the industry today. Usually it’s in the form of a wonderful actor, like Keegan-Michael Key, whose interview for Transformers One we debuted yesterday. But rarely are we given the honor to speak with a studio executive who helps greenlight the biggest films.

Animation, Books, Interview

Randy Ribay on ‘Avatar’ Fandom and Writing for Roku

July 22, 2024July 19, 2024 Lauren Lola

Chronicles of the Avatar is back! The young adult fiction series set within the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is about to drop its fifth installment, centered on a new Avatar, penned by a new writer.

Animation, Fandom, Music

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ In Concert Arrives at a Cultural Moment for the Franchise

February 26, 2024February 27, 2024 Lauren Lola

It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in San Francisco, a few blocks away from where the Lunar New Year Parade would later be held. It’s two days after the release of the cautiously anticipated Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and three days since the beloved Nickelodeon animated series turned 19.

Interview, Streaming, Television

Kiawentiio is Making Waves in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

February 21, 2024February 26, 2024 Laura Sirikul

In the spring of 2021, Kiawentiio was filming a music video when she found out her life was about to be changed forever. She had received a call from her team regarding a role she had auditioned for the past few weeks. Thinking she had to do yet another audition, she mentally prepared herself for the worst. Instead, they had good news: Kiawentiio had gotten the part of Katara in Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Streaming, Television

Trailer Provides First Look at the Epic Tale of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

January 23, 2024January 23, 2024 Laura Sirikul

Fans of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender no longer need to wait to catch a glimpse of the live-action series adaptation. The trailer is finally here!

Streaming, Television

New ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Character Posters

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 Laura Sirikul

Netflix just dropped new character posters for their upcoming live-action series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. Four character posters were released today (and hopefully, more to come of the others).

Animation, Interview

Kimiko Glenn and Luke Youngblood Find Their Voice in ‘Baby Shark’s Big Movie’

December 7, 2023December 7, 2023 Laura Sirikul

Baby Shark is a cultural phenomenon all over the world. For many parents, it’s a staple for those who are child-rearing to hear the famous song: “Baby Shark.” Like many songs, the beat is infectious, staying in your head long after the music ends. To know that there will be a movie, Paramount+’s Baby Shark’s Big Movie, centering this character, many fear that it would become an endless droning of the beat “do do do do do.”

Animation, Books, Interview1 Comment

F.C. Yee Talks Exploring a Deliberate Contrast in ‘The Legacy of Yangchen’

July 18, 2023July 18, 2023 Lauren Lola

The Legacy of Yangchen is the latest book in the Chronicles of the Avatar series, and the last of the Yangchen duology. In the aftermath of the events of The Dawn of Yangchen, the airbending Avatar finds herself in the difficult position of having to de-escalate conflicts between heads of states of the Four Nations, in the midst of the threat of a powerful new weapon. To makes things even more difficult for her, she must turn to assistance from Kavik, whom she’s not on good terms, following an act of betrayal by the latter from their previous adventure together.

Animation, Interview, Television

Jayden Ham, Jaba Keh, and Viva Lee on Bringing K-Culture in Nickelodeon’s ‘Bossy Bear’

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 Laura Sirikul

Based on the popular children’s books by David Horvath, Bossy Bear is now a television series on Nickelodeon. It is produced by Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, the creative team behind the popular plush toys UglyDolls, and gives a deeper backstory for extrovert Bossy Bear (Jayden Ham) and his best friend and introvert Turtle (Jaba Keh) as they go through some fun adventures, including some Korean American-inspired situations like show-and-tell Korean food and making kimchi.

Animation, Interview, Television

Bill Fagerbakke, Jill Talley, and Dana Snyder Talk the SpongeBob Universe

December 22, 2022January 2, 2023 Sophia Soto

In 2023, Nickelodeon will take viewers on a multidimensional adventure throughout Bikini Bottom with the first-ever SpongeBob Universe crossover special, SpongeBob SquarePants Presents The Tidal Zone. The one-hour special encompasses SpongeBob SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show, and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years. At New York Comic Con, I had the opportunity to speak with Bill Fagerbakke, Jill Talley, and Dana Snyder about the beloved show and spin-offs.