The Music in the Chase Scene is Based on the Music in Beijing Opera
Example one:
Example two:
If someone else can provide more technical terms, please do. I am to music what Sokka is to art. :D
The Buddha Statue in the Fire Sages’ Temple
is Thai style Buddha statue. It’s hands are in the a mudra (gesture) of Leisure and Charity. (source)
Image source: One, two, three, four, five
I made a comparison post of the different Buddha styles used in different countries, but tumblr is refusing to upload the picture. Seriously, I’ve tried for more than FIVE HOURS now.
<3 imgur!
Palace Caldera - Forbidden City
Not only is the Palace Caldera largely based on the design of the Forbidden City in Beijing, they also share a similar fate when it comes to lightning. Kinda :)
The Forbidden City burned down multiple times, the first time -not even a year after it was built- in 1421 lightning struck the central great halls i.e. the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserved Harmony. Most of the Forbidden City burned down, killing many of it’s residents. It was seen as such a bad omen that Emperor Yongle did not dare have the halls rebuilt. This only happened three Emperors later during the reign of Emperor Zhengtong.
Read more about the Forbidden City
Image source: One
Wanted Poster Easter Eggs
Hunting the Avatar would be a lot easier if Zuko could read
Zhao is hunting for Aang without offical permission
Zuko is not confirmed not to be a ghost
He’s mocked as ‘Admiral Bling’ aka Cheng Cheng 琤琤 - 'the tinkling of gems’.
Toph’s not called 'the Runaway’ in it.
Zuko’s and Uncle’s Wanted Poster
Zuko is still considered the crown prince, even if they mock him and okay the use of deathly force…
Actor Aang - Aang’s Feminine Side
The Ember Island Players chose a woman to play the role of Aang.
There are two reasons for it, for one the network was pressuring for Aang to be voiced by a woman, instead of an actual teenage boy. This is pretty common practice e.g. Tara Strong (who voices Actor Azula) has voiced more than one ‘boy’ in her VA career. But even though they were pressured by the network and later had to digitally alter Zach Tyler Eisen's voice, they never caved to the pressure, opting for authenticity instead.
The second reason would be that the play, especially how Aang is portrait, is an homage to Peter Pan. Peter Pan, too, is most often played by a woman. And to be fair, Aang does share quite a few traits with Peter Pan, especially in season one e.g. the ability to fly, his not wanting to grow up and his daredevil personality (riding the Unagi).
Image Source: One
Ember Island Players - The Boy in the Iceberg
The cast:
Actor Sokka is voiced by Scott Menville who voices the magician in “The Deserter”
Actor Katara is voiced by Grey DeLisle who voices Azula
Actor Zuko is voiced byDerek Basco, Dante Basco’s older brother
Actor Yue is voiced by Jennie Kwan who also voices Suki
Actor Azula is voiced by Tara Strong who voices Mai’s mom
Actor Uncle and Actor Toph are voiced by John DiMaggio who also voices/voiced Bender (Futurama), Manly Dan (Gravity Falls), Jake (Adventure Time), Rath (Ben 10 Omniverse) and many, many more.
Actor Bumi, Actor Ozai, and Actor Jet are all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker who also voices Appa and Momo
Six Movie References Hidden in A:TLA
In “The Library” the Sandbenders are based on the Tusken Raiders aka Sandpeople from Star Wars and the ‘lantern’ above the door looks like a Death Star.
The ice cage Katara ends up in when she loses the fight against Pakku is an homage to the bamboo cage in House of the Flying Daggers. As is the ‘Dai Li hanging upside down from the cave’ scene at the end of season two.
Zuko and Aang’s discovering the dragon egg in the temple visually mirrors the beginning of “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”
The episode ‘Zuko Alone’ is an homage to: Red Harvest - Yojimbo - A Fistful of dollars i.e.A noir novel, made into a Samurai movie, made into an Italio-Western, made into an A:TLA Western.
Godzilla and Princess Mononoke
When the Ocean Spirit posesses Aang and drowns the Fire Nation fleet, it turns into an homage to Gozilla and the forest spirit (aka the nightwalker) from Princess Mononoke.
He even stayed for breakfast …
Ever noticed how Zuko stays the night at Mai’s house? And how his hair is all messed up the next morning?
I am sure *cough* they stayed up all night playing pai-sho.
The sign over the stage reads: 餘烬島劇院 - Ember Island Theatre
The Boy from the Iceberg - Poster
One’s War Criminals are Another’s Prisoners of War
Sokka edits for … content >:D
My translation:
The Boy from the Iceberg
Earth Kingdom’s famous playwright Pu An-Tian’s new work (features)
globally collected information about the Avatar. The information (was gathered) from the icebergs of the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom capital. The information (was gathered) from Nomad singers, pirates, war criminals and a vegetable merchant.Starring the Ember Island Players.
What Sokka and Suki said:
Sokka: “The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.”
Suki: "Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players.“
Note:
The Chinese on the poster reads ‘War Criminals’, not 'Prisoners of War’.
战犯 - war criminal
战俘 - prisoner of war
The poster does not actually mention anything about 'a knowledgable Cabbage Merchant’ or the Ember Island Players being critically acclaimed. The difference in author name is imho due to different transliteration and well… bad pronunciation. (*cough* remember 'Long Feng’)
浦安添 Pu An-Tian, the playwrite’s name, means:
浦 surname meaning: Riverbank or shore
安 peaceful, quiet (same character as Aang’s name)
添 to increase
If there is a pun on that name, I am missing it. 浦安 is:
UrayasuCity in Japan
Urayasu is a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2012, the city had an estimated population of 163,013 and a population density of 9430 persons per km². The total area was 17.29 km². Wikipedia
but I doubt that has any significance.
And the original Chinese
冰山上的男孩
土国著名剧作家
浦安添新作搜集
全球有关降世神通
资料由南极冰山至
土国首都资料来自
牧民歌手海盗战犯
和菜贩由余烬岛演
员主演
