I always felt that Avatar would've been even more amazing had it not taken almost half its length to get phenomenally fun. Don't get me wrong: I loved the first season. It set up their world rather nicely, they introduced how the world worked, what their goal was for the series and many of the important players were revealed by the halfway mark of the series. But I didn't get super into it until Book 1's finale at the Northern Water Tribe. From there, Book 2 got exciting: Earthbender joindeded Team Avatar, characters got a lot more depth, plot thickened, character clashes abounded, animation budget got better, everything.
But by Book 3, I was sold. They were telling a great story that worked on all levels, not just hints of greatness I saw in Book 1. It was very much a Nick show, meaning it inevitably was aimed at a younger demographic than mine. Not that this is a terribly bad thing: I still watch Pokemon, for cryin' out loud! It was the shift from the more episodic episodes of season 1, when they were hopping from the South Pole to the North Pole, to the focused nature of seasons 2 and 3, when there was a very clear goal in mind for each and the characters had a chance to push the plot themselves. Korra jumps right into that. Beginning as a 12 episode mini series and having the creators write all the episodes does wonders for the pacing and quality of the new show, though you don't get as much time to relax and learn about New Team Avatar as you did the old, how the world has progressed more than makes up for that. Not to mention there's still enough character moments to like each of the main and supporting cast.
By the time season 3 came around, their budget was as high as could be. The animation was smoother, the fight scenes more dynamic, the characters more well-rounded than before. The Last Airbender was all the proof they needed to give Korra a huge budget: it overflows with excellent production values. The animation is gorgeous (especially in HD!), they've perfected the mix between striking anime-looks and American-fluidity, the music is finally orchestrated and sounds gorgeous, and the tone is darker to reflect the slight upgrade in demographic and time skip. Korra, like it's predecessor, is a smart kids show: it entertains kids of all ages, as does the best of Disney.
Speaking of which, I shall begin (slowly) ranking another of my passions: Disney films! Beginning with the one that started it all:
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