What’s better than rewatching one of your favourite childhood shows? Rewatching it accompanied by a live orchestra of course! That’s exactly what the RadioTimes.com team got up to on Sunday 21st January at Royal Festival Hall.

If you’re unfamiliar with the show, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a Peabody and Emmy award-winning series which follows protagonist Aang and his ragtag group of friends as he works to defeat the Fire Lord Ozai and end the Hundred-Year war to restore peace among the four nations, Earth, Wind, Air and Fire.

The show ran from 2005 until 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following among children and adults alike. For many, this series was an integral part of childhood, sparking spin-off series, a live action movie and the decision to bring it to the stage alongside an orchestra for dedicated fans to experience it in a whole new way.

Before the performance began, the orchestra were joined by show creator Bryan Konietzko, who gave a heartfelt speech about the special place Avatar holds in so many people’s lives and the role of Zuckerman’s score in charting Aang’s odyssey.

The score for Avatar: The Last Airbender is legendary, with emotive and grand sweeping soundscapes perfectly paired to the action on-screen. Bringing Zuckerman’s work to life is a phenomenally skilled orchestra heavily featuring a choir, taiko (traditional Japanese drums) and erhu, a two-stringed bow instrument from China.

The video production was developed in collaboration with the series’s original editor Jeff Adams. and is divided into four separate chapters, named after each of the four elements.

We spent two hours reliving iconic moments from the series with Jeremy Zuckerman’s score charting the journey of Aang, Katara, Sokka and friends, as well as exploring key moments in the series including the story behind Zuko’s scar, Aang opening the chakras, blood-bending and the last Agni Kai. Aside from the mixing leaving it difficult to hear the dialogue during more dramatic orchestral moments, this was a flawless production.

What sets an event like Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert is the crowd. Venues packed to the rafters with passionate fans will always create a uniquely exciting atmosphere, and this was no exception. With each title card, gasps, cheers and laughter were heard from the audience and the conclusion of each scene was met with thunderous applause and the passion of every audience member was palpable in the room.

If you want the chance to see it for yourself, then you’re in luck; there’s another performance taking place on Saturday 10th February 2024. There might even be a secret surprise at the end of the performance… You’ll just have to wait and see.

Did you know that there’s a brand-new live-action Avatar movie coming in 2024? We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action film, including the release date, trailer and more. 

How to get tickets for Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert