Aang and the Unagi - Remastering Avatar: The Last Airbender

In this video, we journey to the Island of Kiyoshi as Aang and the GAang stop by to ride the Koi fish before getting met with the giant Unagi. I had a lot of fun remastering these scenes and I hope you have just as much fun watching!

[@tridek1949]

Most people touch grass. This guy touches water, one of the hardest things there is to animate. Respect.

[@GiancarloVolpe]

Hey!! I directed this episode and personally storyboarded these shots! It’s so cool to see you revisit these scenes! I really like the wide screen and now kinda wish the whole series got this treatment!! Thank you for this!! So well done!!

[@XVM76]

That’s kind of wild he got notice by one of the storyboard artist of the episode

[@Dachi40]

:O thank you so much! I finished the whole series a month or so ago, and its stayed with me. Thank you thank you

[@Ruldolphmaker]

Out of curiosity, What's your opinion of a widescreen upscale/remaster adjusting the placements of the characters in a shot?

[@tedsowards]

@GiancarloVolpe My brother and I still look for you and your wife every time in line at the Monster's Inc ride at Disneyland hoping to run into you again. It's something we mention to friends as we introduce them to the series.

[@ChunnyKay]

Wow this feels surreal. Thank you so much for your work on the original show! It's been my favorite series ever since I saw it way back in 2005!

[@KyleKatarn145]

"I think I've seen Aang's foot more times than I can count." Well, to be fair, it *IS* Nickelodeon

[@saber-seathearn82]

Oh my I didn’t even think about that lol

[@turtle1658]

its not dan schneider

[@DragunnitumGaming]

That's exactly what the people want!! a visual remaster/improvement to the original material, that's it! nothing less nothing more! 💖💖😭😭✨✨💖💖

[@Mimi_FAH]

mhm

[@apeugnius]

Next up: making The Legend of Korra 4:3

[@sky0kast0]

No work required just use VLC and it will be as you say

[@ObesityStupidity]

@@sky0kast0 No, you have to draw the missing parts from top and bottom) And you can keep upscaling 16x9 -> 4x3 -> 16x9 -> 4x3 -> ... until we get 360 degree view)

[@Zappg_]

@@sky0kast0 Well yes but also, the goal would be adjusting the composition of the animation to feel right in 4:3

[@matthewalves3855]

Or just Delete Legend of Korra

[@alexbrown8900]

​@@matthewalves3855Im more on bord with that

[@MillyKKitty]

14:50 Poor Aang got cut in half when he got thrown off the koi fish 😅 It's fine, these things happen sometimes! Keep going at it, love these videos!

[@mistingwolf]

I never noticed that the koi changed colors so many times. Now I cannot unsee. Thanks! Great work, by the way!

[@ChunnyKay]

I initially thought my eyes were playing tricks on me till I went back to another scene

[@LucyKosaki]

14:50 you forgot to draw him flying out of the frame here

[@danielbrovender2932]

Me watching this on my 22:9 phone: 👁‍🗨 👄 👁‍🗨

[@fraga.matias]

Amazing. This needs to attract attention so that a team can be put together to make it for the whole show. If you're not looking for it, it's seamless. As mentioned by someone else, you missed some frames at 14:50 but thats means nothing compared to the amount of work you're putting on this. Congrats again.

[@TheMaplestrip]

On 14:13, I feel like it doesn't need to move the camera anymore. That movement feels a little bit like an artifact from the former resolution. But otherwise and overall, as always, absolutely incredible!!

[@lowkeyproductions6681]

On the katara and sokka spacing thing - I think you made the right call spacing them out. They do look a little far apart though, for next time a cheat you could try is resizing them to be slightly bigger as well, so their heads take up more space, and it looks like the camera is just closer to them, and then the wider gap feels more natural in relation

[@SimplePhysics00]

100% better decision to have moved the Aang on the koi facing the camera scene a little bit rather than leaving it tucked on the left side! Also, I think your spacing of Sokka and Katara is ok, maybe they could be just a little bit closer. Oh, and I am thinking a good effect you could add to the scene of Aang beaming a smile to Katara is to have it pan slightly to the left, so his smile becomes the main focus as you see that scene; try it out with the new camera pan feature you found and see how it looks! Otherwise, I think your waterbending-painting skills are greatly improving!! Keep up the great work!

[@eisteezitrone8741]

10:08 I definetely agree with you, your second version fits much better. (:

[@thunder_blade132]

I love watching this series and seeing what you are doing - thank you so much for keeping it going! PS, I think you missed a couple of frames at 14:50 when Aang gets flung from the Koi Fish. Just thought you'd like to know. Everything looks amazing you do so well at matching the style of the original, making everything so seamless!

[@ChunnyKay]

I don't know how I missed that haha. Thanks!

[@jaewooklim1]

@@ChunnyKay Aang does magicbending now?

[@MahmoodNouriyan]

This man is destin for greatness in the animation studios ❤🫡

[@madprophet3670]

It is really satisfying seeing how good you have gotten at this, it's pretty inspiring honestly

[@whatdoiputhere9618]

You need more attention!!! Someone needs to hire you for an official remastering!

[@jannikf2504]

I immediately thought that Sokka and Katara could have stood a bit closer together.. Do like real life and stay away from extremes. You have gotten better. At this rate, when I see the finished scenes, I completely forget that you altered them, they seem natural and your additions blend very well. As always, the best work is the work you don't notice. One more tip for your posture. If you notice yourself leaning over your desk closer to your screen, you need glasses or better glasses. BUT just pull the screen closer to your face. I always had back pain at a desktop pc until I bought my first own one last year and it was like, duh

[@awesomeguyalpha1467]

this is so great, it looks exactly as i would imagine the series to look like if it got an actual remaster and dude you've improved so much, previously there was a slight difference between what you drew and the animation and if one knew where to look it looked a bit weird but this one's perfect especially you changing all those things to better suit the 16:9 aspect ratio

[@tedsowards]

You’re my hero. I've pondered on doing this a lot... but I can't draw so I would have use Photoshop's AI to expand the edges.

[@tedsowards]

I subscribed

[@silberphonix4457]

Looks great, I like how you moped katara and sokka out of the center. You forget to draw aang when he is falling from the koi. As always you did an Amazing Work. I have no idea from where you take the time and energy to do this.

[@eisteezitrone8741]

2:15 I like the wiiide feeling this scene gives me, but as you say it also feels like those two being a bit too far apart. Maybe shift both of them together slightly to the left, so that Katara is just looking from behind Aang's left arm? So They stand together, Katara glancing at Aang from directly behind, and Momo jumping into the scene from right. Also, this would create some focus around Aang and Katara :3

[@eisteezitrone8741]

P.S.: restroviewing your work and critisizing it during the vid is a really nice treat, that not as much artists have, as we would like to :) You're doing really professional work there!

[@daz-4th882]

moving katara and sokka a bit apart was definiteIy the right move, l think they take up a nice amount of screen now this series continues being my dream come true, to see such a niche project being done so weII! aIso, usuaIIy l think the shots where you move the image to the Ieft or the right can Ieave a bit too much negative space, but in this video _none of them_ had that probIem they aII just added to the widescreen. l think that's down to your own darn good stiII-upgrading skiII! whether you continue doing more in the future or stop here, you've made me beyond happy 😌👍

[@HedgehogGolf]

I like the changes you made to the composition! Really makes it look like it was originally in a widescreen aspect ratio, IMO

[@jjstarrprod]

GODDAMN ! I've been working in the animation industry for 15 years, and seeing you adding all these complementary animations basically by brute forcing them in is fascinating ! Really well done, man. Especially if you're telling me you're not actually a pro, that's forcing the respect ! And yes, as a pro, I can tell, you made a lot of great calls. Splitting Sokka and Katara further apart to fit better the 16/9 composition was absolutely the right decision (if it was me, I would have kept them just a tiiiiny smidge closer, to get a perfectly balanced triangle with Aang within the frame, but yours was already 90% there), and the way you pushed Aang to the left when he's on the Koi's back waving at Katara was also absolutely the good decision. The only one I would have a gripe with is at the overview reveal of Unagi, that you also pushed to the left. This one I would have kept it centered, since Unagi was kind of the main focus point of the shot. But other than that, all your other choices all made sense, and it was a pure joy to watch. Well done ! And looking forward to see what else you're gonna come up with in the future !

[@maxonite]

I thought the same about the unagi scene, it would have required a bit more effort on the mointains to the left but it zooming out from the center definitely works for the reveal better

[@hastypastry6353]

I think changing the composition of certain scenes was a great move! it uses the frame to aid the sense of scale and feels more like it could have been made in 16:9 originally

[@dollsjj7481]

Just wanted to say absolutely have been loving this series and I’m always excited to see when another one comes out, keep it up! I’m just hoping once we got to like episode 500 of doing this whoops you did the whole show

[@Miju001]

I think your choice to move the frame a bit to the center was good! A lot of the original shots were more centered than the remastered ones, and while yours look great as well, the fact that you noticed when one of them didn't look quite right and worked to fix it definitely helped

[@LemonMoon]

Really good work, I can’t tell anymore what’s the new stuff at just a glance. In the future, I would recommend getting a rule of thirds grid on a separate layer. When you are choosing where to slide the original scene, put the focus of the shot in one of the thirds of the image. It’s not a set in stone rule, but it generally makes a lot of compositions look really good. There are definitely going to be shots where the focus of the shot should be in the center of the frame. I agree with the changes you made to the scenes where you separated sokka and katana a bit and the fish riding scene where you slid it a bit to the right.

[@ChunnyKay]

Having a grid is a great idea!

[@Arieljaay]

I love these videos more and more not only because of how much of a handle you are getting on the animation but also with how much intention you put into the new framing and composition. I was initally skeptical with an idea like this when i saw your first video because I was worried about everything looking off with just extra nothing on the edges but you've proved me so wrong and have added to these scenes in a way where they just make sense in 16:9. Its fantastic.

[@mintman325]

The first episode showed up in my algorithm I watched then I subbed. What you are doing is so awesome and dare I say unique. It’s really cool that you’re doing this to teach yourself. I can’t wait to see where this project, and channel go. :D

[@danielbrovender2932]

I've discovered this series only a week ago, so glad it's still going! Good stuff!

[@HammsTheOne]

Well my friend. Sit down. Make yourself a cup of tea. And good luck

[@StyrofoamRock]

These scenes look fantastic, amazing work! The decision to move Katara, Sokka and the cliffs was perfect considering the new aspect ratio. I love to see how you solve the problems that arise in each of these videos.

[@Plaegu]

Katara and Sokka aren’t too close, that’s a normal amount siblings would stand honestly

[@closeben]

Would love to see what original animation ideas you have too!

[@abbe1255]

I feel like you've improved massivly. In the first episodes you can fairly clearly see where the transition from original to yours is, but now it's a LOT harder

[@baggelissonic]

2 things you could try in the future 1. You don't have to start with the original frame always in the middle or all the way to the right or all the way to the left. You can just place it a little bit to the left or a little bit to the right. 2. You don't have to commit on just expanding the same side for the entire scene. If there is a panning shot you can just have the camera be a little faster or slower during the panning than the original shot. That way, it's possible to have a character go all the way from left to right or vice versa. (In case that was too hard to understand, imagine you place the original frame on the left side of the scene, which means you would need to expand the right, but by the end of the scene the original frame is all the way to the right side of the screen. To do that, first the scene would need to have a side by side panning camera. If the camera is going from left to right, you can speed up the camera movement, but if it's going from right to left you just need to slow down the camera.) Trust me, both of these will break up the 4:3 feeling wayyy more than you think.

[@bastbo3225]

I really enjoy seeing how you come up with ways to get ride of that "4:3 feel", keep doing what your doing

[@eggyboilol]

your so talented man, keep up the good work :)

[@blue1584]

It looks great! Such a cool project, keep up the good work! 👍

[@jsnapt]

oh brooo this ones gonna do numbers holy fk

[@Moonshine_Victory]

I love these videos so much! And yes, Aang's faces are absolutely glorious here haha

[@Melds]

Great job! I've been enjoying your series. I was laughing all of your water synonyms. I think we should add hydrogen hydroxide, too.

[@jessical4866]

I think the choices you made to the layout of these scenes really works! My main concern with Sokka and Katara was how Aang looks between them, but it's still reasonable that he can glance at their new positions. As for Aang on the koi, the second one looks better because Aang's center of gravity is in line with the Golden Rule (aka 2/3 rule). The original framing was fine, because Aang's face was on that 2/3 line, which did make him the focus of the shot. But the new one draws more attention to the action of the scene by emphasizing his pose and action line rather than simply his expression. (Also the extra blue framing the fuller koi fin gives more room to breathe and has a greater color contrast.)

[@henrikiks]

Broooo, you're getting so much better, it's insane Love the series

[@ChunnyKay]

Thanks for the support!

[@tkokflux6322]

ngl ur clearly getting better and better at this, if u really dedicated like a whole year or more u can probably even do a whole episode

[@Pebblez23]

Your commitment to these projects is incredible. The end results are always great!

[@chant3511]

2:23 I like that you thought of putting more space between them for the different ratio! I could think of another trick of maybe scaling them up a bit (and yes maybe move them a little more back together) so the picture looks more crowded or cramped like the 4:3. As if the viewer is looking a bit more closer over their shoulders?

[@SourabhDas95]

I love this series and watch every episode as soon as it comes out! Incredible work as always! For the sokka and Katara standing too close and then too far apart issue - that stood out to me too, and I think in a widescreen format, the "camera" placement for the composition would be a little lower down and closer to them so they fill out the screen, and frame Aang through them. So practically, rather than just moving them apart, I'd scale them up too, and raise them up so it looks like you're seeing Aang through them rather than above them. By scaling them up, it fills out the spaces to the side, adds space in the center, while also keeps Katara's and Sokka's spacing more natural. EDIT: On second thought, I'm not sure if this would be doable without redrawing Sokka and Katara completely, as it's not just the additional portion of them you'd have to draw at the bottom but the perspective might not look right if you just shifted the image up as is. But hope this at the least helps with some new ideas of how to play around with the composition to cater to the aspect ratio!

[@parkerwinkelman8052]

This series is awesome. You deserve way more views and stuff. I just hope you keep doing this and are having fun! Can’t wait for the next one.

[@alexolivers9476]

so glad i caught this right after you uploaded ^^

[@ChunnyKay]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@Alriightyman]

This is pretty cool. Glad I saw this - you got yourself a new subscriber.

[@BlazeStorm]

First video I've seen and first of all, wow massive respect for doing all this! I'll just share my thoughts. Moving the old frames entirely to the sides is probably not a good idea because our eyes keep darting back and forth (in this instance Aang on the left, Katara scenes on the right). Usually the focus points stay nearly the same in transitions. Also at 14:50 Aang just dips from the frame because he enters your extension but you didn't animate him ;)

[@gayraffe]

this is amazing! i hope to see you do other episodes! like the swamp, or the first episode, or even the season one finale. super cool!

[@MasonsApple]

These are some awesome videos, this series is my favorite. Just like Avatar i think you should consider doing this to the beginning of naruto! i think you’d probably breeze through it, and get a ton of views so 🤷‍♂️

[@StormbreakerYT]

man i love this so much

[@danilotorres2425]

You are doing an amazing job man

[@dudeat1320]

Awesome work!

[@johnkelsey3475]

Might get hate for this but you missed a section for a few frames of Aang initialy getting flung off the koi fish, just before the cut to the next scene where he lands in the water. Other than that though I can not tell the difference in quality between your work and the show.

[@ChunnyKay]

No hate at all, thanks for pointing that out!

[@Mimi_FAH]

@@ChunnyKayW MAN, instead of responding to criticism with anger you thanked them for the decent criticism

[@RefugiumOS]

Love the Project!

[@spadegaming6348]

Facinating.

[@spookybells5099]

That looks great! You did an amazing job! 😊

[@AbhiMoz]

tremendous amount of work! Wow

[@alexbrown8900]

In 14:50 you can see that Aang is cut off. Sometimes small bits were forgotten to be animated. You did well tho!

[@marktenoh6031]

LOVING THSI

[@BeybladeMetalSaga4K]

I love these videos very much! The way you explain your process has something calming about it

[@mikereaper8509]

Still, very excited format to watch. I think u do a great job, then how you are trying to move the characters, for example, to get rid of the 4:3 format is a very right step in your development, keep going thats cool

[@chant3511]

I really love this series of yours! Looking forward to the next one every time! ❤

[@TexasFunk101]

For the past few months I've loved watching you remaster the original Avater, as well as seeing you learn from every new animation challenge you've faced like the fire and water elements. I subscribed after getting your first Avatar remastered video in my feed, and I hope that making this video series helps you grow in ways you couldn't have imagined before! I sincerly look forward to watching your future content, I hope that once you've completed what you're satifisfied with (even the whole show lol), that you'll come back to these and show us everything you've learned and how far you've come :)

[@charleslavoie7622]

Man, the work you're doing here is underrated ! For someone who didn't even study animation you're doing fantastic !

[@RoboBoomStick]

I like when Aang disappears

[@jeanlenga9618]

yes a new viiiiiiiideo

[@jowell3430]

incredible videos and amazing job♥

[@ChunnyKay]

Thank you so much!

[@Mimi_FAH]

AMAZING ANIMATION! Definitely subscribing, will the animation king answer?

[@pawekata8141]

Amazing job man!

[@ChunnyKay]

Thanks!

[@quakxy_dukx]

It’s not perfect but you’re clearly improving. Keep it up

[@mirzaangon]

RESPECT

[@cydragon2.099]

excellent why hasn't Avatar studios ever bothered with this before they did a blu-ray release

[@SamyasaSwi]

Money

[@carlotta4th]

This would be soooo expensive to pay a team of professionals to do.

[@DPKGrey]

commented. subscribed.

[@MythicalNoodles]

Lets gooooooooooo

[@ThatPash]

yesssssss

[@TheDog-pickleneedlepeterpiper]

Yes sir, lets go, the avatar widescreen triligey

[@wyndoellabridge6208]

Wonder how you are going to tackle the cgi scenes in the future

[@ChunnyKay]

Those might be a bit out of my skill level but I'd love to give them a try at least

[@kairu_b]

Noice

[@hyejisuh7482]

netflix wya

[@HAGIQAFAR]

which programm are you using?

[@memesev]

Just a question. What apps do u use??

[@thecosmichiroshi]

He uses Clip Studio Paint EX for the animation

[@ChunnyKay]

What @thecosmichiroshi said! Clip Studio Paint EX and I'm currently using a Wacom One drawing tablet as well.

[@memesev]

@@ChunnyKay ok. thank you. love your vids btw

[@memesev]

@@thecosmichiroshi thanks :)