M. Night's Appa - Love Him or Hate Him?

Our friends at LastAirbenderFans.com unlocked images from the iPhone TLA game, revealing an awful lot of cool locations, characters and, most importantly, our first real look at Appa!  (Tho hardcore fans have seen him peeking out since the first superbowl ad.) 

Matt Patches (@misterpatches) and I (@JHoffman6) discussed the big reveal and we share that conversation with you now.

@JHoffman6: So we finally get a serious pic of Appa the Sky Bison from The Last Airbender. I'm kinda still taking it in.  (Click link for expanded view of M. Night's Appa.)

@misterpatches: As an Airbender nerd through and through, I'm giving it a thumbs up. As you well know, I've been waiting for full frontal Appa (yeah, I said it) from day one, and while it's not an exact translation, it is APPA.

@misterpatches: Look at that cute lil' smile!

@JHoffman6: It is definitely a thumbs up by its very nature of being a sky bison, but, I don't know, I find the face to be a little. . . off. Maybe I just liked the cartoonishness of the cartoon, but the face might be too lifelike.

@misterpatches: But as we know from your first conversation with M. Night, this isn't the cartoon. He's not really interested in incorporating some of the sillier elements of the show into his film. We won't be seeing Sokka covered in Appa snot, would be my guess.

@misterpatches: Which, frankly, SUCKS

@misterpatches: but I think I'll survive

@JHoffman6: But this Appa, his face kinda looks like a giant baby's. In the cartoon he's a big lungering mess of slobbery cuteness. I respond much better to that. Also: why is his hair all gray? It should be white! And it should have a brown arrow. Not gray with a dark face. Am I just unable to accept change?

@misterpatches: See: An Open Letter to Martin Campbell

@misterpatches: No, I think your fear comes from a legit (yet, fanboy) place

@misterpatches: You don't just want to see what you've seen in the show

@misterpatches: You want to feel what you feel while watching the show

@misterpatches: You like when Aang and Appa roll around and be goofy.

@JHoffman6: Listen, let's just hope there's a pink tongue in there, or else we'll have words.

@misterpatches: I need those big hay-chomping teeth!

@misterpatches: And you should be happy they made Appa grey

@misterpatches: Why does everything in Hollywood have to be white?

@JHoffman6: You raise a good point there.  But, if I recall correctly, when we saw him in the background of the superbowl ad, he kinda did look white.  And he had a more pronounced arrow, not a subtle darker streak like he does here.

@misterpatches: Maybe he achieves the arrow over time?

@JHoffman6: Maybe.  Now, if someone could just explain the physics of how he can fly with no feathers or wings, just by flopping his tail. . . ?

@misterpatches: In my expert cryptozoologist opinion, Appa flies using the same mechanics an otter uses when swiming through water. A vertical motion with his tail propels them up into the sky. Plus, a healthy diet of hay.

@JHoffman6: I wish I had a Sky Bison to get to work. The N train is a drag and often smells like pee.