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The Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise turns 21 in early 2026, and with is coming big changes - namely, it's going to be going out less, and wanting people to come to them.

Just four months after new owners came in to Paramount, the company is scratching plans for a theatrical release of the the first-ever Avatar: The Last Airbender movie, instead making it - and all of the animated Avatar: The Last AIrbender projects, past and present - exclusive to the Paramount+ streaming service. This would include the announced cartoon sequel Avatar: Seven Havens, the reported-but-not-confirmed two additional Avatar animated movies, and - perhaps most life-changing for a lot of us - the original Avatar animated series and its sister show, Legend of Korra.

"The Avatar Universe has captivated audiences for two decades, and Paramount+ is proud to be the exclusive streaming home for its beloved animated incarnation," Paramount+'s head of originals Jane Wiseman said in the announcement.

WIseman points to the upcoming animated movie and animated TV sequel, but then also makes sure to bring up the previous two animated series as things that will "solidify Paramount+ as the destination for the animated Avatar Universe."

This would not affect the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series on Netflix, which Netflix produces as a Netflix original under license from Paramount.

The original Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently streaming on Netflix, which is where most people have been watching the series for the past five years. Although it was added to Paramount+ afterwards, the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender's placement on Netflix has been pivotal to its renewed interest, with it holding a record for a time to be the most watched TV series on Netflix that wasn't a Netflix original. 

This decision to pull animated Avatar: The Last Airbender projects from other streaming services is a marked change from Paramount's original plans circa 2020, which was built on a multi-platform release schedule (as reported by both Variety and Deadline). 

While most of the attention to this week's news focuses on the new Avatar: The Last Airbender film not being in theaters, it is this decision to not renew streaming rights to other platforms such as Netflix for the classic content that will make the biggest change in how new (and old) fans find the beloved series.

Netflix has renewed Avatar: The Last Airbender for season 2! While you wait, check out our watch order for newcomers, an exclusive Avatar reunion panel from ECCC 2024, and a couple recommendations on what to watch after the series. Heck, we've even interviewed some of the best Avatar cosplayers from across the four nations - why not check it out?