Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender director Lauren Montgomery discussed the film’s early concept-art leaks at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, saying that material shown at CinemaCon in 2024 was inevitably photographed and circulated online. The discussion also highlighted the creators’ decision to keep the forthcoming feature hand-drawn in 2D, presenting it as a way to preserve the visual identity of Avatar and support an animation form that faces pressure from 3D production.

Montgomery showed early designs for the older Team Avatar, including alternative looks for Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Toph and Katara, some of which influenced the final film designs. Co-creator Bryan Konietzko said the team initially considered a more 3D-styled approach, inspired by films and series such as Spider-Verse and Arcane, but chose 2D animation because Avatar is rooted in a love of Japanese anime; the panel also discussed creating a new Avatarian language system.