MD: Korra’s story in Book Two was about humans moving beyond their ordinary abilities, and becoming something extraordinary. When she loves her connection to the past Avatars and her Avatar spirit, Korra looks deep within and forms a new connection with the cosmic version of herself. In Hindu philosophy, there is a concept called atman, which is defined as the “innermost essence of each individual” or the supreme universal self.“ This is my interpretation of what Korra sees and becomes when she meditates. The giant blue cosmic Korra is a visual representation of her inner essence.

JDS: There were a couple of big animation obstacles we had to hurdle with this giant kaiju-style battle. First, the majority of the fight takes place in Yue Bay, so that means a ton of water animation, which translates to a ton more drawings for the effects animators overseas. To counter this, we tried to stage a good portion of the shots lookking up with the water offscreen (this also helped convey scale). Second was the concept that in order to truly convey the massive weight of the combatants, Korra and Unalaq would have to move more slowly than if they were normal sized. This also equates to more drawings being required of the animators, as now more in-betweens need to be drawn to ensure the slow motion looks smooth. Designs by Bryan Konietzko and Angela Song Mueller. Color by Sylvia Filcak-Blackwolf.