The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South

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- We're gonna cut this footage together with scenes we shoot of our superstar Bolin here playing a Southern Water Tribe hero battling the evil Unalaq. No one will root for the North after they see The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South!



The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South is the first mover developed for public screening. Idealized by Varrick, the mover features footage of the Northern Water Tribe's occupation of the South cut with a series of shots of a fictional Southern hero fighting against the invasion. The purpose of its production was to sway the United Republic's opinion in favor of the Southern Water Tribe during the Water Tribe Civil War, and more specifically, to persuade President Raiko into sanctioning United Forces military intervention.

Plot
Nuktuk (Bolin) is a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, whose girlfriend was taken by Unalaq during the Northern Water Tribe's occupation of the South. With the help of his trusted animal companions Roh-Tan (Naga) and Juji (Pabu), Bolin must defeat the evil Unalaq and overcome obstacles such as explosions, anti-bending nets, and giant drills in order to save his girlfriend, Ginger (Ginger).

Cast

 * Bolin as Nuktuk, the hero of the South
 * Ginger as Ginger, Nuktuk's girlfriend
 * Naga as Roh-Tan, the arctic panda
 * Pabu as Juji, the snow raccoon

Production
Having developed the technology to record and project moving pictures, Varrick Global Industries was at the helm of the mover industry. Initially only interested in telling stories, Varrick soon shifted his focus to the Northern invasion of the Southern Water Tribe, which included a harbor lock-down, effectively grounding his ships and hurting his business.



As a prominent figure in his tribe and orchestrator of an assassination attempt on Chief Unalaq, Varrick fled the South with Team Avatar to Republic City. After being denied military help by President Raiko, who was determined not to interfere in internal Water Tribe matters and only willing to help in facilitating a diplomatic ceasefire between the tribes, Varrick decided to cast Bolin as the protagonist of a propaganda film along with Ginger as a kidnapped Southerner.

Production began right away, with numerous films being directed simultaneously. Using his resources, Varrick even developed the technology to create remote-detonated explosives for use as pyrotechnics.

Reception
The first mover was released theatrically in Republic City shortly after production. It was met positively by the public, with young children comprising the major demographic. Each mover ended with a cliffhanger, and subsequent episodes were scheduled for release the week after the previous installment's showing.

Trivia

 * In addition to political propaganda, Varrick also used the mover to promote his other ventures by way of product placement. For example, he had Ginger use Varri-dye, his company's brand of hair dye, before her kidnapping. Varrick expected to sell a million cases during the first week following the mover's premiere.
 * The scene in which Nuktuk punches Unalaq in the face is similar to World War II propaganda imagery that depicted popular fictional characters Captain America, Superman, and Daffy Duck punching Adolf Hitler. Similarly, the musical number of the show directly parodies the Captain America theme song.
 * The serial nature and overall look of Unalaq is very similar to that of Ming the Merciless, a villain in the serial film, Flash Gordon.
 * Evil Unalaq is also reminiscent of the Ember Island Players' portrayal of Fire Lord Ozai in The Boy in the Iceberg.
 * The name of the mover (Chinese: ) and the main character bear resemblance to those of the early silent film documentary Nanook of the North.