The brouhaha involving the casting in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender movie has no doubt drawn harsh criticisms from both sides of the debate, some quite logical, some just totally - excuse me - stupid.

Joining the camp calling some casting decisions racist is the animatic director of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series Dao Le, who sent a statement to Racebending.com calling the casting moves “a huge disappointment.”

“It’s just hard to believe they couldn’t find one Asian actor to hold any of the lead protagonist parts. Not one? This film is going to feel like some other Avatar story.”

“I always believed they were Asian, or even mixed Asian,” said Le, who was in charge of creating animatics, a type of moving storyboard created by mixing storyboards, stand-in images, and other elements of a scene in sequence with the dialogue, to help animators.

Le confirmed - to no one’s surprise, really - that the show was “heavily influenced” by Asian cultures, sharing that some of the characters were even modeled after some Asian members of the crew. “With the pre-dominantly white cast, it feels like all the Asian/Eastern influences, origins, what have you, were just a backdrop for these characters.”

Since Dao Le isn’t the first staff member of the animated series to cry foul over the purportedly racist casting for the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie, I seriously wonder if the people of the original series were consulted at all by Paramount.

At first, it would seem that it’s only the diehard fans of the show who see red whenever they remember. With this recently development, though, people who don’t see anything wrong with casting Caucasian leads for now patently Asian and Inuit roles might think twice.

After all, these are the people behind the original animated series. Their opinions should hold some weight.

Toronto-based toy company Spin Master has nabbed an exclusive deal with Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products to be the master global toy licensor for all the forthcoming action figures, vehicles, and play sets en route to the theatrical release of the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie The Last Airbender on July 2010.

“M. Night Shyamalan and Paramount have done an incredible job of adapting the mythology of Avatar, the Nick TV show, into an imaginative and visually stunning live-action big-screen fantasy adventure film,” said Adam Beder, Spin Master’s licensing chief.

Some fans, however, would disagree with the toy company exec, as The Last Airbender has been embroiled in a controversy over casting issues, mostly involving Caucasian actors play purportedly East Asian characters.

Protagonist Aang, for instance, who is supposedly East Asian, will be played by Noah Ringer, who is white, while Inuit siblings Katara and Sokka will have white actors Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone playing their roles. Lastly, seemingly Japanese Zuko will be played by British-Indian Dev Patel, previously given to Jesse McCartney.

Nevertheless, Nickelodeon’s Leigh Anne Brodsky said there still is “tremendous anticipation” for The Last Airbender. “Our co-branded product line will dive in to The Last Airbender’s rich story line and promises timeless play experiences for the original series’ super-fans, as well as for new fans of the film.”

There are ongoing online petitions decrying the supposedly racist casting and even suggestions to boycott the film. Rathbone was quoted as saying before that, “It’s one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit.”

Momo was first found by Aang, Katara and Sokka at the Southern Air Temple when Aang returned after being in the ice for so many years. At first Sokka wanted to make him a meal since he was hungry. But Sokka changed his mind after Momo brought him some fruit.

Momo’s kind used to fly around the Temple. Now, because of the attack, Momo was the last Flying Lemur left. Momo is able to fly by using large folds of skin hidden on his arms as wings. He has very good hearing and sense of smell and is very fast.

Momo can act a little silly most of the time, adding comic relief to the show. However, he is smarter than he looks and acts.

Momo means “Peach” in Japanese, and that was what Momo was eating then Aang named him.

Momo is the flying lemur who Aang, Katara, and Sokka find in Aang’s old home, the Southern Air temple.

As all of the Avatar before him, Aang must have a sprit guide to help him in his journey as the Avatar. And this is Momo.

At first he is a little pain in the rump who steals all of Sokka’s food and leads Aang on a wild chase to the bodies of the Air-Masters who raised him. Sokka dislikes him, but they achieve a truce-of sorts later in the series.

Dee Bradley Baker was born in Indiana. His family moved to Greeley, Colorado, soon after his birth and he grew up there. Baker started performing at the age of nine, and steadily worked in musicals, operas, plays, and stand up, up to college. In college, he attended Colorado College and double majored in philosophy and German language. Baker started working as a stage actor, stand up comedian, and singer, after college, which led him to Los Angeles. There he went on to become “one of the most versatile and sought after voice actors,” according to his website[1].

His TV voice work include voicing: Squilliam Fancyson, Customers, Vendors, and other characters for SpongeBob SquarePants, Cow and Chicken’s father on Cow and Chicken, Wallabee Beatles (Numbuh 4), Hoagie P. Gilligan’s (Numbuh 2) baby brother Tommy Gilligan (The Tommy), and one of the Delightful Children from down the Lane on Codename: Kids Next Door, Mr. Uerkaut, Referee, Narrator, Bush, Lincoln, and Big Kid #2 on Whatever Happened to Robot Jones, most monster voices on Teen Titans, Klaus on American Dad!, and Elmer, Binky Abdul, Sanjay, and Remy Buxaplenty on The Fairly OddParents, as well as various voices in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He also voices Stinkfly and Wildmutt of Ben 10 as well as the Kelpie in American Dragon: Jake Long.

His voice work for video games include voicing: Lord Braska, Benzo, and Ayde Ronso on Final Fantasy X-2, the titular character of Viewtiful Joe, the Gravemind on Halo 2, and a Navy SEAL soldier on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Nightcrawler in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, and Specter and other voices in Ape Escape: On the Loose and Barrel from The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge.

Also provided the majority of voices on the game Samurai Western, including the villain, Goldberg.

In addition to voice acting credits, Baker has done performances for game shows such as Legends of the Hidden Temple (where he voiced Olmec), and Shop ‘Til You Drop. He is also voicing Captain Jack Sparrow’s talking parrot in the newly refurbished Pirates of the Caribbean rides at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.