Choi, Charles Q. (December 28, 2009). "Moons like Avatar's Pandora could be found". NBC News . Retrieved February 27, 2010. The look of the Na'vi– the humanoids indigenous to Pandora– was inspired by a dream that Cameron's mother had, long before he started work on Avatar. In her dream, she saw a blue-skinned woman 12 feet ( 4 m) tall, which he thought was "kind of a cool image". [101] Also he said, "I just like blue. It's a good color... plus, there's a connection to the Hindu deities, [108] which I like conceptually." [109] He included similar creatures in his first screenplay (written in 1976 or 1977), which featured a planet with a native population of "gorgeous" tall blue aliens. The Na'vi were based on them. [101]

Top Grossing Movies in Their 4th Weekend at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010 . Retrieved January 12, 2010. During filming, Cameron made use of his virtual camera system, a new way of directing motion-capture filmmaking. The system shows the actors' virtual counterparts in their digital surroundings in real time, allowing the director to adjust and direct scenes just as if shooting live action. According to Cameron, "It's like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale." [71] Using conventional techniques, the complete virtual world cannot be seen until the motion-capture of the actors is complete. Cameron said this process does not diminish the value or importance of acting. On the contrary, because there is no need for repeated camera and lighting setups, costume fittings and make-up touch-ups, scenes do not need to be interrupted repeatedly. [72] Cameron described the system as a "form of pure creation where if you want to move a tree or a mountain or the sky or change the time of day, you have complete control over the elements". [73]McConnon, Aili (April 2, 2007). "James Cameron on the Cutting Edge". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on October 30, 2009 . Retrieved April 27, 2022.

Engber, Daniel (August 22, 2009). "Avatar = "Apocalypto" + George Lucas". Slate. Archived from the original on December 30, 2009 . Retrieved December 22, 2009.Rose, Steve (October 19, 2009). "Hollywood is haunted by Ghost in the Shell". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013 . Retrieved July 27, 2011. The first scoring sessions were planned to take place in early 2009. [98] During production, Horner promised Cameron that he would not work on any other project except for Avatar and reportedly worked on the score from four in the morning until ten at night throughout the process. He stated in an interview, " Avatar has been the most difficult film I have worked on and the biggest job I have undertaken." [99] Horner composed the score as two different scores merged into one. He first created a score that reflected the Na'vi way of sound and then combined it with a separate "traditional" score to drive the film. [69] Anything that had to be done with a specific actor, we did all the scenes for 2 and 3 together – and a little bit of 4," he told Variety. Records, Guinness World (2014). Guinness World Records. Vol.60 (2015ed.). Guinness World Records. pp.160–161. ISBN 978-1-908843-70-8. Davis, Lauren (October 26, 2009). "Did James Cameron Rip Off Poul Anderson's Novella?". io9. Gizmodo . Retrieved October 26, 2009.

Producer Jon Landau confirmed the exciting news in late November, less than a month ahead of its release. It's been a 13-year wait for fans, but the time has almost come to return to Pandora. Osipov, Maxim (December 27, 2009). "What on Pandora does culture or civilisation stand for?". Hindustan Times. India. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011 . Retrieved February 25, 2011. Weekend Box Office Results for December25–27, 2009". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 1, 2010 . Retrieved April 28, 2022. Top Grossing Movies for Martin Lurther King Holiday Weekends". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010 . Retrieved January 19, 2010. Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacón, a combat pilot assigned to support the Avatar Program who is sympathetic to the Na'vi. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in Girlfight. [37]

Avatar breaks UK Blu-ray sales record". BBC News. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010 . Retrieved May 2, 2010. a b c Douglas, Edward (December 21, 2009). "Avatar Soars Despite Heavy Snowstorms". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on December 23, 2009 . Retrieved April 27, 2022. Russell, Mike (August 26, 2010). "Interview with James Cameron on 'Avatar' re-release, BP oil spill– and much more". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010 . Retrieved April 28, 2022.

Balchak, Brian (July 24, 2009). "SDCC 2009: Watch the James Cameron's Avatar Comic-Con Panel!". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020 . Retrieved July 25, 2009. Paul, Ryan (March 26, 2010). "Cloudy with a chance of Linux: Canonical aims to cash in". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010 . Retrieved April 28, 2022. Avatar is primarily an action-adventure journey of self-discovery, in the context of imperialism, and deep ecology. [101] a b c d Ordoña, Michael (December 13, 2009). "Eye-popping 'Avatar' pioneers new technology". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications Inc. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012 . Retrieved April 27, 2022. LaFraniere, Sharon (January 29, 2010). "China's Zeal for 'Avatar' Crowds Out 'Confucius' ". The New York Times . Retrieved January 18, 2020.Carroll, Larry (February 12, 2010). "James Cameron Writing 'Avatar' Prequel – But Not For The Big Screen". MTV. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010 . Retrieved April 28, 2022. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Avatar on Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 20, 2023. [195] Reception The first photo of the film was released on August 14, 2009, [121] and Empire released exclusive images from the film in its October issue. [122] Cameron, producer Jon Landau, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver appeared at a panel, moderated by Tom Rothman, at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con on July 23. Twenty-five minutes of footage was screened [123] in Dolby 3D. [124] The New York Film Critics Online honored the film with its Best Picture award. [303] The film also won the Critics' Choice Awards of the Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Action Film and several technical categories, out of nine nominations. [304] It won two of the St. Louis Film Critics awards: Best Visual Effects and Most Original, Innovative or Creative Film. [305] The film also won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Production Design and Special Visual Effects, and was nominated for six others, including Best Film and Director. [306] The film has received numerous other major awards, nominations and honors. Weintraub, Steve (March 16, 2010). "Avatar DVD/Blu-ray Arrives April 22 – Cover Art and Info Here". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013 . Retrieved September 17, 2014.