Avatar
Logo used since 2022
Created by	James Cameron
Original work	Avatar (2009)
Owners	20th Century Studios Lightstorm Entertainment
Years	2009–present
Print publications
Graphic novel(s)	Avatar: The High Ground (2022–2023)
Films and television
Film(s)	Avatar (2009) Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) Avatar 4 (2029) Avatar 5 (2031)
Games
Video game(s)	Avatar: The Game (2009) Avatar: Pandora Rising (2020) Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)	Avatar (2009) Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023)
Original music	I See You Nothing Is Lost
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)	Lego Avatar
Theme park attraction(s)	Avatar Flight of Passage (2017) Na'vi River Journey (2017)
Official website
www.avatar.com

Avatar is an Americanepicscience fictionmedia franchise created byJames Cameron, which began with theeponymous 2009 film. Produced by20th Century Studios and distributed byLightstorm Entertainment, it consists of associated merchandise, video games, and theme park attractions.^[1]Avatar is set in the mid-22nd century onPandora, a lushhabitable moon of agas giant in theAlpha Centauri star system. The films' central conflict is between the indigenous Na'vi led byJake Sully andNeytiri, andhumans led byColonel Miles Quaritch from theResources Development Administration (RDA), amegacorp which has arrived on Pandora to colonize and pillage it for its natural resources. The title of the series refers to thegenetically engineered Na'vi bodyoperated from the brain that humans pilot tointeract with on Pandora.

The first installment,Avatar, was released on December 18, 2009, and is thehighest grossing motion picture of all-time when ticket price inflation is not considered. The second installment,The Way of Water, was released on December 16, 2022. The planned sequel series was announced by 20th Century Fox on December 11, 2009, one week beforeAvatar was released to theaters. 20th Century Fox had confirmed the series on January 15, 2010. TheAvatar franchise is one of themost expensive franchises undertaken, with the combined budget of the first film and its four sequels estimated at $1 billion. The franchise has grossed more than $5.2 billion worldwide; it is the15th-highest-grossing film series of all time.

Like the original film, the four sequels have "fully encapsulated" stand-alone plots that "come to their own conclusions". The four films have an overarching meta-narrative that connects them to create a large interconnected saga.^[2] Cameron described the sequels as "a natural extension of all the themes, and the characters, and the spiritual undercurrents" of the first film.

Avatar was written and directed by James Cameron, The cast includesSam Worthington,Zoë Saldaña,Sigourney Weaver,Michelle Rodriguez,Stephen Lang,Joel David Moore,Giovanni Ribisi,CCH Pounder,Dileep Rao,Matt Gerald,Laz Alonso, andWes Studi, and was set in the year 2154.

The story focuses on an epic conflict onPandora, an inhabited Earth-sized moon of Polyphemus, one of threegas giants orbitingAlpha Centauri A. On Pandora, human colonists and the sentient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of Pandora, theNa'vi, engage in a war over the planet's resources (such asunobtanium) and the latter's continued existence. The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives.^[3] The protagonist,Jake Sully, is a paraplegic young man who travels to Pandora from Earth. Assisting the corporate monolith known as theResources Development Administration (RDA), he is given an avatar which he uses to interact with the story's heroine,Neytiri, as well as her clan known as the Omatikaya.

Avatar: The Way of Water was written and directed by James Cameron, The cast includesSam Worthington,Zoë Saldaña,Joel David Moore,Sigourney Weaver,CCH Pounder,Stephen Lang,Giovanni Ribisi,Kate Winslet,Cliff Curtis,Trinity Bliss,Jamie Flatters,Britain Dalton, andJack Champion, and was set 13 years after the first film in the year 2170.

Set over a decade after the events of the first film,The Way of Water focuses on the return of the RDA, which prompts Jake's family to seek refuge in the water regions of Pandora in an effort to keep one another safe. Cameron said in an interview that while the first film was about the "awe and wonder", the sequel focuses more on the characters. The film was originally planned for a December 2014 release, but was delayed several times and released on December 16, 2022. Production began in August 2017. It wrapped in September 2020.^[4][5][6]

A third film is planned for release on December 20, 2024.^[7] Interviews in mid-2010 suggested that the third film would explore more of theAlpha Centauri system, but the script was not completed until late 2015.Fire and Ash started shooting simultaneously withThe Way of Water in New Zealand on September 25, 2017; filming was completed in late December 2020. The film will introduce a new aggressive Na'vi clan known as 'Ash People' who reside near volcanoes.^[7][8] Cameron stated thatAvatar: The Seed Bearer was being considered as a possible title for the film,^[9] but Landau debunked the rumor in December 2023.^[10]

A fourth film is planned for release on December 21, 2029.^[7] Jon Landau said that, due to a six-year time skip in the first act, a third ofAvatar 4 has already been filmed to account for the aging of the child actors, and on September 9, 2022, it was announced at theD23 Expo thatprincipal photography had officially begun forAvatar 4.^[7][8] However, in January 2024, Cameron said that he will not start filming the remainder ofAvatar 4 until after the release ofAvatar: Fire and Ash.^[11] Cameron stated thatAvatar: The Tulkun Rider is being considered as a possible title for the fourth film.^[9]

A fifth and final film has been announced and is scheduled for December 19, 2031.^[7] Jon Landau stated that part ofAvatar 5 will take place on Earth, with Neytiri visiting the planet.^{[12][13][7][8]} Cameron stated thatAvatar: The Quest for Eywa is being considered as a possible title for the fifth and final film.^[9][14][15]

The first film grossed $2.92 billion worldwide and is thehighest-grossing film in history. The second film,The Way of Water, has grossed $2.32 billion worldwide and currently ranks as the third highest-grossing film. The third, fourth, and fifth films in the series are expected to have a budget of $250 million.^[16]

• Avatar (Music from the Motion Picture) was scored byJames Horner and released on December 15, 2009, byAtlantic Records andFox Music.
• Avatar: The Way of Water (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was scored bySimon Franglen and released on December 15, 2022, byHollywood Records.
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Original Game Soundtrack) was scored byPinar Toprak and released on December 8, 2023, byLakeshore Records.

• "I See You (Theme fromAvatar)"
• "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)"

Following the release ofAvatar, Cameron initially planned to write a novel based on the film, "telling the story of the movie, but [going] into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with."^[39]

In 2013, this plan was superseded by the announcement of four new novels set within the "Avatar expanded universe", to be written bySteven Gould.^[40] The books were due to be published byPenguin Random House, but there has been no update on the planned book series since 2017.^[41]

In July 2022, the first graphic novel based on theAvatar franchise was announced.

The Art of Avatar is a film production art book released on November 30, 2009, byAbrams Books.

The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration Is a book that celebrates, explores, and explains the spectacular world of Pandora. The book was released on May 31, 2022, byDK Books

The Art of Avatar The Way of Water takes an exclusive look behind-the-scenes on the production and creative process of James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water. It was released on December 16, 2022, byDK Books

Avatar The Way of Water The Visual Dictionary is a visual guide that showcases characters, vehicles, weapons, locations, and more from the movie, as well as many stunning exclusive details. This book was released on December 16, 2022, byDK Books

In October 2015,Dark Horse Comics signed a 10-year partnership to publishAvatar comics.^[49]

On May 6, 2017, Dark Horse Comics published aFree Comic Book Day one-shot entitledFCBD 2017: James Cameron's Avatar / Briggs Land, which included a short story set in the world ofAvatar entitled "Brothers".^[50][51]From January to August 2019, Dark Horse published a six-issue miniseries calledAvatar: Tsu'tey's Path.^{[52][53][54][55][56][57][51]}Tsu'tey's Path was collected intrade paperback format on November 27, 2019, with "Brothers" included as supplementary material.^[51]

Toruk – The First Flight is an original stage production by theMontreal-basedCirque du Soleil which ran between December 2015 and June 2019. Inspired byAvatar, the story is set in Pandora's past, involving a prophecy concerning a threat to the Tree of Souls and a quest for totems from different tribes. Audience members could download anapp in order to participate in show effects. On January 18, 2016, it was announced via the Toruk Facebook page that filming for a DVD release had been completed and was undergoing editing.^[58]

Avatar The Exhibition is a touring exhibition based on the first film. It opened inChengdu, China on May 1, 2021, and closed on December 31, 2021.^[59][60] It is currently touring Asia with future stops planned around the globe.^[61]

In 2011, Cameron, Lightstorm, and Fox entered an exclusive licensing agreement withThe Walt Disney Company to featureAvatar-themed attractions atWalt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide, including a themed land forDisney's Animal Kingdom inLake Buena Vista, Florida. The area, known asPandora – The World ofAvatar, opened on May 27, 2017.^[62][63] The themed land is set generations after the events of the films and features two attractions:Avatar Flight of Passage, a flying simulator attraction, andNa'vi River Journey, a boatdark ride.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2023, Disney CEOBob Iger announced that a new attraction based on theAvatar films, named the Avatar Experience, would open atDisneyland.^[64] In August 2024, it was announced that theAvatar land will be built atDisney California Adventure. The land will be inspired byThe Way of Water (2022), its upcoming sequelFire and Ash (2025), and futureAvatar films.^[65]

An observable phenomenon^[66] dubbed "post-Avatar depression (PAD),^[67] "post-Avatar depression syndrome (PADS)", "Avatar depression syndrome"^[68] or "Avatar blues" has been reported in the media, such as by CNN^[69][68] andThe Guardian^[66] forAvatar 1 andAvatar 2.^[70][71][72] It was first brought up onAvatar websites andforums, such as in thousands of posts of people discussing their experience with depression after watching the first movie.^[69][68] It is not a recognized medical condition.^[73][66]

It is a sentiment reported by some people after watchingAvatar movies. Reported "symptoms" include sadness,^[73]depression, a feeling ofmeaninglessness and adissatisfaction with one'sexistence and the real world,^[69][74] and worries about thefuture of Earth and issues such asclimate change.^[66][75][71] One user reportedsuicide ideation in the hope ofreincarnating in a world similar to Pandora.^[73][66]

"Avatar blues" is thought to be caused by the longing for theutopian world and society ofPandora,^[73][67] which, unlike many other fictional settings, is a real-seemingalternate world.^[76] By contrast, Earth, the human race, and life's complexity and problems appear gray and non-idyllic.^[69][70][68] People with "Avatar blues" say they really want to live in Pandora, or wish toescape reality for avirtual reality.^[69][66] One fan estimated that 10-20% of posters onAvatar forums reported experiencing it.^[70][66][71]

To cope with the depression,Psychology today advised to maintain realistic expectations for the real world and focus on its positive aspects like people and hobbies,^[76][73] whileAvatar fans organized group meetings to sometimes talk about their struggle.^[70][66]

Critics of the phenomenon argue that affected people may have already beenmelancholic or depressed before watching the movie, or that considering the large audience reach, some people were statistically going to become depressed.^[74] A depression expert called it an insult to depressed people and did not consider it clinical depression.^[68]

Some indigenous groups, including Native Americans, have called for a boycott of the franchise over "tone-deaf" handling of indigenous cultures andcultural appropriation. BothAvatar films have drawn criticism for casting several white and other non-indigenous actors in the roles of the alien native people. Cameron said he tried to move away from awhite savior narrative.^[77][78][79] The film series was criticized for "romanticization of colonization" and putting forward a monolithic portrayal of Indigenous people.^[80]

Cameron faced criticism for comments made after the release of the first film.^[77][78][79] In 2010, Cameron andAvatar actors supported theXingu peoples in opposing the construction of theBelo Monte Dam.^[81]

In 2012, Cameron saidAvatar is a fictional retelling of the history of North and South America in the early Colonial period, "with all its conflict and bloodshed between the military aggressors from Europe and the indigenous peoples".^[82][83]

• Official website

• Avatar (franchise)
• 20th Century Studios franchises
• Science fiction film franchises
• Film series introduced in 2009
• Mythopoeia
• Films set in the future
• Films about technology
• Films about extraterrestrial life
• Films set on fictional planets
• Films set on fictional moons
• Films about rebellions
• Adventure films
• Films about space warfare
• Military science fiction films
• American 3D films
• American epic films
• Environmental films

• IMDb ID (Cite Mojo) not in Wikidata
• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use American English from December 2022
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from December 2022
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia