Synopsis

In 2154, paraplegic former Marine Jake Sully takes his deceased twin's place in the Avatar Program on Pandora. Operating a genetically engineered Na'vi body, he gathers intelligence for a mining corporation but becomes increasingly connected to the moon's indigenous people. As Jake bonds with Neytiri and learns Pandora's spiritual balance, he must choose between corporate orders and defending the world he has come to call home.

Factoids & Trivia

• James Cameron first developed the project in 1994, but delayed production because the visual effects technology available at the time could not realize his plans.

• The Na'vi language was created from scratch by linguist Paul Frommer. He developed its sound system, grammar, and an initial vocabulary of roughly 1,000 words.

• The production used an enlarged performance-capture stage and a facial-capture system that recorded actors' expressions and eye movements in much greater detail than earlier motion-capture methods.

• Cameron's virtual-camera system allowed him to view digital characters and environments during performance capture, making it possible to frame scenes as though he were filming a live-action set.

• Live-action 3D footage was captured with the Fusion Camera System, developed by Cameron and cinematographer Vince Pace.

• The film's extensive effects work was handled primarily by Weta Digital, which created Pandora's digital characters, environments, creatures, and much of the film's visual atmosphere.

• Avatar was originally planned for release in 1999, shortly after Titanic, but remained in development for years before technology and production methods had advanced sufficiently.

• The film premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and opened in the United States on December 18, 2009.

• Avatar became the first film to surpass $2 billion in worldwide box-office revenue and briefly became the highest-grossing film ever released.

• At the Academy Awards, it received nine nominations and won three awards: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.