The only thing as mysterious and alluring to humans as space is the ocean, which is why these two settings so often make their way into the stories people consume. It is a tendency of humans to attempt to understand their surroundings, which is a large part of what fuels our fascination with the unexplored vastness of space and sea.
Another tendency of people is to reflect what they are familiar with in their creations, which is why elements of the world around usoften make appearances in art, inventions, books, and film, even those that take place in alien or fantastical worlds. Because of this, it makes sense that when creators of theAvatarfilm were challenged with imagining a colorful and unusual new world, they borrowed components of the unknown world that we have the most access to: the ocean.
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The moral theme of the firstAvatarfilm made a solid point about deforestation, and thus, the story focused a lot on the forest and a threat against the trees. In the second film however,a lot of the story appears to be spent onor in the water and is likely going to center its moral theme around the impact humans have on oceans and their life forms. Because of this, it only seems appropriate to recognize how this environmental focus is relevant in the real world.
Inspiration for creating this vast and vibrant world was pulled from several Earthly sources. One source that many people recognize as having inspired the creative minds behind the firstAvataris Zhanggjiajie National Forest. In terms of water’s influence, meanwhile, many fans have noted the similarities between the bioluminescent qualities of Pandora and the Bioluminescent Lagoon in Jamaica.
However, because of the environmentthat the second film is focused on, the place that likely most inspired the details in this part of Pandora is the Clipperton Fracture Zone. This area of the ocean has, for the past few years, been under threat of underwater mining, despite the negative impact this would have on the area’s dense varieties of marine life. The diversity of the plants and creatures that live in this part of the ocean, and the threat that this area faces, are certainly more than enough motive for the storyline that Cameron is pursuing in this second film.Regardless of whether fans seeany direct visual indicators of this spot being the driving factor behind the sequel, the impending threat that underwater mining poses to the oceans of Earth is likely going to be reflected by this film. Already in the first film, these odes to the ocean can be seen through several elements of the moon planet, particularly some of the plants and animals.
Cameron created several of the creatures in his world based on the ocean’s otherworldly critters, as well as insects. One detail which makes this abundantly clear is the inclusion of bioluminescence as an ability thatmany of the creatures in Pandorapossess. Nearly all the notable creatures of the film reflect creatures of the ocean in some way. The Mountain Banshees mimic the build of Manta rays and Skates, as well as dinosaurs. An obvious example is the Hammerhead Titanothere, which mimics the skull shape of a hammerhead shark. Lastly, the adorable Woodsprites are designed to move like jellyfish, only through air. Fans are, of course, likely to encounter all sorts of new creatures in the sequel film and because of the change in setting, it’s safe to assume viewers will be seeing even more ofEarth’s marine life influence in this movie.
The plants are no different from the creatures of this planet, in terms of imitating details from the ocean and its life forms. The plants in the first film were specially designed by a real botanist so that they would be believable but engineered to be unique. The greatest connection between these plants and the ocean’s is that nearly all of them are bioluminescent, an ability commonly observed in Zoanthid soft corals. Another example is the Helicoradian, which exists in this world on the cusp between animal and plant, andhave an abilityto coil into themselves, based on tube worms that live in the coral reefs of Earth.
It’s not news that Cameron is a fan of working on the water, and his several years of experience doing so have likely caused him to develop a deep appreciation — if not love — for the creatures and plants of the ocean. As a result, he is sure to be aware of the plans that are in the process of being made to allow underwater mining in parts of the oceans, like Clipperton Fracture Zone. Given this appreciation, and hispast approach to the messagebehindAvatar, no matter which specific places inspired the storyline that’s to come, fans can assume that it will inspire viewers to appreciate all marine life in a way they may not have before.
Avatar: The Way of Waterwill be released in theaters on December 16th.
