So, Avatar fans the world wide are eagerly waiting for the release of the Avatar DVD's, both regular and Extended.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal director James Cameron revealed the release date for Avatar on DVD and Blu-ray. Cameron said that we can expect the usual DVD and Blu-ray release in April, and then a 3D version will be released in November with all the special features, deleted and unfinished scenes.
“It’s all right on schedule,” said Cameron. “We’ll do the Blu-ray and the standard def DVD April 22nd, that’s our plan as of right now, and that’ll be pretty much bare bones. And then we’ll do a value-added DVD and a 3-D Blu-ray in I think November sometime.”
He also spoke about the DVD and Blu-ray release to MTV:
“The unfinished scenes look like a cheesy video game,” Cameron said. “They’re the performances — you can really see what the scenes would have been — but it doesn’t have that magical realism of the finished film.”
Among the deleted scenes will be footage focusing on the main group of Na’vi humanoids of Pandora, the introduction of other Na’vi clans, and the ritual hunt for a colorful creature called a Sturmbeest in which Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) takes part.
“It’s all wonderful stuff, but it was sort of bogging down the middle section of the movie,” Cameron told us back in December. “So there’s plenty for a value-added DVD experience on this film. Of course, we’ll have to go punch it all up and get it all mixed and stuff like that.”
By November Samsung, Panasonic and Sony should have home 3-D television systems available for purchase, along with 3D Blu-ray players, so if you’re wealthy and want to splash out on the latest tech then you’ll be able to see Avatar in all its 3D glory.
A Sequel to AVATAR
Will there be a sequel to AVATAR? Yes, there is great news for all AVATAR fans. James Cameron has confirmed that there will be a 3D sequel to AVATAR. In fact, he envisions a trilogy for the story, which will follow the main characters of the original movie, Neytiri and Jake. He announced that information even before the film came out. After it became the epic success that it did, in January 2010, Cameron once again confirmed, when asked if there will be a sequel, "Yes, there'll be another."
In April of 2010, James Cameron went into greater detail. He told The Los Angeles Times, "Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment, a different setting within Pandora.” He went on to state that he will explore Pandora's oceans in its sequel. While the beloved rainforest of the original film will still be in its sequels, the oceans will be prominent as well. Fans who remember all of the neat and original surprises of the rainforest can only imagine what he may envision for its oceans.
While a release date has not been set for its sequel—and the actual production on it has not even begun—there will definitely be a sequel. However, knowing Cameron’s penchant for perfection, it just may be a longer time coming than anxious AVATAR fans hope for.
* Jake Sully (mate)
* Eytukan (father)†
* Mo'at (mother)
* Sylwanin (sister)†
* Tom Sully (brother in law)†
Neytiri Dis'kahan Mo'at'itey (known only as Neytiri) is a Na'vi, princess of the Omaticaya Clan. She is the daughter of Eytukan and Mo'at. She will be the future tsahik of the tribe, with her mate Jake Sully becoming the Olo'eyktan (leader).
Early Life
Neytiri is born as Neytiri Dis'kahan Mo'at'itey, which means daughter of Mo'at and Eytukan. As her name tells us, she is the daughter of the Omaticaya's Clan leaders, Eytukan and Mo'at. She grows up learning through songs, as all Na'vi do, learning to love and celebrate their connection with Eywa.
She learns English from Grace Augustine's school, but it is closed down when relations between the Humans and the Na'vi become hostile. Her English is broken, and she speaks with a thick Na'vi accent.
Jake and Neytiri
Neytiri and Jake's relationship starts as a mentor and her student when Neytiri is tasked to instruct Jake in the ways of the Omaticaya. As time passes they grow closer to one another and a mutual attraction grows between them. After Jake bonds with one of the Ikran of the Hallelujah Mountains, and so finishes the final test to become one of the Omaticaya people, their relationship reaches a new level. After the night of Jake's ceremony of acceptance the two go off together to a grove of trees called the Tree of Voices where they both choose each other as life mates, and mate before Eywa. This seals their relationship for the remainder of their lives, according to the Na'vi way. During the events leading up to the final battle with RDA forces, their relationship grows tense, as Neytiri believes Jake to be a traitor and rejects him from the clan, saying he "would never be one of the people" . After Jake proves his strong connection to Eywa by becoming Toruk Makto, Neytiri accepts, loves and sees him once more. Neytiri displays her love for Jake by saving his avatar's life from an enraged Tsu'Tey and also his human body from Quaritch by not only killing the colonel but also by placing an oxygen mask on Jake's human body after he nearly suffocates in Pandora's atmosphere. They now remain together and lead the Omaticaya people.
Tsu'Tey
Neytiri and Tsu'Tey are intended to be a mated pair and rule the Omaticaya people together. The two grew up and learned together, but it is implied that Neytiri does not love Tsu'Tey as she later chooses Jake Sully as her mate. After Jake and Neytiri mate, Tsu'Tey attempts to kill Jake for stealing Neytiri away from him. Neytiri defends Jake's unconscious Avatar after he is disconnected by Quaritch. Tsu'Tey is killed in the final battle against the RDA.
Behind the Scenes
* Neytiri was originally named "Zuleika Te Kaha Polenoma" in Cameron's first concept.
* In the script, she is named "Neytiri te Ckaha Mo'at’ite".[1]
* Neytiri is stated to be roughly 18 human years old.[2]
* It is stated in the script that Neytiri is pregnant with Jake's child at the end of the film but was taken out in the final release, or was simply filmed, but deleted from the final film.
Jake Sully, (born 2126), is a renegade Marine infantryman who defects to the Na'vi race. He is also one of the 20 known avatars and the sixth Toruk Makto.
Jake was part of the Avatar Program, in which humans remotely control Human/Na'vi hybrids to safely navigate the planet. He was originally assigned to gather intel that would help Colonel Quaritch discover a way to force the Na'vi to leave Hometree, or destroy it if necessary. The Na'vi occupation of Hometree was blocking the RDA's access to the very large deposit of Unobtanium, the entire reason for RDA's interest in Pandora, underneath the tree. After spending time with the Na'vi, Jake abandons his original mission and stops reporting to Quaritch. Jake learns the ways of the Na'vi hunters from Neytiri, and is eventually accepted into the Omaticaya clan. Soon after, he and Neytiri fall in love. Seeing that the Na'vi will not leave, the RDA stages its attack on Hometree, for which Jake seeks revenge. When everything seems lost to the Na'vi, Jake is able to attain Tsahaylu with a Great Leonopteryx, becoming the sixth Toruk Makto. He plays a key role in the final battle, leading the Na'vi against the RDA offensive. The Na'vi then perform a ceremony in which they ask Eywa to place Jake's mind into his Avatar body permanently.
Jake Sully was born and raised on Earth, and grew up hearing about Pandora, a small moon orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus. Though nothing is known of his childhood, he joined the Marines as an adult and suffered an injury in an unspecified war while fighting in Venezuela. This left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Since his veterans benefits are not enough to pay for the surgery to repair his legs, he has no choice but to live out his life in a wheelchair. After a night of drinking, Jake starts a bar fight with a man who strikes a woman. After breaking up the fight, the bouncers throw him out into the street where he is approached by two RDA agents. After confirming his identity, the agents inform him that his identical twin brother, Tom, had been killed in a mugging. His brother was one of the selected few scientists chosen to participate in the Avatar Program, and one of even fewer Avatar drivers. Tom trained on Earth for three years in preparation for a tour on Pandora. He represented a significant investment on the part of the Resources Development Administration due to the inherent link between the pilot and the Avatar he controls, as well as the enormous cost of creating an Avatar. Since Jake is genetically identical to his brother, he can link with the Avatar, saving the company the cost of creating a new one. After being offered significant compensation, he apprehensively takes over his brother's contract and is put in cryosleep for the trip to Pandora.
Jake with Neytiri.
Jake first met Neytiri when she saved him from a pack of Viperwolves. At the time she was mad at him, since the Viperwolves would not have had to die if Jake had been more careful and quiet. When Jake asks why she saved him, she says it is because he has a strong heart, no fear. Initially demanding he leave, she decides to take him to the home tree after dozens of seeds from the sacred tree land on Jake signifying that Eywa has a purpose for him. Eytukan and Mo'at, the leaders of the clan and parents of Neytiri, decided to teach Jake their ways, choosing Neytiri as his tutor. As Neytiri taught him the Na'vi culture and language, their relationship grew. Their romantic relationship began to emerge after Jake is able to tame his own Ikran. That night, with Grace and Neytiri looking on, Jake undergoes the ceremony in which Eytukan declares him as one of their own, one of the People. Later, Neytiri tells Jake that he can choose his mate, and he chooses her. She in turn chooses him and they spend the night mating and are mated to one another for life.
When they return to the clan, Jake confesses to being ordered to spy on the Na'vi, and Neytiri is distraught. When the Hometree is destroyed, Neytiri is devastated, as her father, Eytukan, was killed in the battle. When Jake tries to comfort her she tells him to leave and never come back. But when Jake is able to tame a Great Leonopteryx, making him the sixth Toruk Makto, Neytiri is convinced of his loyalties and they fight together against the RDA forces. Neytiri saves Jake's life twice in the final fight with RDA forces. The first time she saves Jake's Avatar from Quaritch's AMP suit, and the second time she places an Exo-Pack on his human body, after the module he was in was breached by Quaritch. After Jake regains consciousness, Neytiri says "I see you", the traditional Na'vi greeting meaning "I see who you truly are". These words mark the true depth of their relationship with a new meaning due to Jake being in human form.
In a confirmed deleted scene, as evidenced by the above photo and the script, Jake finds a dying Tsu'Tey with Mo'at. Lyle Wainfleet cut his queue, he gives Jake the leadership of the clan, and has a final request for Jake, to let Toruk Makto be his last shadow, Jake unwillingly agrees, and ends Tsu'Tey's suffering.
Jake Sully was originally named "Josh Sully" in Cameron's first concept.
After waking from cryosleep aboard the ISV Venture Star, Jake's locker can be seen still labelled as "T. Sully"; it was originally assigned to Jake's dead twin brother Tom.
Jake Sully is 22 Earth years old before he sets off for Pandora.
Jake Sully's Avatar body is estimated to be 17 years old. It is, however, less than six years old, being grown during the ISV Venture Star's journey to Pandora.
In the script, Neytiri becomes pregnant with Jake's child, however the idea was scrapped, or filmed but just not in the final cut.
Eywa is the guiding force and deity of Pandora and the Na'vi. The Na'vi believe that Eywa acts to keep the ecosystem of Pandora in perfect equilibrium. It is sometimes theorized by Earth scientists that all living things on Pandora connect to Eywa through a system of neuro-conductive antennae; this often explains why Na'vi can mount their Direhorse or Banshee steeds and ride them immediately without going through the necessary centuries required to domesticate such wild animals.
Some believe that this interconnectedness, which on Earth is merely a spiritual concept, exists in a physical and tangible way on Pandora, in the form of a strange, collective psionic consciousness embedded in the planet, drawn from all Pandoran life. It is, in a way, a bit like a huge biological internet; the trees being computer servers that store information. The Na'vi can upload or download memories from it using their queues and it can even be used for mind transfers in certain cases.
In the Avatar video game, this psionic link can be manipulated by humans as well. If the player chooses to side with the RDA, then the main objective throughout the game is to gather three psionic crystals in certain areas and plant them near specific crystal willow trees, which are said to be where emanations of Eywa concentrate. This is done so that the willow trees emit a beam and signal that activates and points people toward the direction of the Well of Souls. This allows RDA scientists to both find the Well of Souls and build an artificial psionic machine that emulates an aggressive version of the smaller willow trees' signals, which is then planted in front of the active Well of Souls. This allows the RDA to tap into Eywa itself, control the psionic consciousness, and take control of the planet itself to turn it against the Na'vi, thereby giving the RDA a decisive advantage. Eventually, the RDA is successful in these efforts, and is now inevitably on the way to winning the war against the Na'vi and taking absolute control of Pandora. This only occurs if the player sides with the RDA.
* Eywa is very similar to many of Earth's deities, such as Jörð in Norse mythology who is the personification of the Earth, and is even closer to the Native Americans' religious views of the planet being one living entity.
* The Tree of Souls grants the Na'vi access to the psychic essences of their deceased, which is how the Na'vi communicate with their ancestors. The roots of the trees are capable of extending above the ground and connecting to the nervous system of any living thing, even humans. That's how Jake's consciousness was transferred to his Avatar.
* Eywa has been compared to Gaia (Gaea), Mother Earth, Mother Nature or God by those trying to explain the relationship between Eywa and the Na'vi. The Gaia hypothesis follows on that the entire biosphere acts like a single organism or at least a complex system (soft Gaia), or that the Earth is consciously manipulating the biosphere in order to make conditions more favorable to life (hard Gaia).
* Eywa's embodiment as plant life may be a reference to Yggdrasil, The Tree of Life, a holy embodiment in Norse mythology. Yggdrasil is a tree, said to be the root of all life, sent to keep the natural order of life on Earth.
Eywa is also similar to the Norse god-king Odin in title. Odin in known as the All-Father, whereas Eywa is known as the All-Mother.
The Well of Souls is a bizarre geological formation found in Pandora. The location is hidden deep in the heart of Pandoran forest. It is essentially a mixture of jagged megaliths protruding from the earth and graceful arches, levitated by the rocks' high Unobtanium content. In the middle of the formation is a huge caldera, home to the sacred Tree of Souls. The caldera is 100 meters across. It is ringed with enormous willows whose roots seem to pour down the sheer rock walls like candle wax.
The Tree of Souls (Na'vi Name: Vitraya Ramunong) is a giant willow-like tree that is said to be the closest connection to Eywa on all of Pandora.
The Tree of Souls is located on the ground of Pandora, amidst the floating Hallelujah Mountains, not far from Hometree. After the destruction of Hometree, the Na'vi tribe was forced to make an exodus there on foot to protect their cultural identity.
The tree sits in a basin roughly 60 meters in diameter, shielded by an unusual formation of rock arches that give the impression of a shell encasing it, increasing its sense of security and protection. The tree is difficult to find due to its location right at the heart of Pandora's natural Flux Vortex, caused by strong magnetic and gravitational forces from the floating mountains and the large unobtanium deposit located beneath the formation.
The Tree of Souls, besides being a very close connection to Eywa, also works as a way for Eywa to directly interact with the world through the seeds of the tree. The tree has the capability to connect directly to the nervous system of all living things, and is not limited to the queue that Pandoran wildlife possesses. When Grace Augustine was injured, Jake Sully brought her to the Na'vi and they attempted to save her by using the Tree of Souls to connect to Grace's nervous system and permanently transfer her mind to her Avatar body. Although Grace was too weak to make the transfer, instead she became one with Eywa. At the end of the film Jake successfully transfers his mind into his Avatar, making it his true body forever.
A Woodsprite (Na'vi name: Atokirina') is a seed of the Tree of Souls that lives on Pandora. These seeds, according to the Na'vi, are considered very pure and sacred spirits. Furthermore, these seeds are believed to be auspicious wheresoever they choose to rest. They are similar in appearance to small deep-sea jellyfish, but they float on the wind like dandelion seeds, possibly aided in this by the denser atmosphere on Pandora. Woodsprites also hold ritual importance. The Omaticaya Clan plants one of these seeds with the body of a deceased Na'vi, so the Na'vi's consciousness will become part of Eywa.
Strangely, despite the Woodsprite's omnipresence, no other Trees of Souls appear in the movie. This may imply that the seeds are actually infertile or serve another purpose besides reproduction. This would make the Tree of Souls a truly unique entity, since its seeds could not be used to germinate another one in the scenario that original tree was destroyed, damaged, or captured.
The Tree of Voices (Na'vi name: Utral Aymokriyä) was an important spiritual site to the local Na'vi, so named because the 'voices' of ancestors could be 'heard' there through nerve contact with the tree. Similar in appearance to the Tree of Souls, it was where Jake and Neytiri chose each other as mates. It was bulldozed when the RDA cleared a path to Hometree in preparation for mining the rich Unobtanium deposit there.
The Na'vi culture is deep, beautiful, and simple thing. Their lives focus on unity, simplicity, and a strong connection to nature. Here are some insights into the lives of the Na'vi and the Omaticaya as well as the tools and rituals that make up their lives.
Bioluminescence is a way of living organisms to emit light. It is employed by nearly all Pandoran animals. Even the Na'vi have patterns of glowing dots that are unique to each individual. To avoid being detected by predators or pray, animals can damp down their own light. The RDA exploited it as another resource in the form of exotic jewelry and clothing.
Complete darkness is rare on Pandora. The large moon orbits a gas giant planet that in turn orbits a star with a stellar companion. Because of this unusual arrangement, most of Pandora's nights have some illumination; fully dark nights are few and far between. Thus, there was little evolutionary pressure on Pandoran fauna to develop night vision, echolocation, infrared sensors, or other methods of "seeing" in low-light conditions.
Some scientists theorize that nature found another way for Pandoran life forms to locate and identify one another. Bioluminescence, the production of "cold light" by living organisms, is employed by almost all Pandoran animals and plants to display their shape and location in the absence of external illumination. Even the Na'vi have patterns of glowing dots, which, like fingerprints, are unique to each individual. Anemonoid line the dense forest floors and waterways, providing the most light in the night landscape.
Bioluminescent plants
Most of Pandora's flora and fauna emits only one single color, often green, blue, indigo, or violet. There are exceptions like the Warbonnet Fern. Its leaves are illuminated by a broad band of red near their stems and by an iridescent blue near their tips. On Pandora, there is also a bioluminescent moss that is touch-sensitive. It will send out rings of blue-green light as a reaction to footsteps.
Bioluminescence is an enzymatic reaction that produces so called cold light. This reaction raises the valence electrons in the molecules of an organic compound to an orbit of higher energy. While decaying to its original state the electrons emit photons of visible light. It is a highly efficient reaction as it converts nearly all energy into light.
The reaction can occur within the metabolism of the creature or within symbiotic organisms that live inside of specialized organs, receiving food and oxygen from their host, and producing light in return.
There are several ways in which light production can be controlled:
* Limiting the availability of the involved chemicals
* The reaction takes place in an organ that can be moved away from the surface
* A translucent muscle carries the light from an internal organ to the surface by expansion and contraction
* Covering of the light producing area with dark pigment cells (melanophores)
A dark membrane that can be drawn over the light producing area
I am an emerging artist from the East Coast. I graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Crafts; my specialties are Glassblowing, Art Jewelry, Painting, and Ceramics. I live on a sprawling farm with my beloved pugs where I make my art and play in my garden.
