Documentary on Making of Blockbuster Avatar Franchise Coming to Disney+

Disney+ is taking “Avatar” fans behind the scenes of the box office phenomenon ahead of the theatrical release of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the latest installment in the franchise.

The two-part documentary, “Fire And Water: Making The Avatar Films,” is set to premiere exclusively on the streaming platform Nov. 7.

The documentary delves into director James Cameron’s journey in creating “Avatar (2009),” “Avatar: The Way of Water (2022),” and takes a glimpse at the third movie, “Fire and Ash.”

From never-before-seen footage and concept art to cast and crew interviews, the documentary sheds light on the creative journey that brought the fictional world of Pandora to life.

Viewers will hear from the movie’s stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, and Cameron himself.

Grossing over $2 billion globally, “The Way of Water” picked up where “Avatar” left off, following the story of characters Jake Sully (Worthington) and Ney’tiri (Saldaña), who have formed a family and now must protect it as they fight to stay alive when faced with a new battle.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Cameron said in the trailer. “As much as we use computers and technology, Avatar is made by an incredibly talented team of people who bring every expression, every emotional beat, and the entire world to life.”

Cameron and his visual effects team were able to perfect the technique of filming the tough underwater scenes with new and improved technology.

“We’re not just making images out of nothing. People work for years on the clothing, the props,” he added. “We had to figure out how to ride a creature. You’ve got to build something that moves like the creature. The actors are doing everything you see a character doing.”

Using technology from Wētā FX, Cameron combines live-action elements with performance capture to accurately depict the physicality of the actors, including exact facial gestures and emotions, in their on-screen characters.

“We capture 100 percent of their performance in the digital world,” late film producer Jon Landau said in the trailer. “We needed to come up with a methodology to do that underwater, to give them an experience that would be as close to Pandora as possible.”

Saldaña said in the trailer that if it weren’t for the actors, “Pandora would just be a beautiful world with no life in it.”

The conflict on Pandora continues this holiday season when “Fire and Ash” hits the big screen nationwide on Dec. 19.