Avatar 2: 'The Way of Water' is heading to Digital HD with hours of jam-packed content

As if staying in theaters for three hours wasn’t enough, the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water movie is heading to Digital HD on March 28 and it’s going to pack in an additional 180 minutes of mind-blowing content.

The new ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Digital HD is loaded with bonus content

Whether you want to get into the mind of Hollywood genius James Cameron or geek out over the return of everyone’s favorite characters, the Digital HD promises endless deep dives into the Avatar culture.

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu and Movies Anywhere on March 28. The magnificent return to the world of Pandora has already proved to be both a commercial and critical smash hit, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all-time earning over $2.2 billion worldwide and receiving four Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture.

Critics have proclaimed “James Cameron returns triumphantly to Pandora with an unparalleled epic”[1], calling Avatar: The Way of Water “breathtaking and magical”[2], “emotionally charged”[3] and “as astonishing and enveloping as anything we’ve ever seen”[4]. 

Fans can add the film to their digital movie collection from March 28 in spectacular 4K Ultra HD™ quality and immersive Dolby Atmos audio. Plus, they can enjoy over three hours of never-before-seen bonus content featuring the filmmakers, cast and crew.

[1] Julian Roman, Movieweb [2] Mae Abdulbaki, Screenrant [3] Brian Truitt, USA Today [4] Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly 

Need to know the exact bonus content heading your way? Of course you do.

Bonus Features* 

Inside Pandora's Box (A series of featurettes on the challenges facing cast and crew as filmmakers devise new technologies to push the limits of cinema)

• Building the World of Pandora – James Cameron and a team of talented artists combine years of research with their design skills to build the world of Pandora with new characters, creatures, indigenous clans, underwater environments and the take-no-prisoners hard-tech world of the RDA.

• Capturing Pandora – James Cameron’s approach to performance capture has the cast performing in a volume rigged with infrared cameras to capture their movement, and head rig cameras to capture emotion on their faces with only the boundaries of imagination to limit them.

• The Undersea World of Pandora – Co-production designer Dylan Cole and his team conceive of the marine creatures required for Avatar: The Way of Water while James Cameron and his stunt team devise extraordinary means to bring those creatures to life in a performance capture tank.

• The Challenges of Pandora's Waters – James Cameron tackles the “non-trivial challenge” of performance capture above and below the water’s surface, utilizing a wave machine and current generator to reproduce ocean conditions, and underwater vehicles to replicate creature movement.

• Pandora’s Returning Characters – James Cameron reunites with his returning cast – Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. Together they discuss the amazing evolution of their characters in Avatar: The Way of Water. 

• Pandora’s Next Generation – Meet the talented young newcomers who have been cast as the next generation of Na’vi and follow them through the adventure of making Avatar: The Way of Water. 

• Spider's Web – James Cameron introduced the human character of Spider into the fabric of Pandora – thus creating a host of technological challenges on set…and an incredible journey for the young actor, Jack Champion.

• Becoming Na’vi – The Avatar cast is immersed in the culture of the indigenous Na’vi, living off the land in the Hawaiian rainforest and training in a multitude of disciplines in preparation for their roles.

• The Reef People of Pandora – In true James Cameron-style, the Metkayina reef clan has been developed with great attention to detail, bearing unique evolutionary traits and a culture – with new dwellings, new clothes and different way of life – all a result of living off the ocean. 

• Bringing Pandora to Life – Once James Cameron completes his virtual production process, every sequence is turned over to Wētā FX to bring Pandora to life – with unprecedented advancements in facial performance, environments and making CG water look real.

• The RDA Returns to Pandora – Co-production designer Ben Procter and his team present an armada of new vehicles and human technologies that the RDA brings to Pandora – in concept design and with practical builds.

• The New Characters of Pandora – Meet the important new characters of the Avatar saga played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement.

• The Sounds of Pandora – Hear how James Cameron worked with composer Simon Franglen to create the distinctive music of The Way of Water while building on James Horner’s brilliant score for Avatar, and learn how Chris Boyes created the immersive sounds of Pandora.

• New Zealand – Pandora’s Home – The production of the Avatar sequels is so thoroughly ensconced in New Zealand that James Cameron considers The Way of Water a “New Zealand film.” Hear reflections from the cast and crew, including the remarkable New Zealand crew, on making the film.

More from Pandora's Box (Additional featurettes that highlight special teams within the production)

• Casting – Discover the screen tests that won the talented young cast their roles in Avatar: The Way of Water.

• Stunts – The Avatar stunt team isn’t just creating breathtaking action, they’re driving the story. From racing underwater on ilus, flying the skies on ikrans, to maneuvering RDA speed boats, the stunt team leaves you breathless and wanting more.

• The Lab – Explore the Lightstorm Lab, the backbone of virtual production for the Avatar films. Comprised of specialized teams, the Lab builds & supports every aspect of the production – environments, motion edit, Kabuki, sequence, post-viz and software development.

• The Troupe – Avatar’s Troupe is the Swiss Army Knife of acting, while playing dozens of roles on set, in the performance capture volume and on live-action sets, they bring life to Na’vi clans and RDA Recoms. They also play Na’vi-scale puppets on the live-action sets.

Marketing Materials & Music Video (Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film)

• Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Music Video – Multi-Grammy-winning, music superstar, The Weeknd, performs his emotionally packed end title song in the official music video for the smash hit “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).”

• Theatrical Trailers 1 & 2 – Avatar: The Way of Water used two theatrical trailers to engage the audience. The first was a teaser trailer released 7 months before the film. The second was a standard trailer that premiered 5 weeks before the film’s release. 

*Bonus features vary by product and retailer

Disney and Avatar have a massive world-changing campaign happening

When you’re easily the biggest streaming giant on the planet, it’s a good thing to make sure you’re doing a major part in keeping the world spinning and thriving. So of course huge news of Disney and Avatar announcing a global ‘Keep Our Oceans Amazing’ campaign is more than just sort of a big deal.

Disney and Avatar are really helping save the planet

With excitement mounting for Avatar: The Way of Water to hit theaters December 16, Disney and Avatar are launching a global ‘Keep Our Oceans Amazing’ campaign to raise awareness of the challenges facing oceans and marine life. The campaign will support The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) work to protect 10 of our oceans’ amazing animals and their habitats, connected to the beauty of Pandora. As part of the campaign, fans are invited to participate in celebratory experiences and products.

One of the experiences, called the Virtual Pandoran Ocean, transports fans to the wonders of the reef. Through this unique digital activation, fans can help Disney and Avatar Keep Our Oceans Amazing now through December 31, 2022, by going to Avatar.com/KeepOurOceansAmazing to create their very own Avatar-inspired ocean creature. For every creature created in the Virtual Pandoran Ocean, Disney will give $5 to The Nature Conservancy, up to $1 million, to help the organization achieve its goal of protecting 10% of the ocean by 2030.

“The entire planet depends on the health of our ocean to support and sustain it. The ocean produces half the air we breathe, provides livelihoods for billions of people, and is home to more than half of all life on earth,” said Melissa Garvey, Global Director of Ocean Protection at The Nature Conservancy. “We need to do our part to protect it. That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with Disney and Avatar on this campaign. Our mission is driven by working together with those who believe we can shape a brighter future where people and nature can thrive together. The film’s important message complements our work, and we look forward to working together to protect the 10 species highlighted in this campaign and creating a healthier ocean for all.”

In Avatar: The Way of Water, fans will be introduced to a new oceanic Na’vi clan and an array of diverse aquatic creatures, inspiring audiences to connect with the beauty of our oceans right here on Earth. Oceans cover 70% of the planet, shelter an incredible diversity of life, and provide us with food, jobs and more than half of the oxygen we breathe. Unfortunately, less than 8% of this unique ecosystem is protected. “Keep Our Oceans Amazing” aims to extend Disney’s longstanding conservation legacy to help protect 10 amazing ocean animals and their habitats. This new initiative will support The Nature Conservancy to protect beluga whales, blue whales, whale sharks, hawksbill sea turtles, manatees, manta rays, parrotfish, staghorn coral, sea lions, and mangroves – coastal habitats that provide important shelter for many marine species. The specific ocean species that have been selected can be found in waters throughout the world and many of them share qualities with the Pandoran creatures and habitats featured throughout the film. Each animal and plant species is also classified as threatened, vulnerable or endangered. The Nature Conservancy is working alongside indigenous peoples and local communities to develop multi-faceted solutions to the challenges these species face across the globe, to ensure that both people and wildlife thrive.  

It’s really all about the big picture. Disney will continue to do its part to make sure this campaign is way bigger than just the rollout of its upcoming must-see cinematic film.

Disney has a long history of taking action for oceans and supporting the protection of marine life – from our 2030 environmental goals that include efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, source sustainable seafood and invest in the protection of our watersheds, to our funding and expertise for biodiversity protection through Disney Conservation. To date, the Disney Conservation Fund has directed more than $120 million to support nonprofit organizations working around the world to save wildlife, inspire action and protect the planet. Nearly $20 million of those funds have been provided to programs that benefit marine life, communities, and the oceans we all depend on. This initiative is part of Disney Planet Possible, tangible actions Disney is taking to help create a healthier home for people and wildlife.

“Disney has a rich legacy of conservation and inspiring action to protect nature. We’re proud to celebrate the release of Avatar: The Way of Water by raising global awareness of the critical importance of protecting oceans and marine biodiversity,” said Jennifer Cohen, executive vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility for The Walt Disney Company.”

“The Avatar ethos is that we are all connected to each other and our planet, and therefore are responsible for positively impacting the people and world around us,” shared Avatar: The Way of Waterproducer Jon Landau. “The Keep Our Oceans Amazing campaign is a way for us to invite fans from around the world to join us in creating that impact.”

Global audiences were first introduced to the world of Pandora in the original Avatar and fell in love with the characters, the story and the beautiful rainforests and creatures, which led to it becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. As we journey into Avatar: The Way of Water, audiences will be transported to an all-new biome – the reef – and will be introduced to a new oceanic clan and an array of diverse aquatic creatures. This expanding universe underlines just how intentionally Pandora has been designed to be a metaphor for Earth. Audiences will experience the beauty of the sea and the richness of biodiversity in Pandora’s oceans.

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure. The film will have awe-inspiring scenes that showcase the vibrant bioluminescence and beauty of Pandora’s aquatic landscape. These scenes will inspire us all to consider the wonders of our own oceanic world.