Fans of the James Cameron world of Pandora and the Avatar film from 2009 have been eagerly awaiting the CGI-heavy film’s sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, which premieres in theaters this December and should theoretically serve as the movie that ushers in several more Avatar films. Apparently, however, there is another element to the Avatar sequel’s premiere that everyone should be excited about!
The Walt Disney Company is capitalizing on the new Avatar movie’s focus on water and its importance by launching a new conservation campaign that focuses on the threats that oceans and marine life are facing at the hands of humans and climate change. The campaign is called “Keep Our Oceans Amazing”, and it serves as a collaboration between Disney and Avatar.
The organization directly being supported by this campaign is The Nature Conservancy, and Disney fans and Pandora fans are encouraged to take part in the special events that are being offered as part of the campaign’s launch! Virtual Pandoran Ocean is one such experience: this experience will apparently use “unique digital activation” to “[transport] fans to the wonders of the reef”.
You can even create your very own unique Pandora-inspired marine creature now through New Year’s Eve of this year at Avatar.com/KeepOurOceansAmazing. Apparently, “for every creature created in the Virtual Pandoran Ocean, Disney will give $5 to TNC [The Nature Conservancy], up to $1 million, to help the organization achieve its goal of protecting 10% of the ocean by 2030″!
Melissa Garvey, the Global Director of Ocean Protection at The Nature Conservancy, explained the importance of our oceans in the following statement: “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. We need to do our part to protect it.”
There are 10 specific species of marine life that are the main focus of this campaign’s conservation efforts and fundraising, which are beluga whales, blue whales, whale sharks, hawksbill sea turtles, manatees, manta rays, parrotfish, staghorn coral, sea lions, and the crucial coastal habitats known as mangroves.
Jon Landau, a producer for Avatar: The Way of Water, echoed Melissa Garvey’s sentiments. “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. 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.”
Will you be participating in this campaign to celebrate the new movie, but (more importantly) to help save the oceans and the marine life that are struggling in them?
