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TheAvatarfranchise has a lot in common with the real world.
This may come as a surprise considering that the franchise takes place over 100 years in the future and features various cultures of tall, blue people called the Na'vi. The franchise began with 2009'sAvatar, in which human Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his crew took over the bodies of some Na'vi — making them their Avatars — on a military mission to help pillage resources, but ended up befriending them.
The film went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time and spawned two sequels: 2022'sAvatar: The Way of Waterand 2025'sAvatar: Fire and Ash, withmore sequelson the way. To expand upon the unique world of Pandora, franchise directorJames Camerondrew on many cultures, tribes and real-world events, which is part of whyAvatarhas connected with a global audience.
"People are innately empathetic. … They innately want a connection to each other. They innately want beauty," Cameron told PEOPLE in 2024. "[Avatar] is about beauty, it's about connection, it's about positive values, and that seems to be working."
He added, "So what does that tell about us? And as human beings globally? Because the films are successful in all markets everywhere. And so I think that's empowering for us."
Here are the real-life events and phenomena that inspired theAvatarfranchise.
Which real-life event inspiredAvatarmost?
20th Century Studios
WhileAvataris not a true story, Cameron has confirmed that the story is based on several historical moments. However, one set of events inspired the original film more than any others: European colonization.
During an October 2012 court deposition in which Cameron defended thatAvatarwasn't stolen from existing films and shows, he stated that it's essentially a reimagining of the European colonization of the Americas.
"Avataris a science fiction retelling of the history of North and South America in the early colonial period," Cameronstatedin his legal declaration. "Avatar very pointedly made reference to the colonial period in the Americas, with all its conflict and bloodshed between the military aggressors from Europe and the indigenous peoples. Europe equals Earth. The Native Americans are the Na'vi."
Considering that Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) wants to raid Pandora for all resources possible in a world deprived of them, this comparison makes sense. The Na'vi are portrayed as empathetic and spiritual people who protect the earth and cherish its resources, much like the Native Americans Cameron based them on.
Who were the Na'vi based on?
The iconic blue Na'vi were based on real Hindu gods, who were often portrayed with blue skin. Even the word "Avatar" means "descent" in Sanskrit.
Specifically, in Hinduism, an Avatar refers to the gods descending from the heavens as they take on a different form, whether human or animal.
"[An Avatar is] an incarnation of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form," Cameron toldTIMEin 2007. "In this film what that means is that the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human's intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body."
Did other languages influence the Na'vi language?
From Parseltongue inHarry Potterto Elvish inThe Lord of the Rings, many great fantasy films feature made-up languages, andAvataris no different, as the Na'vi speak their own tongue, too.
In fact, a professor from the University of Southern California was hired to create the Na'vi's dialect based on a myriad of different languages from around the world.
"Paul Frommer is a linguistics expert at USC, and we hired him to create a language," Cameron toldEntertainment Weeklyin 2010. "[The Na'vi] had a little bit of a Polynesian/Maori influence because of some time I had spent in New Zealand and in other places throughout Polynesia."
He continued, "So he used some Polynesian roots — but there's also some African, there's Native American, there's even some bits from the Latin languages — and then he mixed it all up with German sentence construction, where the verb comes last."
Not only were there a plethora of languages used to create the tongue of the Na'vi, but it was actually Academy Award-winning actressZoe Saldañawho came up with the accent.
"From an acting standpoint, the hard part was speaking English with a Na'vi accent," Cameron continued. "Zoe Saldaña had the most lines, so we let her create the accent, and then everybody had to match her."
What inspired the floating mountains and look of Pandora?
Pandora is a lush, colorful and stunning habitable alien moon, which houses the Na'vi. In fact, it appeared such a desirable place to visit that Disney World even brought it to life withits own land in Animal Kingdom.
From the iconic floating mountains and cliffs to large, elegant trees, Pandora took inspiration from beautiful destinations around the world, especially China.
"[We took inspiration from] many different types of mountains, but mainly the karst limestone formations in China," designer Dylan Cole wrote in the companion book,The Art of Avatar. "There were three main regions, Guilin, Huangshan and Zhang Jia Jie. Other locations were the Tepuis in Venezuela as well as the karst formations in Thailand."
He continued, "It was about finding that nice balance between rock and vegetation. For a lot of the jungle over views, I used photos that I had taken from the Kuranda Skyrail near Cairns, Australia."
Which cultures inspiredAvatar: The Way of Water?
Cameron has discussed several futureAvatarsequels for over a decade, with at least seven planned. He spoke to PEOPLE in 2024 about how part of his inspiration for building the world ofAvatarcame from franchises likeStar WarsandStar Trek,and that theAvatarfranchise was just beginning.
This proved to be true as he releasedAvatar: The Way of Waterin 2022, expanding upon an ocean-like culture within an exomoon surrounded by an ocean on Pandora. The Metkayina tribe introduced in the movie was inspired by Indonesian cultures, including the Sama-Bajau group.
"We did a lot of research about real Indigenous cultures that are very tightly associated with the ocean," Cameron toldNational Geographicin December 2022. "It was like, how do we take Indigenous culture here on our planet and put it through the lens of Pandora? There are [the Sama-Bajau], people in Indonesia who live on stilted homes and live on rafts. We looked at things like that."
Which tribes inspiredAvatar: Fire and Ash?
20th Century Studios
InAvatar: Fire and Ash, new villains are introduced in the form of a Na'vi tribe called the Mangkwan clan, or more commonly known as the Ash People. After their home was destroyed, they embraced a darker Na'vi ideology, prioritizing fire and technology over spirituality.
The clan's culture and city originated from a 2012 expedition to Papua New Guinea, during which Cameron saw a city buried by volcanic ash, much like Pompeii. After seeing children playing in the ash, Cameron recognized they must have a disconnect with the knowledge of previous generations, while still experiencing generational trauma, which greatly influenced the Ash People.
"I saw these kids out playing in these ash fields, and that was just the way the dust blew," Cameron toldMovieWebin December 2025. "We shot them in slow motion for the film, and I almost think it's like there was actually a hopefulness to that."
He continued, "The destruction was lost on them because it was from a prior generation; you could see they had been deeply traumatized by this event. They'd lost so much. And I thought, 'Okay, let's call them the ash people.' "
The Ash People aren't the only new clan inAvatar: Fire and Ash. The film also introduces the Wind Traders, who fly in the sky on massive Pandoran creatures.
"They're nomadic traders, equivalent to the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages," Cameron toldEmpirein January 2025. "And you know, they're just fun. Like all Na'vi, they live in a symbiosis with their creatures."
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