James Cameron says 'Avatar' came from his late mom’s dream. It was the last film she saw

Every artist’s creation stems from a story, a memory, a passion, or something meaningful, and for James Cameron’s Avatar, the director's mom served as the blueprint for a whole new world. The story about the tall, blue, alien-like creatures was undoubtedly a testament to the filmmaker’s creativity and originality, but it stood true to a vivid dream his late mother experienced, as reported by Q with Tom Power on December 20. “She had a dream about a 10-foot-tall blue woman," Cameron began, going on to reveal how it helped him create something brilliant rooted in emotion, family, and love.

Cameron mentioned that his mom passed away recently in her 90s. Speaking of her passing, he shared, “It’s always expected of people in their 90s, but you’re never ready for it.” A lot of the nature, landscape, and other elements were inspired by natural photography and his imagination. However, the characters were built with such a strong identity and purpose, thanks to his mom. Beginning with his first inspiration, Cameron revealed how Avatar was born out of a dream he had in first-person point-of-view of a "bioluminescent forest." However, he quickly added that his mom actually led him to Neytiri's seminal character. “She had a dream about a 10-foot-tall blue woman. And I said, ‘Oh, that's kind of interesting,’” the 71-year-old recalled. His mom then requested him to put on paper what she envisioned, and one thing led to another, giving ground to the legendary Na'vi that has been going strong for decades. It is his mom's "proto-feminist" spirit that he's been channelling through the film's ethos.

Speaking about his mother, Cameron noted how, as a mom of five, she pulled through it all. She endured much on her end, but she pushed through, and that’s what inspired the filmmaker to create female characters that are empowered by their vulnerability and emotion because that’s where their strength comes from. The last movie Cameron’s mom watched was Avatar: Way of Water, released in 2022. However, the filmmaker has been going strong, using core values, passion, and so much more to make something beautiful out of his mom’s dream. Speaking of his most recent “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” with PEOPLE, Cameron noted how it’s a “dreamlike experience” to make these films. 

“I just love world-building. I just love figuring out this ecosystem, what the trees look like, what the creatures look like,” he remarked. The new film features Na’vi revolutionary Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), his wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their children escaping from Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). The Ash clan and newcomer Varang (Oona Chaplin), the leader of the clan, also make a statement entry and twist the plot, per The Hollywood Reporter. Cameron also hinted at what the future of Avatar could look like post the recent release. He suggested a possibility that it be the “last one,” but he is open to letting originality and inspiration take the front seat.

The creator’s recent Avatar franchise, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” was strongly rooted in the idea of family. Even the previous fiction stories from Avatar strongly revolve around themes of trust, love, rooting for one another, and so on. And it takes special inspiration to create something so surreal. Since 2009, the filmmaker has spent years on his vision, hard work, and innovation to bring to the world one touching masterpiece after another. 

Having spent decades on the franchise, he has no regrets. “I’m feeling fulfilled as an artist,” he remarked. He also dedicated the film to his long-time film-making partner, Jon Landau, who passed away last year. “Ironically, Fire and Ash itself is about loss and grief and picking up and going on and how you find hope and how you find the bonds that keep you moving forward in life. It’s all in the movie,” he said. 

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