The advancement of tools at Wētā FX’s disposal presented them with the opportunity to make the forests look more realistic, but Leterri saw going down this route as a detriment to bringing Pandora to life (via /Film):
“We had to actually figure out how to recapture that feeling that we had of being in the Pandoran jungle, but pushing these new tools into that, because the first ones were designed to give us exactly that. So it was kind of interesting. We spent a lot more time on that jungle than I thought we were going to, because of trying to capture the feel. That was more important than being a hundred percent realistic.”
In the first “Avatar,” we become introduced to the jungles through Jake’s eyes. It’s stunning to look at, but it truly comes to life when Neytiri treats it with respect. Everything from the trees to the Viperwolfs emits this bioluminescent glow that demonstrates the interconnectivity of nature. Part of the reason why Pandora’s jungles are so dazzling to look at is that it takes on the form of our healthiest ecosystems, while still looking like an imaginative environment from another world.
Although “The Way of Water” assimilates us into a whole new environmental beauty, the jungles look just as beautiful as they did before. Letteri and Baneham had the right idea in making it feel more mystical than pragmatic.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is now playing in theaters nationwide.