Avatar Press Event Coverage: Avatar will street on Earth Day April 22nd (1 Viewer)

Note: Coverage follows press release. Additional videos, pictures and comments will be posted in this thread throughout the week....

Director James Cameron, longtime collaborator and Producer Jon Landau and Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers announce their partnership in celebration of the April 22nd Earth Day Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of AVATAR.

The Exhilarating World of Pandora Comes Home
With AVATAR In High Definition Blu-ray

James Cameron and Jon Landau Unveil Blu-ray and DVD Launch
And Initiative To Plant One Million Trees Globally

Launch Begins Stateside April 22 On The 40th Anniversary Of Earth Day

LOS ANGELES (March 23, 2010) – Today, AVATAR director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau presented scenes from the film’s upcoming Blu-ray release, outlined the ongoing fan engagement program, and announced the global partnership between Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Earth Day Network, the international non-profit organization that coordinates Earth Day programs annually.

The ultimate high definition experience for home viewing audiences, AVATAR will be available on Blu-ray and DVD everywhere in the United States and Canada on Earth Day, April 22. Internationally, the roll out begins April 21 ending May 6. An ultimate edition release with immersive bonus materials is slated for November. Connecting the two releases in April and November is “The Avatar Program,” an interactive consumer experience that offers an online hub for exclusive content, discounts and more.

An action-adventure journey of self-discovery, AVATAR dramatically demonstrates how human invasion almost destroys the balance of life on the planet of Pandora. The audience passionately roots for Pandora’s survival, everyone learns that all living beings are connected and that those who seek to exploit nature rather than respect it will only destroy themselves. Taking that message of conservation and ecological harmony, the studio and Earth Day Network, together with various organizations worldwide, will pledge to plant one million trees across the globe by the end of 2010.

April Means AVATAR
Determined to achieve the very best home entertainment presentation, the April AVATAR Blu-ray and DVD release features the film and corresponding menu, utilizing the disc’s entire storage space in order to provide the highest quality optimal picture and sound.
"We wanted the best presentation of any film in the history of the Blu-ray and DVD formats," said AVATAR producer Jon Landau. "Our launch into the home in April will allow fans to return to Pandora again and again."

The AVATAR Program
Through a unique code found inside the AVATAR Blu-ray/DVD, consumers can register at www.avatarmovie.com into “The AVATAR Program” and gain exclusive access to first-look bonus materials, special content, money saving offers and much more. Additionally, only those fans will be able to adopt one of the one million trees being planted on behalf of Earth Day and receive a virtual hometree they can locate on a map to see where it’s actually planted.

Other AVATAR digital initiatives include:
?Pandorama” – Via a computer’s webcam users can immerse themselves into the world of Pandora, inserting themselves into different locations from the movie and interacting with the elements in each; users can snap postcards and share amongst friends only at www.pandorama.com

“Pandorapedia” – The official guide to the world of Pandora and James Cameron’s AVATAR, fans enter a world beyond imagination with hundreds of facts on Pandora that can be accessed online at www.pandorapedia.com

“Immersive Trailer” – The first-ever interactive trailer allows fans to click on any part of the video to explore detail frame-by-frame and in-context “hot spots” that will offer meticulous information on characters, locations and more

“Interactive Desktop Wallpaper” – Instant access to all things AVATAR including newsfeeds, videos, social network updates and exclusive content that is updated automatically right on your desktop

Blue Goes Green
Earth Day Network will spearhead the initiative and collaborate with its international partners to plant one million trees, indigenous to each region in 15 different countries, by the end of 2010. The organization is committed to caring for and nurturing the trees to maturity, as well as considering natural disasters such as fires and landslides during the planting process.

"I am pleased to have the opportunity to share the environmental messages from AVATAR through the efforts during the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and with Earth Day Network,” said James Cameron. " Earth Day Network's commitment and actions to promote a healthy, sustainable planet go hand-in-hand with the themes of AVATAR."

“AVATAR sends a universal message about the danger of exploiting our natural resources and brings to the forefront of the global consciousness the need to protect our planet and humanity, said Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network. “We hope this commitment from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to plant one million trees, will inspire others to stand up against climate change for Earth Day.”

AVATAR Impact
Since its global theatrical release last December, AVATAR has continued to make motion picture history. Written by James Cameron and produced with his long-time collaborator Jon Landau, AVATAR stars Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi and Laz Alonso.

Oscar (R) and Golden Globe (R) winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.6 billion in worldwide box office. Director James Cameron takes audiences to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature of the story.

The AVATAR Blu-ray Disc and DVD will be available around the world as follows:

FRANCE – April 21 BELGIUM – April 21NETHERLANDS – April 21 SPAIN – April 21CHINA – April 22 BRAZIL – April 22RUSSIA – April 22 NORTH AMERICA – April 22GERMANY – April 23 JAPAN – April 23SWITZERLAND – April 23 MEXICO – April 23UK – April 26 DENMARK – April 27NORWAY – April 28 SWEDEN – April 28NEW ZEALAND – April 28 AUSTRALIA – April 29FINLAND – April 30 ITALY – May 6

Director James Cameron and longtime collaborator and Producer Jon Landau host a presentation of AVATAR at an eco-friendly West Hollywood residence in celebration of the April 22nd Earth Day Blu-ray Disc and DVD release.
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A lot more video and pics will be coming over the next few days.

James Cameron discusses why he went with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio on the home video release:



James Cameron discusses how the Avatar release is helping push Blu-ray:



James Cameron and Jon Landau discuss the initial movie only version of Avatar coming to DVD and Blu-ray:



James Cameron discusses what Blu-ray does for his movies and why he loves it:



There are additional interview clips with both James Cameron and Jon Landau later in the thread (some on page 2).

As mentioned in the official press release: “Through a unique code found inside the AVATAR Blu-ray/DVD, consumers can register at www.avatarmovie.com into “The AVATAR Program” and gain exclusive access to first-look bonus materials, special content, money saving offers and much more. Additionally, only those fans will be able to adopt one of the one million trees being planted on behalf of Earth Day and receive a virtual hometree they can locate on a map to see where it’s actually planted.”

There will be new content added to this site (code required) over the year so it stays fresh. To me it almost seems like instead of putting BD-Live on the disc they are just putting that content on the site (where it is easier to get to IMHO). One of the money saving offers will be an e-coupon (value TBD) good towards the purchase of the future special edition version of Avatar estimated to arrive sometime in November. This version will include making of, behind the scenes, branching, it may even have “work in progress” rough animation where the CGI was never finished. Also expect PIP of the actual original motion capture footage to be available during the film. This will be a spectacular set. The reason for the dual release is there was a lot of demand for the title now, but Jon and James haven’t had time to incorporate all the extras they wanted, They opted to release a movie only version now with the special edition coming in the future. In this instance Fox (like WB with the LoTR set), should be commended for being upfront with consumers so they can decide if they want to double dip or not.

They expect Avatar to be a huge title on Blu-ray. Customers spent extra for the premium experience in the theater (IMAX & 3D), and they expect that to carry over to the home market with customers opting for the Blu-ray upgrade. In fact according to James Cameron, Blu-ray accounts for just over half of the retail preorders. This percentage could go down a bit as we get closer to street, but even so that is huge. Dark Knight currently holds the record at about 20%.

Fox would like a sequel, Jon and James would like a sequel, but they haven’t even started working on a script, and it would take at least 3.5 years to make the film once they had it.

Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich
This version will include making of, behind the scenes, branching, it may even have “work in progress” rough animation where the CGI was never finished. Also expect PIP of the actual original motion capture footage to be available during the film. This will be a spectacular set. The reason for the dual release is there was a lot of demand for the title now, but Jon and James haven’t had time to incorporate all the extras they wanted, They opted to release a movie only version now with the special edition coming in the future. In this instance Fox (like WB with the LoTR set), should be commended for being upfront with consumers so they can decide if they want to double dip or not.

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Thanks for all the great material. Cameron has been a staunch supporter and user of cinemascope format so if he says Avatar plays better in 16:9, I believe him.
It'll be interesting to see if November's edition with have both formats or if he will just stick with a 16:9 home video release.

I don't know why your comment above about not being able to incorporate all the great bonus stuff "in time" isn't a public stance by Cameron and 20th C Fox. That makes more sense than we'll just release movie only for now and then make you pay again for all the stuff we should have given you the first time. I am glad I know in advance that an Ultimate edition is coming. I'm one who will just wait for that release to purchase as that is the release I want in my collection. And I've wondered since the announcement why they just didn't include a 2nd disc to house the bonus features; that way disc 1 would be movie only just like Cameron wants it. But if it's a matter of time, then that I get.

Anyway, keep up the great work.

This is post so I can send a private message to Adam!

True. The "publicized" reason has rubbed people the wrong way, giving off the impression of shameless double-dipping while the explanation of time constraints is far more reasonable and understandable.

Originally Posted by Nicholas Martin

...the explanation of time constraints is far more reasonable and understandable.

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If I were to believe that then why should I buy the SE since it will be compromised in terms of A/V because there will be at least a commentary or two on the disc? I'm just playing devil's advocate because a commentary isn't actually going to negatively affect the disc but I find the "There's nothing on the disc so we can devote all the space to the movie" impossible to swallow. They want to sell it now and they want to sell it again in November and I have no problem with that since Fox is a business and they're being very upfront with people about their release strategy.

My only hope for Avatar is that the French audio track will be in DTS-HD Master Audio like many Sony movies translation.

It'll be interesting to see if November's edition with have both formats or if he will just stick with a 16:9 home video release.

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I specifically asked that question. Not just about the November release, but about the eventual 3D release and James Cameron said they would all be in 16x9.

If I were to believe that then why should I buy the SE since it will be compromised in terms of A/V because there will be at least a commentary or two on the disc? I'm just playing devil's advocate because a commentary isn't actually going to negatively affect the disc but I find the "There's nothing on the disc so we can devote all the space to the movie" impossible to swallow.

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I have a lot more material I will be posting over the next few days that goes into this. I don't know if you every had a LD player or not, but we just to joke that the Abyss LD box set was "film school in a box". When Cameron does a special edition, he does a special edition. Between finishing the film, promoting the film, and awards season they Jon and Cameron just haven't had time to work on the special features. Even if they put a commentary on the disc they would still want to do a lot more and we would still see a re-release. The public wants the movie on BD now. Fox is giving us that along with the fact that a new, better version is coming, so that you can decide if you are going to be like me and buy both, or if you want to rent this version and buy the next. Keep in mind that while it is not on the disc, between now and November people who purchase the initial release will get lots of exclusive content on-line.

A couple of other observations. The menus were fairly minimalist (ok by me), the disc did support bookmarks and it looked and sounded fantastic!

Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich

I have a lot more material I will be posting over the next few days that goes into this. I don't know if you every had a LD player or not, but we just to joke that the Abyss LD box set was "film school in a box". When Cameron does a special edition, he does a special edition.

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The only exception to that rule might be Titanic, where Cameron urged to leave the main documentary off the disc because he wasn't portrayed as nicely as he wanted, apparently. Since the rest of the discs (three or four, depending on which one you bought) are impeccable, this does hurt the set a bit, I think.

Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich

The public wants the movie on BD now. Fox is giving us that along with the fact that a new, better version is coming, so that you can decide if you are going to be like me and buy both, or if you want to rent this version and buy the next.

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I completely understand that and I have every intention of buying both releases. Like I said before though, there's no way that the AV quality is going to be thrown off by a commentary track so that sinks the "There's no special features for the good of the movie" excuse.

And I repeat, I completely understand that Fox wants/needs to get Avatar out for sale ASAP or that the special features might not be finished yet so I don't begrudge them for two releases in any way, shape or form. They've been very upfront with their plans and should be applauded for that.

Originally Posted by Brian Borst




The only exception to that rule might be Titanic, where Cameron urged to leave the main documentary off the disc because he wasn't portrayed as nicely as he wanted, apparently. Since the rest of the discs (three or four, depending on which one you bought) are impeccable, this does hurt the set a bit, I think.

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Van Ling addressed this right here on the HTF.

He said it wasn't finished because they wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to participate, and are still hoping he will one day so it can be released, possibly on the inevitable Blu-ray of the film. I'm interested in the documentary because it's supposed to cover everything, including my favorite aspect, the music. Whatever aspects of the film weren't covered in the remaining extras were a part of that documentary.

This is not good and I will not support or buy this movie only edition. I will buy it when it comes with extras.

This is not good and I will not support or buy this movie only edition. I will buy it when it comes with extras.

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The nice thing is Fox let you know up front so you could make an informed choice.

I just don't understand why they don't release it now with the extras. They had all the time.

I just don't understand why they don't release it now with the extras. They had all the time.

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Did they?

It seems James Cameron went directly from making the film, to
promoting it to now prepromoting the DVD. I would also have
hoped that everyone took some time off to rest inbetween. That's
an incredible amount of effort.

There is a lot of material that needs to be put together and done
correctly.

There is no sense of wasted time here. I think most everyone
understands what is being done here and have given the studio
credit for being forthcoming about it.

The more time they take to release it, especially being a Jim Cameron film, the better off it - and we - will all be.

If they say they don't have the time to do the extras for the first release, I can believe that. I do resent the line that they're leaving off the extras for a bitter bit rate, that's baloney.

I do appreciate they are letting us know up front there's another edition coming. It give me the opportunity to bypass the first release and wait for the SE. Yeah, right. I want this movie on blu so bad, I doubt I'll have the willpower to wait. I'm an Avatar addict and I need my fix.

Come on, they made a decision that they could make more money by releasing it twice, even after telling the public what they are doing, though they are being disingenuous about the why.

Edit: And if you buy the first one, you are almost certain to buy the second release because Cameron has a history of giving you your money's worth with the extras.

Come on, they made a decision that they could make more money by releasing it twice, even after telling the public what they are doing, though they are being disingenuous about the why.

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I'm going to disagree. I don't know who had the initial idea to release it now, but it was James Cameron and Jon Landau who were insistant on NOTHING but the movie. THEY wanted no trailers and very basic menu. I will agree with you 100% on the following:

Edit: And if you buy the first one, you are almost certain to buy the second release because Cameron has a history of giving you your money's worth with the extras.

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Keep in mind there will be a discount for owners of the first disc when they buy the second.

I just don't understand why they don't release it now with the extras. They had all the time.

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Ron nailed this one with his answer. No they didn't. Between finishing the film, doing global publicity for the film, global awards show publicity, supervising the transfer for DVD and Blu-ray and doing publicity for the home video release there was NO time to do the features they wanted to do. [video to follow]

I suppose it's understandably irrelevant that no here mentioned the whole Glenn Beck / Global warming dialogue. His comments (recorded) were funny and very serious, but they would likely turn into a political debate nightmare.