In his highly anticipated return to feature filmmaking, Academy Award-winningwriter/directorJames Cameron the creator of Titanic and be Terminator takes us on a Iourney Peter Jackson The Golden Compass);Wayne Barlowe (Hell Boy, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire);Ryan Church (Star Trek, Lord of the Rings); and Ben Procter (TransJbrmers) and over a dozen never-before-published original sketches and notes from Cameron himself.

In his highly anticipated return to feature filmmaking, Academy Award-winningwriter/directorJames Cameron the creator of Titanic and 7be Terminator takes us on a Iourney Peter Jackson describes as "a great leap forward." Technically revolutionary,Avatar will debut with the most lmmersive, engaging, and visually innovative universe the world of cinema has ever seen.Using groundbreaking advances in VFX and 3-D stereoscopic technology, this mythic tale follows the story ofJake, a paraplegic war veteran who is thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an alien world rich with biodiversity and a seemingly primitive humanoid race. It is an emotional journey of redemption, revolution, and love. Just like all of Cameron's films, it combines elements of massive spectacle vith an intimate character-driven story. The film takes place onthe rich and mysterious large moon of Pandora and 7be Art ofvatar, the companion book to this epic action adventure, explores the developmental and conceptual art used by the creative team to bring this otherworldly environment to life.

 First conceived by Cameron in the mid-199os, production for Avatar began in zoo5 and since then the design approach has been to create a complete umverse on a scale the film industry has not tackled in over thirty years. Pandora glows with a bioluminescent network of light; it is a world rich with fully visualized animal and plant life. Massively colorful, their forms are both familiar and wondrous: lush rainforests with one-thousand-foot trees; floating mountains and fantastical landscapes; loathsome, scaly, hairless, six-limbed predators it is a place that was designed to be as frightening as it is beautiful.

From script to sketch, z-D paintings, and real world 3-D models and sculptures, this unique book presents the chief creative imagery from the initial phase through the refinement of visual effects designs over a four year time span (zoos-zoo9).With over zoo full-color works of art, this collection includes many masterful compositions by some of the most renowned illustrators working in the film industry today including Rob Stromberg ( Pan's Labyrinth, The Golden Compass);Wayne Barlowe (Hell Boy, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire);Ryan Church (Star Trek, Lord of the Rings); and Ben Procter (TransJbrmers) and over a dozen never-before-published original sketches and notes from Cameron himself. From scenery to characters and creatures, 7heArt of Avatar showcases signature images that have been handzpicked from a library of thousands to depict the incredibly imaginative world of Pandora.

In addition to essays from fellow filmmaker Peter Jackson and Avatar producer Jon Landau, this book contains an insightful epilogue by Cameron and is filled with artists' commentary on their first-hand experiences collaborating with the writer/director,as well as numerous excerpts from Cameron's script, which guided the illustrators' efforts. The Art of Avatar is a fascinating glimpse into the first phase of a multi-year filmmaking enterprise that has employed the hearts and minds of a team of creative talent never before gathered for a singular Hollywood production.