The third feature film in the Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is now available on Digital at Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Movies Anywhere, and Fandango at Home. There are three hours of bonus features that add background to the characters, the production, and the visuals.

The world of Pandora has captivated fans since the first film debuted in 2009, which introduced the Na’vi civilization and culture to the public. It so entranced audiences, Disney created an entire world of Pandora in Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. 

This newest film delves into many new cultures and characters. There are new clans introduced as well as spectacular visuals for the new characters, lands, and transportation, ie the gondolas used by the newest clan.

The warlike Ash People bring more drama, after having been almost wiped out due to a volcanic eruption. They are, to put it mildly, not happy with others and other worlds.

For those who saw the film when it was in theaters or those who have waited to view it at home, watching it in the comfort of home is a gift, as the film runs approximately three and a half hours. Being able to pause the movie is a plus. And being able to rewatch various scenes makes the digital (and later the discs) beneficial for viewers.

The bonus features delve into many aspects of the film, including how the production combined virtuality with live actors. The designs of the costumes and scenery is another great addition for fans who are curious about how and why various aspects were created. The scenery is spectacular.

While Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently available on Digital, it will be released on DVD (without all the bonus features), Blu-ray + Digital, 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital, and a 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook. There will also be an Avatar 3-Movie Collection with the three feature films (Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) on 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus features + Digital, Blu-ray + Digital, and DVD. To say Avatar fans will have a variety of options for their home entertainment libraries is an understatement. Watching all three movies consecutively is my recommendation.

Bonus Features vary by product and retailer

• Family Audio Track: All objectionable language removed.

• Igniting the Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash — A series of featurettes that explores the filmmakers’ journey making Avatar: Fire and Ash with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and insights about the process from the creative talents who shaped the film.
  • Writing the Sequels: In 2013, James Cameron gathered a team of top screenwriters to craft a vision for the Avatar sequels. Together they created an ambitious saga that weaves new stories, clans, biomes, creatures and, most importantly, a family for Jake and Neytiri.
  • Pandoran Design: Production Designer Dylan Cole and his team tackle their biggest design challenge: creating a vivid world and culture for the new clans, the Wind Traders and the Ash People, and the creatures that share their world.
  • RDA Design: Production Designer Ben Procter and his team of concept artists and art directors showcase the sets of Bridgehead and the RDA. From concept art to over 70 sets, Procter’s designs set the stage for many of the film’s action scenes.
  • The Women of Pandora: Dive deeper into James Cameron’s fiercest Na’vi warriors with the powerhouse actors that define these epic roles.
  • Varang and the Mangkwan: Like every aspect of the Avatar films, Varang and the Mangkwan are a melding of talents, from character and scenic design to costumes and body art, but most distinctive is the performance by Oona Chaplin. Discover how she approached her role.
  • Capturing Performance: Cameron and his cast take the “freedom to imagine” on Avatar‘s capture stage. The characters come to life instinctively as actors rely on their connection to each other, rather than the physical trappings of lighting, costumes, and sets.  
  • Stunts: Second unit director Garrett Warren takes us inside the action of Fire and Ash. If you see it in the film, his stunt team did it for real: climbing, falling, fighting, shooting, swimming, and even dogfighting on ikrans.
  • Editing and Virtual Camera: On the Avatar films, Editorial is the quiet hero of production. Discover the editors’ complex process of transforming filmed “scenes” from the capture stage into performance edits, camera loads, shots, templates and finally, a finished film.
  • WĒTĀ FX: Wētā FX tackles the monumental task of rendering every shot in photoreal detail. Fire and Ash is bigger and more complex than any film before it, with giant set pieces, virtual characters, dynamic creatures and vivid effects.
  • ILM: ILM undertakes a pair of key scenes: Jake’s imprisonment in a thanator cage, and his thrilling escape on the gritty tarmac of Bridgehead.
  • Score: Composer Simon Franglen takes us behind the scenes of his thrilling score for FIRE AND ASH, capturing the majestic beauty of the Wind Traders and the unsettling world of the Mangkwan. Also hear from Miley Cyrus on her hit single, “Dream As One.”
  • The Art and Impact of 3D: James Cameron takes us inside 3D, a critical component of the Avatar films. Audiences feel the immense scope of Pandora, not just through the breadth of the movie screen, but in the endless depth enabled by stereoscopic filming.  
  • Home in New Zealand: Though Fire and Ash’s live action filming was centralized in one cozy corner of Wellington, vendors from all parts of New Zealand banded together to build the sets, costumes, props, and even working maritime vessels.

• Jon Landau Tribute: If James Cameron is the guiding vision for the Avatar sequels, producer Jon Landau was their nurturing heart. In this warm tribute, the filmmakers celebrate a beloved friend and colleague with remembrances from cast and crew.    

• RDA Orientation: Do you have what it takes to survive the wild frontier of Pandora? In these tutorial videos, the RDA provides essential training in Na’vi language and an intelligence briefing on the clans of Pandora and the biomes they inhabit.
  • Na’vi 101: The RDA’s Official Language Orientation: Before you set foot on Pandora, the RDA requires personnel to complete Na’vi language training. This video covers the basics of Na’vi – greetings, key phrases, proper pronunciation, and cultural mores. Trust us: say it right or pay the price.
  • Pandora Intelligence Brief: Prepare for deployment with this essential RDA orientation video designed to give new recruits a tactical edge when navigating the uncharted territories of Pandora. This isn’t just a new world. It’s a new frontier.

• Marketing Materials & Music Video – Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Images courtesy Walt Disney Studios