Avatar CGI Underwater Scenes Comparison
The underwater scenes in James Cameron’s Avatar movies stand out for their stunning realism, thanks to cutting-edge CGI from Wētā FX. These sequences evolved from the first Avatar in 2009 to Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022 and now Avatar: Fire and Ash, with each film building on new tech to make Pandora’s oceans feel alive.
In the original Avatar, underwater moments were impressive but limited. The focus was on bioluminescent reefs and creatures like the thanator, all crafted with early CGI tools. Wētā FX created detailed digital environments, but the water effects relied on basic simulations for splashes and light refraction. It set a high bar, yet the action stayed mostly above water or in brief dives.
Avatar: The Way of Water took things much further, with over 3,200 VFX shots mostly underwater. Wētā FX built entire oceans, reefs, and sea beasts from scratch in CGI. They captured actors’ real underwater performances using new motion-capture gear submerged in tanks. This let Na’vi like Jake Sully and Neytiri move naturally, with faces showing real emotions. Water details shone through: bubbles rose just right, currents swirled realistically, and light filtered in soft blues and greens. Complex fights with tulkun whales and shipwrecks mixed destruction, creatures, and humans in seamless chaos. For more on their breakdown, check this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANmawvbOpCY video from Wētā FX or their site at https://www.wetafx.co.nz/.
Avatar: Fire and Ash pushes even harder, especially in frame rates. Many underwater scenes run at 48 frames per second, double the usual 24 FPS in movies. This makes motion ultra-smooth, perfect for 3D viewing. James Cameron picks high frame rates for dives and flights to boost immersion, avoiding the “soap opera” look in talky bits. At 48 FPS, water flows without stutter, letting your brain handle the 3D depth better—no jumping edges that strain your eyes. Compared to Way of Water’s 24 FPS in some spots, Fire and Ash feels more fluid in action. Details from GamesRadar explain this shift: https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/avatar-smooth-frame-rate/.
Side by side, the progression is clear. Early Avatar had solid but simpler water. Way of Water nailed performance and physics. Fire and Ash adds speed for next-level presence. Wētā FX’s tools keep improving simulations, lighting, and creature designs across the series.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANmawvbOpCY
https://www.wetafx.co.nz/
https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/avatar-smooth-frame-rate/
