Avatar CGI Creature Movement Underwater
In Avatar: The Way of Water, the stunning underwater scenes feature creatures that swim with lifelike grace, all thanks to advanced CGI from Weta FX. Watch this VFX breakdown video to see how they made Pandora’s oceans come alive. The studio built entire reefs, waves, and sea beasts in computers, focusing on how these digital animals twist and glide through water.
Weta FX created over 3,200 effects shots, including Na’vi swimming alongside massive sea creatures like the tulkun, which move their fins and tails in smooth, realistic arcs. To get the motion right, artists studied real ocean life, like whales and fish, then used new software to simulate muscle flexing under skin. Bubbles trail behind flipping tails, and light filters through water to highlight every ripple on a creature’s body.
The key challenge was making heavy CGI animals feel weightless yet powerful in currents. Weta developed tools for performance capture where actors moved in real water tanks, wearing suits dotted with sensors. These motions transferred to digital creatures, so a tulkun’s roll matches an actor’s dive perfectly. For more on Weta’s work, check their site at wetafx.co.nz.
Complex simulations handled water splashing against scales and creatures bursting from depths. Light rays bend realistically, casting blue glows on gliding forms. This tech pushed boundaries, blending actor energy with CGI fluidity for scenes where Na’vi ride ilu mounts that dart like dolphins.
Later Avatar films build on this. Performance capture underwater tech advanced further, as noted in reviews of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Read about it here. Creatures now emote more deeply, their movements syncing emotions like fear or play with tail sweeps and fin flares.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANmawvbOpCY
https://www.wetafx.co.nz/
https://www.lvpnews.com/20260103/at-the-movies-avatar-fire-and-ash-a-deep-dive/
