Avatar CGI Reef Detail Comparison
The reefs in Avatar: The Way of Water stand out as some of the most stunning CGI creations in movie history. These colorful underwater worlds, built entirely by Wētā FX, show off incredible levels of detail that make them look real. For example, every coral branch sways gently with ocean currents, and tiny bubbles rise in patterns that match real water flow. Light filters through the water just right, casting soft glows on the reefs that change with depth.
Wētā FX handled over 3,200 visual effects shots for the film, including these reefs. They compared their work to real ocean footage from dives around the world. In real reefs, you see rough textures on corals, small fish darting between branches, and algae swaying in the flow. The Avatar team matched this by adding fine details like individual polyps on corals that pulse with life. Their CGI reefs even show wear from sea creatures, with bite marks and slime trails that real reefs have.
One big challenge was making the reefs feel alive during action scenes. When characters swim through, corals bend without breaking, and particles like sand kick up naturally. Wētā FX created new tools for this, simulating how water pushes against reef structures. Compared to the first Avatar movie, the reefs here have three times more detail in textures and twice as many moving parts, like waving anemones and drifting seaweed.
Watch this VFX breakdown video from Wētā FX to see the reefs up close: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANmawvbOpCY. It shows side-by-side clips of raw footage turning into finished reefs. The studio’s site has more on their tech: https://www.wetafx.co.nz/.
These reefs set a new bar for CGI oceans. Real divers say the details fool the eye, from the way light scatters on wet surfaces to schools of fish weaving through gaps. Wētā FX tested their models against photos from Pacific reefs, tweaking until they passed expert checks.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANmawvbOpCY
https://www.wetafx.co.nz/
