Words by Tess Becker
Nearly 13 years ago, Avatar hit theaters. Remember that?
Known for its stunning visuals and poignant story about colonization and land exploitation, the James Cameron film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time – bringing in over 2.9 billion dollars at the box office.
Now, over a decade later, a sequel named Avatar: The Way of Water is slated to come out on December 16.
To drum up support, and help support a good cause, Disney has launched a new program to protect the oceans.
What's Disney doing?
Oceans cover over 70% of the planet and produce most of the oxygen we breathe, but less than 8% of the ocean is protected. So Disney is working to protect more waters.
As part of its 'Keep Our Oceans Amazing' campaign, Disney has released Virtual Pandora Ocean, an online experience that allows people to scan in and create their own Pandoran creatures using features common to the fictional world.
The site has tidbits of information on real-life ocean habitats and organisms to help teach the people coming through.
The biggest part, though, is that Disney is planning on donating five dollars to the Nature Conservancy for every creature created – up to $1 million to help fund the fight to protect the ocean.
The Nature Conservancy is fighting to have 10% of the ocean officially protected by 2030.
“The entire planet depends on the health of our ocean to support and sustain it," said Melissa Garvey, Global Director of Ocean Protection at The Nature Conservancy.
“We need to do our part to protect it. That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with Disney and Avatar on this campaign. Our mission is driven by working together with those who believe we can shape a brighter future where people and nature can thrive together."
