Why Are AVATAR Aliens Blue?

Why are the Na'vi blue? James Cameron answered the question in a recent interview saying he wanted there be an "otherness" to the love story between Sully's avatar and the native alien, Neytiri. Since skin color is "such a big issue on our planet," Cameron decided to use that issue as a thematic driving point. Other skin tones were already taken by humans, while green was already a cliché in other alien movies. "We had big blue women, not little green men," Cameron said. No word on why the Na'vi's skin sparkles, but you have to admit it is a cool effect.

Meanwhile, the Houston Press' Hair Balls blog has video clips of other blue-skins that have come before AVATAR.

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Comments

[Selene Medina]

For Jay, yeah they have 4 fingers and Jake Sully has 5... i couldnt notice if Grace or Norm have 5 fingers too. :)

I love the blue color on the skin, i read many of the opinions ... emotional, logical and analithical answers... and i agree very much with all... we like them because of the emotions the color emit, they look cool, awesome effects. But for those who analize thorowly into the chemistry elements that might made their skins like that, the nose, etc... The evolution works differently, for just a tiny bit of changes. So... even if is James Cameron mind, or our theories... they work PERFECTLY. And i love everything... the spiritual emotional and phisical aspects.

[Account Deleted]

Nothing strange in blue skin. Na'vi resemble blue sphinx cats a little -- big eyes, sharp ears, strips. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiuberis/517407884/in/photostream/
Maybe they originate from cats but no monkeys.
We like navies because we like cats.
Much reasons for sparkling -- camouflage at background of sparkling environment, attraction of mate etc.

[Steven58 (Chok'ete)]

Avatar the game explains ALL of this and more in the Pandorapedia files. There is SOOOOO much info in that game about Pandora, Na'Vi, customs, wildlife, plants, the atmosphere, and why they are blue.

All organisms on Pandora have bioluminescent properties meaning most light up to some degree at night. Even the Na'Vi have that characteristic as well.

[Joshua]

I like James' anwser but I think a cool explanation would be that the gas planet surrounding Pandora is blue, so that could have an effect on their species

[Chris]

A comment to Steve.

It seems that we are becoming ethier friends and foes. I can't tell which one. However, in response, yes, you somewhat right, but the humans don't need to deal with the whole destruction of the planet but instead focus the extinct of the Na'vi race. To be frank, this is a difficult task but nothing that the human race can't achieve.

[Srinivasa Boinapally]

JUST LIKE THE OCEAN AND THE SKY IS BLUE COLORED HAS NO
END AND IS APAARA AND ANANTHA, AGAADHA SRI KRISHNA(HINDU GOD) AND SRI RAMA(HINDU GOD) HAD THIS COLOR TO CONVEY THEIR INHERENT NATURAL PROPERTIES TO US.

But why does they have blue skin, especially in a culture in which colors have deep significance? The answer is deceptively simple: blue is the dominant color in creation – the sky, lakes, rivers, the ocean – all are blue, and just as the blue in the American flag represents bravery, determination, selflessness, so for many millenniums has blue in Hindu culture come to symbolize these virtues.

NORMAL HUMANS ARE BLACK, WHITE, BROWN BUT PARAMATMA(The almighty) IS NOT LIKE US. HE IS INDEED DIFFERENT. "KRISHNA'S(HINDU GOD) BODY IS THE COLOUR OF A ENCHANTINGLY BEAUTIFUL DARK RAINCLOUD. THIS IS BECAUSE WATER, SEEN AS THE BASE PRINCIPLE FOR LIFE AS WE KNOW IT ON EARTH,THE NOURISHER OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS ALIKE, THE VERY SUBSTANCE OF CYCLIC EXISTENCE.

I think AVATAR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar) ,like RAMAYANA and MAHABHARATHA is an epic story and James Cameron might have had all these in his mind while scripting the movie.

There are so many other things that can be discussed like using Bow n Arrow as Na'vi weapons(the main weapon for lord RAMA), giving the lady character the name 'Naytiri' (means Eyes in sanskrit) ,Using long tails( Like Hanuman) for those Avatars and Flying huge birds (GARUDA PAKSHI in RAMAYANA) etc etc.......All these stuff i am talking is driven from Epics like RAMAAYANA and MAHABHARATHA pardon me if this is too much for the blog.

James Cameron said in one of his interviews that he read all the above epics i mentioned.So i guess he might have applied some concepts from those epics in his great movie AVATAR.........

[Zeretulas Aketuan]

The Na'vis skin is blue becouse they are more evolved then us, the blue color with the star-like dots on is camuflage, the Na'vi is hunters that hunts at night, i dont se any other better explanation then this, its the most likly explanation i have, and one more thing its more beutyfull then our skin and the Na'vi looks better then many of us does too :P

[Zeretulas Aketuan]

Yes and the blue colors blends with the shady collors in the big forest on Pandora!

[gee.nim]

I love the sparkles on their skin, the fluorescence in the living things there. I think it is about the network (as mentioned by Neytiri) within Pandora. I remember that Grace once said the forest of Pandora was like a network in the brain. So I think the fluorescence is like the synapses in our brain, transmitting nerve impulses within the network.
Please correct me if there's sth wrong above! :D
I am so in love with this movie. <3

[Chris]

A comment to Steve.

Steve, you are suggesting that the human were there only to destory the planet. The humans were there just to make money. I suggesting that most of the Na'vi should of died with HomeTree, making it easier to continue minig business and kill jake with the other Avatar users to ensure no such act of rebellion emerges.

[Chris]

Steve, are suggesting that the humans have to totally wiped the entire planet clean of life? Are you suggesting that the defeat of the Na'vi will be the destruction of Pandora? If it is, you just stole my idea for the plot of possible "Avatar 2".

[Chris]

Opps, I thought my comments were not post because they were on the front.
Sorry about that. :(

[Argos]

I like the blueness. When I first saw the preview I was going through an x-men phase and was completely in love with Kurt Wagner. This movie was so good and the blue skin with the glowing world really fit. It was more peaceful rather than barbaric.

[Carlos Collaguazo]

I like them blue in color besides they blend naturally in their world :}

[blackarrow300]

The glowing dots are in patterns unique to each individual, and allow for identification of fellow clan in the dark up to 20 meters

[Kevin]

Greatest movie i have ever seen. Hands down no competition, and i think the people were blue to portray a more exotic mysterious nature.

[tej]

James Cameron had said he derived the meaning of avatar from the incarnation of hindu Gods to other forms. These avatars are commonly known to exist in the form of Vishnu. All his forms have a typically blue coloured skin...could it be that James cameron may have got the idea for the blue skin colour from when he was researching the name of the movie??

[Isaac Gimenez]

Hello to everyone.
I've just read all your posts, and I wonder if some of you have tried to think only on allthe things we can learn from this movie.

The color of the Na'vi skin doesn't matter, I think. They are blue... well, gratz.. There are a lot of things we need to listen or watch better.

An enterprise travel to the space, just for minning a new kind of ore, and it can destroy anything or anybody to get it. Even a race of natives. Do you remember the colonial times here on earth? What the "advanced society" did to "the savages" from outlands. Were they so much "savages" as we thought?

In any case, returning to the skin color subject... I don't wanna think why they are blue. I like it. But they glow as result of the energy going trough them. As all the other species on Pandora. Because they are a part of Eywa and It's energy goes trough them.

Remember, Pandora is another world, try to do not check it with our rules and culture levels. It was what they who were expelled from there did.

Best regards.

[Dee]

I dunno if anyone said this yet because there are soo many comments.. But I like to think that their skin has elements of the sky. 1) Its Blue(sorry for stating the obvious) 2) It has stars(Sparkles all over their bodies) hmm Sorry if I'm being Captain Obvious.. but they are SOOPER CAT-LIKE!

[dariamania]

Maby there blue to blend into thare envierment.

Posted by: cannon | 12/05/2009 at 11:52 PM

And you are right with that :)

[Carmen Almeida]

I just love everything about this movie. the fact that they are blue is just perfect. can you imagine them with another color? I can't. besides, every other color was already taken and green was obviously not the color to choose. and blue blends perfectly with the forest and everythind around them. and the skin glowing... beautiful. I like what Isaac Gimenez said about that. that it was because they are a part of Eywa and because of that the energy goes through them. the best comment I've read on this "glowing" issue and I liked it. I've seen this movie twice already and I can´t stop thinking about it. I would love to live in Pandora as an Avatar. It would be so peaceful and amazing. but as I've said before in another comment it would only work with a very short number of avatars. if we all went as avatars to pandora we would eventually do the same we've been doing to Earth. We would destroy it. and I for sure wouldn't want for that to happen.
peace from portugal

[Jason Luttmer]

If they had consulted experts on tribal/primitive living and customs (current example: Tom Brown Jr. for one, Grandfather Paul of the Lakota for another) they would have had a better time not getting into their necks in trouble. as to why they have Bioluminesence, it is in part to break up their outline at night, which I feel it does well. blue skin is probably to blend in well with the shadows, and they probably are more capable at sneaking up on a wolf (or a Viperwolf or is it the wolfviper? the things that Neytiri saved Jake from in the first scene that they talk to eachother) and touch it where a current hunter or army ranger/spec. op would probably never even know there was a wolf in the area. colour has little to do with knowing where things don't look.

[Stardog]

Cameron says blue hasn't been, Obviously the planet is a very colorful one and their version of camoflauge would be different from us. Since they are bioluminescent (sp) that actually makes them look slighly purple after nightfal in certain lights. Natyri blended in pretty well with the background when she was stalking Jake for the first time. And yes, as JK points out, blues and greens are very serene colors.

[Dreamlifer]

They did not like us as Black or Brown---Maybe Blue will do.

[Dreamlifer]

What ever color. This Movie was awesome. If he makes a part II I hope he calles me for a dance section in the jungle.