The Real Science of Avatar

On Earth: Deep-Sea Jellyfish
The woodsprites' pulsating, almost hypnotic movement mimics the motion of deep-sea jellyfish, which Cameron saw while filming his underwater documentaries. But when Cameron first painted his woodsprites in the 1970s, he modeled them on the seed-bearing parachute of the dandelion weed. Back then he called them "dandelion things."

• In Honor of Earth Day: The Earth from Above