In the 2009 film Avatar, Pandora is the name of a moon.
James Cameron’s science-fiction film is set largely on Pandora, a habitable moon orbiting the fictional gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri star system. The moon is home to the Na’vi, a tall blue humanoid species whose society is closely connected to the environment. Humans travel there to mine the valuable mineral unobtanium.
Pandora’s forests, floating mountains, luminous organisms, and interconnected ecosystems are central to the film’s world-building. The setting’s name recalls the Greek myth of Pandora, but the movie’s moon is not meant to be the ancient woman or her jar.
Avatar was released in 2009 and became known for its extensive use of computer-generated imagery, stereoscopic 3D presentation, and performance-capture techniques. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, expands the story beyond the forest regions of Pandora to other environments on the same moon.