Pandora is the fictional moon where most of the 2009 film Avatar takes place. The science-fiction film was written and directed by James Cameron and follows human activity on Pandora, including the conflict involving the Na’vi.
In the film’s fictional astronomy, Pandora is a moon of the gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri star system. The setting contains an Earth-like environment with distinctive wildlife, floating mountains, and a global biological network. These elements provide the backdrop for the film’s environmental and colonial themes.
Pandora in Avatar is not the same thing as the Pandora of Greek mythology. The film borrows the mythological name but creates a new fictional world and culture around it. The moon’s inhabitants are the Na’vi, a tall blue humanoid species native to Pandora.
Avatar was released in December 2009 and became a major commercial success. Its use of 3D filmmaking and visual effects helped make Pandora one of the most recognizable fictional settings in modern cinema.