Disney+ edits Avatar with new footage to set up the sequel

In an unexpected move, Disney+ has made an intriguing edit to James Cameron's Avatar, incorporating additional scenes that provide a glimpse into the highly anticipated sequel.

The groundbreaking sci-fi series Avatar has regained the spotlight as Avatar: The Way of Water arrives on the streaming platform, following its monumental success during an extended theatrical run. Released in 2009, it is now a massive franchise with upcoming sequels. Avatar 3 is coming by the end of next year.

At its release, the first Avatar film concluded its narrative self-contained, offering little hints or setting up future developments. However, with the expansion of the franchise, fans yearned for more connections and teases to satiate their anticipation.

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Avatar edit discovered on Disney+: Teaser for sequels falls flat

Disney+ drops disappointing teaser in Avatar edit: Sequel setup misses the mark (Image via 20th Century Fox)

Eagle-eyed fans have discovered an edit in the closing moments of the 2009 film Avatar on Disney+. The final sequence, in which Sam Worthington's Jake Sully, in his Avatar form, alongside the Na'vi, escorts the remaining humans off Pandora, has been extended to include a rather underwhelming teaser for the Avatar sequels.

Previously, this scene, occurring at the 2:32:45 mark of the movie, depicted the humans boarding their ships without any additional dialogue. The revised version, however, introduces a cut sequence wherein Giovanni Ribisi's Parker Selfridge approaches Zoe Saldana's Neytiri and Worthington's Jake, uttering the words, "You know this isn't over." The Na'vi then gesture for Selfridge to continue walking.

Unfortunately, this alteration loses its impact because audiences have already witnessed the sequel, The Way of Water, which does not involve Selfridge in any significant capacity beyond a brief cameo in Avatar 2. Consequently, it has been reported that Parker Selfridge will play a part in the sequels.

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The Pandora's box of streaming: Questions surrounding Disney+'s Avatar edit

Unveiling the streaming Pandora's box: Analyzing Disney+'s Avatar edit and its implications (Image via 20th Century Fox)

The advent of streaming has opened up new possibilities for making alterations, leaving the door ajar for studios to modify the content at their discretion. While Disney has previously been caught making changes on its streaming platform, this particular edit may be one of the most lackluster examples.

It is essential to acknowledge that Avatar was not initially conceived with the certainty of multiple sequels in mind, thereby lacking deliberate attempts to foreshadow future events.

However, now that James Cameron's Pandoran saga has expanded into a franchise, it does not necessarily warrant revisiting the original film to insert teasers for what lies ahead, especially when the next storyline fails to involve the character teased in the edit.

Such changes set a worrisome precedent, undermining the significance of a film's final cut. The ability to modify content post-release diminishes the integrity of the creative process. While the release of director's cuts is acceptable in subsequent years, it is inappropriate to replace the original version of a movie with an edited iteration in all digital formats.

Leaving Avatar untouched would have spared audiences from an unresolved cliffhanger that adds needless frustration. Disney+ should have respected the film's integrity and its self-contained narrative, allowing viewers to appreciate it as intended.

Both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are now available for streaming on Disney+.