Comments on: Is The Plot Of James Cameron’s Avatar Plagiarized?

By: Dan Langlois

Dan Langlois — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:18:02 +0000

I’ve seen the rumours around the net about Jim Cameron’s having been accused of plagiarism, and I’m beginning to suspect that there’s less to this than meets the eye. This article references the idea that Harlan Ellison sued Jim Cameron for plagiarizing The Terminator. This turns out not actually to be true–Harlan Ellison never did sue Cameron for plagiarism, though it’s possible to read how much the case was settled for, etc. There is an L.A. Times retraction for having repeated this false rumour, and that retraction is from over 20 years ago.

So, to quote the article here, I read ‘Harlan Ellison sued the production company claiming the ideas were already in a couple of Outer Limits episodes. The matter was settled out of court, and Ellison got (and still has) a credit on The Terminator.’ And no, Harlan Ellison never ‘sued the production company’. Now, there was a lawsuit over Aliens, the Heinlein estate claimed it was plagiarized from Starship Troopers, and this case went to court, and the Heinlein estate lost.

Of course, I may seem like a captive fan of Cameron, I’m actually curious, as it seems to me that never once, has Cameron ever settled a plagiarism lawsuit for a nickel, or lost a plagiarism case, and again, Ellison never sued him.

By: damnisteppedinpoo

damnisteppedinpoo — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:49:14 +0000

[...] failed cinema experience, the story was quite boring. Internet rumour also suggested that the story may have been a complete rip-off but that is not what matters, in my opinion the story was quite [...]

By: Ollie

Ollie — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:49:41 +0000

It is so simple!!

You smoke some DMT and avatar is what you see.
People ho did know what i am talking about, the others should google it if they´re interrested ±D

By: Exploitationist

Exploitationist — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:01:56 +0000

Everyone is missing the big picture. He clearly got the idea for Avatar from an old cartoon movie from 1992 Fern Gully.

By: What'sInAName?

What'sInAName? — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 07:00:46 +0000

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1b/The_Andalite_Chronicles_front_cover.png/200px-The_Andalite_Chronicles_front_cover.png

Also, I can’t help but think that that front cover looks a lot like this one I have linked.

By: What'sInAName?

What'sInAName? — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:56:54 +0000

When I was about thirteen (years before the release of Avatar) I came up with a story with a similar plot to James Cameron’s Avatar. I even began to write some of it. Of course, when there are so many people in the world coming up with there own ideas, you can’t possibly know whether your idea is unique. The chances of coming up with your own idea just don’t favour you.
I don’t believe that James Cameron copied this book. It was just a coincidence. It might be a very big one, but I still believe that it was a coincidence nonetheless. However, I still don’t believe Avater was in any way original, even if you forget about Call Me Joe. There are that many other books, films, etc. that Cameron may have copied for either the plot or other aspects, and many of these have been pointed out.

By: The R

The R — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 05:43:33 +0000

Renee,
Tell me more about your visions or character development for what you had already designed? I am a believer that small businesses with incredible ideas are being over taken by large firms with large cash flows, keeping us, to branch out and truely exprience the american dream.Slience is our enemey.

By: GeeLady

GeeLady — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:14:17 +0000

Avatar is also similar to: Little Big Man, Fern Gully and The Dragon Riders of Pern novels by ann McCaffery. Although no fiction idea can be totally original in evewry possible way, Avatar is just a poorly done mish-mash of all of the above and then some. I was so bored, I cleaned my purse (always a bad sign). the characters were either predicatble: Main character and his avatar girlfriend, or cardboard (Weaver’s character and in particular the stereotyped tough, mean,facially-scarred Marine commander who is bent of nothing but e-e-e-evil).
It is also full of scientific contraditions, like mountains that “float” but people that don’t.
Cameron’s ego is the size of Pandora. Too bad his “original” vision wasn’t.

By: Renee

Renee — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:45:56 +0000

I know for a FACT that my sketches and ideas for the native people and planet, dragons… everything…. were stolen. This is MY idea. Have been drawing these characters since I was 9 years old or so.
I’m a 38 year old mother of 2 now, but you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw this characters.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:02:23 +0000

You could take this movie in a more positive way. Just take it as a remake. Maybe the movie “call me joe” wasn’t really popular, but they found the idea, the thematic and the story interesting, so they did a look-a-like story. Of course Avatar has been a wonderfull movie, they did make a lot of money, and it has been watched so many times in theaters, and even the soundtrack is amazing(which I bought). But, if you stop thinking about Avatar, and turn yourself at all the american “girly” movies that are coming out by dozen in a year. “The girl fall in love with the boy, but he’s not interested, but then he will change idea” or Whatever romantic cheap story that you already know the end, I think they are all plagiarized. Come on! And they’re so borring, because we’ve seen too many of them. Avatar looks like Pocahantas, (I don’t know the movie “Call me joe”) but we haven’t see these kind of stories too many times ’til now. But of course, if every body write look-a-like stories, then, we’ll be used to it, and there will be no more originality. I think Avatar has something special, maybe they wanted to bring this magical feeling in it, which “Call me joe” probably didn’t have, or they only wanted to do a eary version. OR , Maybe they haven’t thought about this at all! I think we shoudln’t make a big deal with it. Just admit you loved it, even if it looks like pocahantas. Who cares after all? Enjoy.

By: Chris Steiner

Chris Steiner — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:43:54 +0000

The charge of plagiarism is not important here. The screenplay follows the stock pattern of many Hollywood productions. Stranger rides into town and is rebuffed but wins the populace over and galvanises them to beat the baddies – it is basically ‘Seven Samurai’. Many other influences are evident – ‘War against the Rull (Van Vogt) gave Cameron a six-legged feline predator (ezwal in the book). ‘Case of Conscience (Blish) gave him a planet-wide tree-based communication system and ‘The Girl who was plugged in’ (Ann Sheldon writing as James Tiptree Jnr) gave him the idea of ‘wireless’ neurally controlled ;dumb terminal; body. ‘SPR’ has a bit part and every Vietnam War film, too. It is visually stunning but intellectually moribund. One has suspend disbelief vigorously to enjoy the visual magnificence. The Na’vi are so obviously American Plains Indians it becomes risible. The only device that affected me was the last but one scene where Neytiri saves human Jake. Yet again why would that tenderness for an unknown human manifest? And she shows huge awareness and intelligence in realising that this crippled tiny man is her love. In summation it’s a feast for the eyes but pap for the brain.

By: An Open Letter to James Cameron « TheLaughTrack's Home of Wonder

An Open Letter to James Cameron « TheLaughTrack's Home of Wonder — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:26:04 +0000

[...] from what’s already a popular and successful movie, you’re so much smarter than that, you only steal from sci-fi novels from the fifties that people have long forgotten about! You even made the Avatar characters blue just like the book had them on the cover! Just to rub it [...]

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 28 May 2010 06:21:39 +0000

YES!!! He definitely stole the idea!! Here’s the proof:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOHcW_RDvxU

By: Did you think about...

Did you think about... — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:51:31 +0000

Umm… ok. I understand that the “Call Me Joe” novella have obvious similarities to the movie “Avatar”, but did anyone think of “Pocahantas”(forgive me for incorrect spelling) similarities? Jake Sully (Guy in pocahantas who is trying to help the indians) (sorry for not knowing specific names , goes to explore a new, unknown land in hopes of becoming trusted so that he can take their land/get that really expensive rock s***… theres also this master spiritual tree thing in Pocahantas called “mother willow”/tree of souls in Avatar…(also consider the similarities in the the two trees (if you havent seen Avatar the tree resembles a willow tree). There are many more things that are shocking like the fact the Governor whatsisname? doesnt agree with Johns/Jakes idea to try and cooperate with the Navi/Indians and just wants a hostile takeover. Like I've said, there are more similarities that you can look into and I would highly recommend that. I also want to say that I do not disagree with the fact that the novel things played a part in the obvious plagiarism which we call Avatar. Think about it bai

By: name

name — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:13:26 +0000

why don't you say that the story Call Me Joe (1957) was stolen from the Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” ?

By: name

name — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:13:26 +0000

why don't you say that the story Call Me Joe (1957) was stolen from the Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” ?

By: mdsds

mdsds — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:09:02 +0000

Thanks for the article man, it was driving me crazy when I watched that piece of crap, and had a feeling of deja vue but could remember where did see that staff before

By: gucciwomenshoes

gucciwomenshoes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:07:05 +0000

thanks for your post,it is best.

By: Is Avatar Too Expensive To Be Successful? « The Studio Gates

Is Avatar Too Expensive To Be Successful? « The Studio Gates — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:23:43 +0000

[...] of $500 million to make and market, leaving, well, MOST OF US wondering if the film – based on a (semi) original story imagined by Cameron) – has a hope of being a box office success story, or the fate of being the next [...]

By: richardk68

richardk68 — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:13:32 +0000

I bet you feel like a right knob now!