‘Avatar’ Announces Earth Day Blu-Ray/DVD Initiative

The Navi might be blue — but the folks behind “Avatar” will be releasing the Blu-ray and DVD of the film on Earth Day in an effort to help fans go green.

On Tuesday, “Avatar” director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau presented scenes from the film’s upcoming Blu-ray release and announced the global partnership between Twentieth Century Fox, the studio behind the film, and Earth Day Network, which aims to plant 1 million trees globally by the end of 2010.

“Earth Day Network’s commitment and actions to promote a healthy, sustainable planet go hand-in-hand with the themes of ‘Avatar’,” Cameron said in a statement.

The film’s release will take place on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. The DVD will not include special features, however. According to a statement by Landau, this was done in order to have optimum picture and sound quality.

A DVD with added bonus materials is set to come out in November. Connecting the two releases in April and November is “The Avatar Program,” through which fans can register at www.avatarmovie.com to gain access to exclusive content, discounts and more by entering a code found in the Blu-ray and DVD.

As an added plus to registering in “The Avatar Program,” the consumer will have the option to adopt one of the 1 million trees being planted on behalf of Earth Day and have the ability to see where it is their tree will be planted.

The studio and Earth Day Network plan to collaborate with the pro-environmental group’s international partners in order to plant the 1 million trees in 15 different countries by the end of 2010.

“We hope this commitment from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to plant 1 million trees, will inspire others to stand up against climate change for Earth Day,” Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network explained in statement.

“Avatar,” winner of three Oscar awards, has earned over $730 million domestically ranking it as the No. 1 on the all-time domestic box-office chart.