MOVIE WORLDS THAT I WANT TO VISIT

That I Want To Visit

Pandora in Avatar

Released at the end of 2009 to critical acclaim, James Cameron’s Avatar did more than annihilate box office records. While Cameron’s epic science fiction tale was seen as a technologically ground-breaking masterpiece, my eight-year-old self was too preoccupied with the film’s setting of Pandora, a fictional planet. Are you looking for gorgeous fauna, floating rocks, and unseen species? Pandora has it all. I would cherish the opportunity to visit this stunning landscape and accomplish one of my childhood dreams. Fictional worlds such as Ridley Scott’s dystopian Los Angeles in Blade Runner (1982) and George Miller’s apocalyptic Australia in Mad Max (1979) are indisputably dark and gritty. By contrast, Pandora’s luscious rainforests, floating boulders tethered by vine branches, and bioluminescent nightlife depict a world that is consistently vibrant and beautiful. No wonder Avatar swept the Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects. And although the planet’s toxic atmosphere makes it impossible for humans to survive in these fantastic landscapes, you could still invent some sort of aircraft that transports its passengers around the planet and back to Earth at lightspeed. Perhaps that’s something for Richard Branson to figure out While visiting Pandora remains a distant hope, I’ll settle for diving back into this everalluring and entrancing planet with a sequel, The Way of Water, hitting cinemas at the end of this year. Although the teaser trailer only shows 90 seconds of footage, we see several clips of Pandora’s indigenous Na’vi people swimming through gorgeous underwater landscapes, boasting kaleidoscopic coral and exotic ocean life. It seems the first entry to the Avatar franchise barely scratched the surface of what Pandora has to offer, and regardless of how The Way of Water is reviewed upon release, my inner eight- yearold self cannot wait.

Words by Liam Billingsley

The Barbie Fairytopia Universe

Timeless, magical and fantastical are some of the words that I would use to describe the Barbie Fairytopia universe. With fairies and mermaids alike, the animated films world is made to be so mystical and enchanting that I truly could not think of any other fictionalplace that I would rather visit. As a child, I was in awe of the Magic Meadow, which is the beautiful location of the film. It is visually stunning and looks like it could have been torn from the pages of a fairy tale book – the flowers are enormous, the sky is a gorgeous pink, and it is surrounded by rolling hills as far as the eye can see. What’s

That I Want To Visit

more, the fairies live inside these huge peonies located in the Meadow, which is so incredibly cool and unique to me; I can only wish to go inside one of them. Asides from this location, I would also want to tour around Mermaidia, which is the underwater kingdom featured in the sequel. Firstly, Mermaidia (like the Meadow) is gorgeous - I have honestly never seen such bright blue water and the second is that magical seaweed is grown there that can turn you into a mermaid. Now, who wouldn’t want to turn into a mermaid for the day? It was my childhood dream to become one. Beyond the aesthetics of the film, I think it would also be a joy to spend time with the main characters of the film, Elina (Barbie) and Bibble (her puffball companion). Whilst Elina is portrayed to be both kind and thoughtful, Bibble is the sassy comedic relief. I just know that I would be well taken care of in their company. I can only wish that this place existed beyond the screen; if so, it would let me live out my childhood fantasies of being with the fantastical. If I only could, I would overstay my welcome and live there.

Words by Genevieve Gunn Design by Eleanor Byrne