James Cameron certainly knows how to make a statement. In 2009, he directed Avatar, the world’s highest grossing movie ever, and a film with a clear message about saving the environment. Now Cameron is taking his eco-friendly efforts a step further and gifting his key cast members with 11 Na’vi blue Toyota Prius’ for Christmas.
While green may seem like the obvious color choice, Cameron likely chose to bestow his cast with cars that matched their characters in the movie. In the film, the blue characters called Avatars fight to defend their very-green planet from environmental destruction in scenes that elicit a great deal of emotion and mirror some of the effects humans have had on modern-day Earth.
Cameron, a devoted environmentalist, said in September that Avatar was such a hit because its audience was truly longing for a deeper connection with nature, and even mentioned the Prius in one interview.
“It’s not that the movie converted people – it resonated with something that was already there, to find something inside for people and gave people a way to think about this. And if that manifests in people cutting down on their energy usage or recycle or buy a Prius…,” he told Time magazine in an interview.
Knowing the creative Cameron, he may have chosen the Prius as a way to stay true to his quote– as opposed to the popular Chevy Volt or the new Nissan Leaf. In his personal efforts to save the environment, the mogul currently sports a Toyota Highlander Hybrid himself, one of the few fuel-efficient hybrid SUVs on the market including the Ford Escape Hybrid and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid.
“I drive a Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which is the only seven-seater (hybrid) that I can find because I have five kids, and I put in an order for a Chevy Volt.” Cameron said in an interview.
However, the Prius is considered the most fuel-efficient car in the U.S. and is credited for starting the hybrid car revolution. With a starting price of $28,000 the director will spend a total of about $250,000 on the new cars. A small price to pay considering Avatar made whopping $2.7 billion in ticket sales worldwide.
In truth, it may simply be added value for the future of the Avatar saga. Cameron has signed on for two more sequels of the film. What better way to boost employee moral and keep them coming back then with a green, well blue, Christmas gift on wheels?
