James Cameron is convinced his epic 3D movie Avatar could have been "terrible" if he had not spent millions on groundbreaking visual effects.
The Titanic moviemaker laboured over his pet project for a decade, and spent a staggering $260 million (£173 million) making the movie - which used motion-capture technology to bring the digital characters to life.
Zoe Saldana's movements and facial expressions were used to create realistic characteristics for her blue-skinned alien Neytiri - and Cameron is adamant that the movie would have lost all impact if they had relied on traditional filmmaking techniques.
He tells Empire magazine, "Here's the thing: if it had been in live action, she (Saldana) would have been in blue make-up and it would not have had the power. Her eyes would not have been those eyes.
"The blue make-up would have looked terrible. I know - every time I go to a convention where someone decides they're going to be a Na'vi, I'm reminded why we didn't do it."
The director has revealed that a sequel is going to be made and he wants to explore the waters of Pandora in a second movie.
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