Think "Dances with Smurfs"....
Seriously though, I have to say visually Avatar is akin to watching Roger Dean's artwork come to life.
However the storytelling felt like the rehash of other films. Obviously "Dancing With Wolves" is at the top of the list. However "The Last Samurai" also comes to mind, as does "Gorillas In The Mist". James Cameron's message is rather bleak - with mankind's exploration will inevitably come exploitation. But the message was buried under an ordinary plot.
If the stories about Cameron planning a trilogy are correct, then Avatar is a decent start, but then again, so was "The Matrix".....:2 cents: