"It looks better than I've ever seen it," the director says of the remastered Avatar, which returned to theaters yesterday.

The 3D and visual effects in the forthcoming Avatar sequels are so stunning, says director James Cameron, he worried that they might make 2009's blockbuster original seem quaint in comparison.

The director joked that he was worried the film would be "cringe-worthy" compared to the new film. It looks much better than it did 13 years ago after being upgraded to 4K High Dynamic Range. The sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, hits theaters on Dec. 16.

Among those rediscovering the film in theaters were Cameron's own children. "I got to watch it with my kids, who are 15, 18, and 21, recently. And they hadn't seen it in 3D in a theater, certainly not in the state that it's in right now because it's more gorgeous than it's ever been."

Rewatching the film now, the director found a new sense of appreciation for what he and his team accomplished at the time: "It's remastered in 4K, it's remastered in an Atmos 9.1 sound, which wasn't available at the time. We judiciously used high frame rates to smooth out some of the 3D. So it looks better than I've ever seen it. I was sitting there going, 'We did that? Wow.'"

As groundbreaking as Avatar was at the time of its 2009 release, Cameron said the sequel is even "more ambitious" than its predecessor. "Certainly, water is much more difficult to realize in CG," he noted. "And our water is mostly CG water, but you won't be able to tell. It looks photo-real. It looks like we just went out to the ocean in Pandora and shot it."

You can see every leaf on the tree. You feel like you can reach out and touch it, says James Cameron. "It's a new story with new characters, new stakes, new jeopardy, et cetera". The most important element to any film is storytelling, says Cameron.

A remastered Avatar hits theaters worldwide Sept 23 before Avatar: The Way of Water splashes down Dec. 16.