When his latest sci-fi opus is released on December 18th, it will have been more than 12 years since James Cameron started to set box office records with Titanic. And now he's back, and best yet... he's doing what he does best: Science-Fiction on an epic scale.

By far the most anticipated event at Comic-Con on Thursday (and perhaps the weekend) was 20th Century Fox's AVATAR panel. Introduced by Fox chief Tom Rothman, Cameron himself appeared on stage to present a special collection of completed footage totaling nearly 25 minutes in length! Even better, this was presented in full-on 3D.

Cameron has been working on AVATAR for over four years now (after more than a decade of development before production even began) and it shows. A true labor of love, the film will offer a completely compelling experience that will take the viewer to a far away world like never before. The footage showcased some Cameron staples (galactic roughnecks) before segueing into some of the most unique and visually stunning stuff you'll ever see.

Headlining the film is Sam Worthington, who wowed audiences this Summer in Terminator Salvation. Sigourney Weaver was reunited with Cameron to portray a key role in the film, and she was also on-hand today for the Q&A following the panel.

It become very clear that everyone involved is very proud of this film and eager to unleash it upon the masses this December.

But it doesn't stop there. There will also be plenty of great AVATAR collectibles on the market later this fall, headlined by an expansive line of toys and action figures by Mattel (click here to see CTR's Mattel SDCC Photo Gallery with pics of what they had on display). But they won't be alone. Sideshow was granted the maquette and statue license, and debuted their stunning first piece here at the show. And while they were not quite ready to unveil their pieces at SDCC, we learned from Gentle Giant that they too will join the fray with a line of AVATAR mini-busts!

So, this December, prepare to take a cinematic journey to the world of Pandora courtesy of James Cameron. And then, relive the epic scope of AVATAR with your choice of toys and collectibles from some of the finest companies around.