Hobbiton is the famous location where the film "The Lord of the Rings" was filmed (Matamata, New Zealand). Where was the movie "The Lord of the Rings" filmed?

The small town of Matamatu, which is located in the Waikato region, is now a place of real tourist pilgrimage. After all, it is in the vicinity of this city that the Shire is a wonderful land where the people of hobbits live. Waikato, with its small farms, rolling green hills and thickets of heather, was the ideal location for this filming. Most of the scenery is still preserved in the outskirts of the city, so here you can see hobbit holes with green round doors, a huge one where Bilbo Baggins celebrated his birthday and other memorable places from the film.

In the vicinity of Wellington (the capital of New Zealand), filming lasted three whole years. Here you can see the incredible landscapes that surrounded the elven valley of Rivendell in the film, and nearby the plains on which Orthanc stood. A walk through the Wairarapa Hills takes you to the grim peaks of Pitangirua, the Path of the Dead from the third film.

Not far from the famous resort city of Queenstown, which is located in a unique natural area, the golden forests of Lorien were filmed - the place where the beautiful elf mistress Galadriel reigns. And ten kilometers from this city there is a wonderful national park, Deer Park Heights, where the Rohans and orcs were filmed.

Rohan and Mordor

Canterbury is the largest of the South Islands. On its beautiful plains in the film the Rohan city of Edoras from the second part of the epic was located; it was here that Theoden’s palace called Meduseld stood.

Southland is one of New Zealand's most picturesque areas and is home to the Fiordland National Park. The Hutt River, which flows through this region, became the great Anduin in the film, along which the film's sailors floated as they left the golden forests of Lórien.

The volcano Ruapehu was directed by Peter Jackson (the film's director) as Fire Mountain, or Orodruin. Everything in the film began and ended with the flame of this volcano. There is a whole walking route for fans of the film. Tourists can see many places familiar from the film, approach the Ohakune River, where Gollum fished, and see stunning mountain landscapes.

New Zealand's diverse climates, stunning nature and beauty make it the perfect location for filming a fantasy epic.

For fans of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and its prequel under the general title “The Hobbit,” there is no need to talk about who Tolkien is. As well as the fact that filming took place in New Zealand - the homeland of the director, Peter Jackson. But do fans of the hobbit adventures in Middle-earth know about Tolkien tourism? Let's go in order.

After the enchanting success of the trilogy about the destruction of the One Ring and the many adventures that befell the main characters, New Zealand has become a place of pilgrimage for Tolkien fans. Since most of the filming of the film took place either on the territory of nature reserves or on private farms, all the scenery (except Hobbiton) was demolished. Now we are reminded of the filming that took place here through the stories of the guides, their thick folders with photographs from the filming sites, and in some places the remaining iron crutches that could not be pulled out. But local residents found a gold mine and began to actively make money by offering tours of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. This is how Tolkien tourism was formed - the most unusual type of tourism.

If you decide to travel in the footsteps of the hobbits in New Zealand, then most likely your adventures will begin in Auckland, the country's largest city, located on the North Island. If you head south from Auckland, you can visit all the famous locations where The Lord of the Rings was filmed. To help respectable fans of the Tolkien universe, we have compiled a visual map indicating these very places. Well, let's take an unexpected journey through the modern map of Middle-earth :)

Matamata city or Hobbiton

The village where Bilbo, Frodo, Sam and their friends lived is located on the territory of the Alexander family's private farm, so a visit to the famous hobbit village will have to fork out a little. But it's worth it!

Welcome to Hobbiton!

View of Hobbiton

The colorful world of Tolkien's hobbits will open to you in all its glory. You will be able to walk along the streets of Hobbiton, see the very famous Bag End mink with the door ajar (you can’t approach the mink itself, it’s a very valuable decoration), take a photo near the yellow door of Sam’s mink, enjoy the fabulous landscapes of the Shire, and also visit the most famous inn in Middle-earth - “The Green Dragon”, where you will be served a Hobbit pint of local beer. And this, of course, is not all, but you will tell us about the rest when you yourself touch the world of hobbits from the Shire.

Mink Bag End

Mink Sema

View from the hobbit hole :)

Interior of the Green Dragon tavern

Healthy! Hobbiton Movie Set organizes tours of the Hobbiton setting.

Mordor - Tongariro National Park

The Tongariro Nature Reserve includes three active volcanoes: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu. The largest of them is Ngauruhoe, but this mountain is not visible in the film. The fact is that Ngauruhoe is a shrine for the local Maori, and out of respect for their traditions, Peter Jackson refused to remove this peak. The scenes on the slopes of Orodruin were filmed on the slopes of the Ruapehu volcano, and the mountain itself was rendered using computer graphics.

Ngauruhoe volcano

Tongariro Game Reserve

Stone views of Mordor

Do you recognize a still from the movie?)

Rivendell - Kaitoke Park

Episodes in the land of the elves, the Anduin River and battle scenes at the Fords of Isen (in the upper reaches of the Hutt River) were filmed in this park. Nowadays, the only reminders of the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” in this park are commemorative plaques and wooden posts with elven writings (Rivendell from “The Hobbit” was filmed entirely in the studio). But the atmosphere of the elven forest in this park is very strong.

Edoras is the capital of Rohan or Mount Sunday.

The palace of King Rohan - Meduseld, you will not find here. After filming, all the scenery was dismantled and the mountain regained its former appearance. But, almost every guide to Middle-earth, in addition to interesting stories, also has a number of Mediterranean props in stock: swords, masks, various costumes. An interesting photo session is guaranteed for you!

River Bruinen and the Gates of Argonath

Remember the two huge stone statues on the border of Gondor that depicted the two sons of Elendil - Isildur and Anarion? Have you forgotten the scene of Frodo being chased by the Nazgul, where Frodo managed to cross the Bruinen River, but the Nazgul did not? These and many other equally exciting scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed in the Queenstown region.

Dead Marshes - Lake Te Anau

Near Lake Te Anau, Peter Jackson filmed a scene with Frodo in the Dead Marshes (where Frodo falls under the spell of the dead and Sam rescues him)... This place is called Kepler's Mari. According to tourists, this place absolutely fits the description of the Dead Marshes from Tolkien’s book.

Material for the article: henneth-annun, tranio.travel, Hobbiton Movie Set

The Lord of the Rings, an epic novel and the world's most famous work of fantasy, has millions of fans in all countries. For half a century, fans could only enter the magical world of Middle-earth in their dreams. But since the early 2000s, everything has changed. Director Peter Jackson, a native of New Zealand, shot a film trilogy based on Tolkien's book in his homeland, and those who wanted to plunge into the world of hobbits, elves, dwarves and orcs rushed to look for the places shown on the screens. Since then, The Lord of the Rings has become a New Zealand brand.

This island nation continues to experience a boom in all things Lord of the Rings. In 2004, just after the final part of the trilogy was filmed, this type of tourism brought US$320 million into the New Zealand treasury. And recently, gold coins with images of film characters were proposed to be used as a means of payment.

It is expected that there will be even more people wishing to visit New Zealand: the world premiere of the prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will take place in December. And then two more films will come out. All of them will describe the events of Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.

Getting to New Zealand is not easy. From Moscow to Auckland (the largest city in the country) you can fly by plane via Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai, Los Angeles, Delhi, Paris, Sydney, Singapore and other cities. The journey takes on average 30 hours. Air tickets are sold at different prices, you can expect about 1 thousand dollars. Visa and medical insurance are also paid.

Usually a tourist in New Zealand does not have to think long about where to spend the night. There are many hotels in large cities that meet international standards. Hotels can also be found in picturesque places in nature. On the way to the cities there are motels. Hostels are popular; many people prefer to stay in the houses of New Zealand families (“homestays”) and. And, of course, there is a large selection of houses for rent. If night takes you by surprise in the middle of the forest, you can pitch a tent. This is permitted wherever there is no prohibiting “No camping” sign. There are also special camping sites in national parks, and there are also paid sites.

Lord of the Rings tours last two to three weeks. You can use the services of travel agencies or. In the latter case, there will be no problems either, since the locals are friendly and always ready to help.

Agencies offer different prices, most often the cost of a tour varies from 5 thousand to 10 thousand dollars, depending on the number of vacationers and the season. The most convenient way to get around is by car.

The journey begins in Auckland. There's nothing notable here that would be associated with The Lord of the Rings, but it is New Zealand's largest city, home to more than a quarter of the country's total population. In the surrounding area there are 48 extinct volcanoes, preserved in the form of mountains, lagoons, lakes and islands. In the city you can rent a car and hit the road.

The further route passes through the following places: Wakaito, lakes Rotorua and Taupo, Tongario, Mount Ruapehu, Wellington, Kaitoke, Nelson, Punakaiki, Franz Josef Glacier, Collingwood, west coast and fjords, Te Anau, Queenstown, Mount Cook, Christchurch, and Marie Kepler. Some of them were actually used for filming, others are simply interesting landmarks along the way.

Hobbiton - Wakaito

Heading south from Auckland, the suburbs gradually give way to rural scenery, and in two hours you will find yourself in the middle of the Wakaito grasslands. The green rolling hills will immediately remind you of Hobbiton - the village where Bilbo, Frodo and their friends lived. And there really is a similar village here. The town of Matamata received a second baptism after the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” and is now called Hobbiton. A sign was placed on the main street, announcing to tourists that they were now in the world of halflings. Here you can feed the animals on the farm, visit all the corners where the film was filmed, look into hobbit holes (though most of the houses are dummies), have a snack at the Shire’s Rest cafe and buy souvenirs.

Mordor - Tongariro

Then you should go further south, to lakes Rotorua and Taupo. Once there, you should definitely visit Tongariro National Park, which became the location for the filming of Mordor. This park is characterized by great natural diversity: grassy meadows, forests and quiet lakes are interspersed with desert plateaus. At the Fakapapa ski resort they filmed the Gorgorot plateau and the Emin Muil highlands, at the Tukino resort they filmed the slopes of Orodruin (Mount Doom), and in the Rangipo desert they filmed the Black Gate of Mordor.

Mount Doom - Ruapehu

There are even active volcanoes in Tongariro. One of them, Mount Ruapehu (translated from the Maori language as “thundering abyss”), appeared in the form of Mount Orodruin. At its foot, Isildur overthrew Sauron and put the One Ring on his finger, around which the plot of The Lord of the Rings unfolds.

Orodruin is the only active volcano in Middle-earth. This is how J. R. R. Tolkien describes him: “Sam looked at Orodruin - the mountain of fire. And from time to time, the furnaces far below its ash cone heated up and, with a loud roar and noise, threw streams of hot lava out of the cracks on the slopes of the mountain. Some flowed through great canals to Barad-dúr, others carved a winding path across the stony plain until they cooled and lay like twisted dragon carcasses vomited out by the tortured earth.”

Shire, Bree, Troll Grove, Old Forest - Wellington Region

Tourists usually visit Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and explore its main attractions. Many episodes of “The Lord of the Rings” were filmed in the surrounding area: the outskirts of the Shire, Bree (on the site of an old military base), Troll Grove, the Old Forest, Helm’s Gorge, Minas Tirith and more. An hour's drive from Wellington is the Martinborough wine region, and on the way there you will meet the Hutt River, on the banks of which the hobbits left their boats.

Rivendell - Kaitoke

In the south of the North Island, near Wellington, there is Kaitoke Regional Park, where scenes in the land of the elves, the Anduin River and battle scenes at the Fords of Isen (in the upper reaches of the Hutt River) were filmed. Kaitoke was chosen for filming Rivendell because of the variety of landscapes: there are forests, valleys and a river. Using computer graphics, the filmmakers managed to make it look like the place Tolkien described: “Sam led him (Frodo) through several long corridors and down a staircase with many steps and through a garden above a steep river bank. Here, on the threshold facing east, sat his friends. The valley below them was covered in shadow, but there was still light here, and the light reflected from the distant mountains. The air was warm. The sounds of flowing and falling water were loud, the evening was full of the smells of trees and flowers, as if summer had lingered in Elrond’s garden.”

Edoras - Mount Sunday

The next attraction is Mount Sunday in Canterbury. To get there you have to make a big jump to the center of the South Island. The two parts of the country are connected by a ferry service for passengers and cars. En route to Canterbury, you'll visit the towns of Collingwood, Picton and Nelson, with pristine beaches and breathtaking mountain peaks and crevices. Mount Sunday is significant because in the film it was the location of Edoras, the capital of Rohan, along with the palace of Meduseld, where King Théoden lived.

Argonath and Bruinen - Queenstown region

Some complete the trip by stopping in Christchurch, located east of Edoras, but true Tolkien fans head further south. In the vicinity of Queenstown they filmed the refugee crossing of Rohan, the White Mountains, the hills of Eregion, the Misty Mountains, an overnight stay in Ithilien, Argonath, Bruinen and more.

The Bruinen River scene took place in Skippers Canyon. In the film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Arwen and Frodo escaped the pursuit of the Black Riders by driving them into this body of water. Nearby, in the area of the Twelve Mile Channel, an episode called "A Night in Ithilien" was filmed, when Frodo, Sam and Gollum watched the battle between Faramir's warriors from Gondor and their enemies from Harad. The difficult trek through the Misty Mountains actually took place in the Southern Alps. Stone statues of the kings of Gondor were “placed” on the Kawarau River, but the statues themselves were drawn using computer graphics.

Dead Marshes - Kepler's Marie

Even further south lie the marshes, where they filmed the episode in which Frodo falls under the spell of the dead and Sam saves him. These are the so-called Kepler mari, located near Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island. The depth of the swamps reaches almost 5 m. Marie Kepler is indeed similar to the description of the Dead Marshes from Tolkien’s book: “On both sides and in front lay wide swamps, stretching to the south and east in the dim half-light. The fog rose in curls from the dark, fetid pools. Heavy fumes hung in the air. The only green was a foam of pale algae on the dark, dirty surface of the dismal water. Dead grasses and rotting reeds rose in the mist like the ragged shadows of a long-forgotten summer.”

To return back, you can get to Queenstown, and from there by plane to Auckland. The same route can be taken by bus or car.

New Zealand

The film "The Lord of the Rings" is the famous trilogy by Peter Jackson, based on Tolkien's novel of the same name. The Lord of the Rings novel is a classic of modern fantasy, and the film version of it is extremely popular among people all over the world.

The main location for filming the film was New Zealand - its picturesque landscapes became the best backdrop for The Lord of the Rings. And every year thousands of fans visit New Zealand just to see the places where the legendary trilogy was filmed.

A little about filming

New Zealander Peter Jackson got the idea to make a film based on Tolkien's book at the age of 17, inspired by the cartoon by Ralph Bakshi. By the time work on “Lord” began, Jackson had already filmed the Hollywood film “The Scarecrows.” He immediately decided to shoot the film in New Zealand, with the help of local companies. Funding came from American studios, but even the special effects were done by a local studio. At the same time, the work was done so well that the heads of American studios reluctantly admitted that they could learn a lot from their colleagues from New Zealand.

Thus, it can be said that although The Lord of the Rings is considered an American film, its appearance is entirely the merit of New Zealand.

Excursions

In a number of travel agencies around the world, anyone can book a tour of the memorable places of the Lord of the Rings. Such excursions usually last a couple of weeks, and their cost ranges from five to ten thousand dollars. These excursions usually include other places of interest in New Zealand.

However, you can do without an excursion - almost all memorable places have accommodation facilities, and camping is also encouraged in New Zealand.

Wakaito - Hobbitshire

Wakaito is a very picturesque place just south of Auckland. It was this place, or rather the town of Matamata, that became the prototype of the hobbit village.

After filming, the name “Hobbiton” became very firmly attached to this place; a sign even appeared at the entrance to the city. Moreover, after filming, almost all the hobbit houses in the town were preserved. Unfortunately, you can’t get inside them, but you can at least look from the outside.

As soon as the film The Hobbit, a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, was released, the Green Dragon bar opened in Wakaito - the same one where the characters in the film liked to gather to drink and talk. In a real pub you can drink the hobbits' favorite drinks: beer, Barton's Oak ale, ginger ale and much more. There are plans to open a hotel in the bar soon.

"Hobbiton"

Tongariro - Mordor

Tongariro National Park, as well as nearby lakes Rotorua and Tuapo, are the places where the most terrible territory of Middle-earth - Mordor - was filmed. The landscapes of the Rangipo Desert are easily recognizable as the area around the Black Gate of Mordor, and the ski resort of Whakapapa is the Gorgoroth plateau and the Emyn Muil highlands.

There are also active volcanoes in this park. One of these volcanoes, Ruapehu, became the prototype for Oroduin, Mount Doom.

Volcano Ruapehu

Wellington - Trollgrove and Old Forest

Of course, there was no filming in the capital of New Zealand itself, but in its surroundings there are many picturesque places that were used to show the Old Forest, Troll Grove and Helm's Deep - places very important to the plot of the film.

Kaitoke - Rivendell

This national park is also located near Wellington. Thanks to modern computer technology, which emphasized the rich local nature, the film crew was able to almost perfectly recreate the Rivendell described by Tolkien. The Battle of Isen Fords was also filmed here.

Mount Sunday - Edoras

All previous locations were located in the North Island of New Zealand, but the film was not only filmed there. In the central part of the South Island is Mount Sunday, which became the location of the capital of Rohan - Edoras.

The South Island can be reached by ferry service, which operates for both people and cars. This part of New Zealand is full of beauty, with amazing pristine beaches and massive mountain peaks and crevices.

Mount Sunday

Marie Kepler - Dead Marshes

Another attraction of the South Island of New Zealand is Lake Te Anau, the largest on the islands. Near this lake, which is quite a popular attraction in itself, are Kepler's mari. The scenes where Frodo walks through the Dead Marshes with Golum and Sam were filmed here. By the way, Kepler's mares correspond almost perfectly to Tolkien's Dead Marshes, so the film crew almost didn't have to use computer graphics.

Fiordland - River Anduin

Southland is one of the most picturesque places in New Zealand, located in the southwestern part of the country. It is located on the coast and is notable for the fjords of the Tasman Sea. On the territory of Southland is Fiordland, a New Zealand national park with rare representatives of fauna and flora.

The Hutt River flows through Fiordland, between lakes Manapouri and Te Anau. During filming, this river became Aduin, the river along which members of the Fellowship of the Ring fled from Lórien. If desired, tourists can sail the route of the heroes by renting a motor boat. And upstream the river there are also the very remarkable Misty Mountains.

Fiordland

Queenstown

Even further south is Queenstown - the place where the Misty Mountains, the hills of Eregion, the stop of the hobbits and Ithilien and several other very memorable episodes were filmed: the rescue of Frodo and Arwen from the Nazgul, the battle of Faramir's troops against Harad, etc. By the way, although the Misty Mountains were filmed in Queenstown, the passage through them is part of the Southern Alps.

Queenstown has a unique natural environment, so it is not surprising that many panoramic scenes were filmed here. Not far from Queenstown is Lorien, a forest inhabited by wood elves.

Nelson

Also on the South Island, but on its southern coast, is the city of Nelson. First of all, this city is notable for the fact that it is the geographical center of New Zealand - this can be learned from the memorial plaque, as well as from the tour guides.

However, after the filming of The Lord of the Rings, the city began to attract tourists even more. The fact is that it was in Nelson that beer for the Prancing Pony was brewed, the One Ring was made, and in general many details and little things were made that created the image of the Middle-earth saga.

From this city you can book a helicopter excursion to those filming locations that are not so easy to get to. For example, from here you can fly to the hill under which the Fellowship of the Ring hid from Saruman’s spies, and where they mourned the death of Gandalf. There are other interesting places that are worth visiting, but getting to them is not so easy - that's what helicopter excursions are for.

Mackenzie

Mackenzie County is home to Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest point. The national park located here, which is included in the UNESCO treasury, is named after this mountain.

In this park you can see with your own eyes the places where a large-scale battle took place between the troops of Gondor and Rohan and the army of Sauron on the Pelennor Plain.

The film is based on the novel by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings” (1954-1955).
New Line Cinema insisted on a two-minute prologue for the film, and the introduction ended up being 7.5 minutes long.
There were supposed to be 144 extra hobbits at Bilbo's party to match the book's text, but to save money, only 100 were hired.
In the English version, Gandalf was voiced in some scenes by actor John Astin, the father of actor Sean Astin, who played Sam.
Stuart Townsend began filming as Aragorn, but was fired four days later because Peter Jackson decided that the role needed an older actor.
It was planned to take the famous musician David Bowie for the role of Elrond.
J. R. R. Tolkien spent more than fourteen years writing The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the book was first published in 1954.
Howard Shore worked on the film's score for a total of about two years.
Ian Holm, who played Bilbo Baggins, voiced Frodo Baggins in the BBC Radio dramatization of The Lord of the Rings in 1981.
John Astin, Sean Astin's father, auditioned for the role of Gandalf.
Eight of the nine members of the Brotherhood received a tattoo of the elven symbol "9". Elijah Wood has a tattoo on his lower abdomen, Sean Astin and Billy Boyd have a tattoo on his ankle, Orlando Bloom has a tattoo on his forearm, and Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan and Sean Bean have a tattoo on his shoulder. John Rhys-Davies refused to get a tattoo. Peter Jackson also got a tattoo of the elf symbol "10".
Producer Tim Sanders left the project after filming began.
Daniel Day-Lewis turned down the role of Aragorn.
When composing the film's score, Howard Shore drew inspiration from the compositions of Richard Wagner.
The creators did their best to lure into the project two artists who made drawings for Tolkien’s works - Alan Lee and John Howe. Lee received a package containing Peter Jackson's film Heavenly Creatures (1994), as well as a letter outlining his intentions for making the film. Just three hours after receiving the package, Lee agreed to take part in the film. The producers called John at his home in Switzerland. Due to the time difference, John was woken up at 2 am, but despite such a late call, John agreed to participate in the project.
In the prologue, John Howe and Alan Lee can be seen among the nine human kings.
John Howe designed the appearance of the Morian orcs.
Originally, the voiceover for the prologue was to be read by Elijah Wood. However, later the creators decided that the story of the ring should be told by an older character. Ian McKellen recorded the monologue, but according to the creators, he was not quite right for the role. Ultimately, it was decided that the voiceover would be read by Cate Blanchett, who played Galadriel.
The Hobbiton Bridge was built by the New Zealand Army from polystyrene.
There are 111 candles on Bilbo Baggins' birthday cake. The cake itself was made from polystyrene. Lit candles caused the entire structure to catch fire.
Two sets of Bilbo Baggins's house were built: the first is ordinary, the second is a third smaller than the first, as tall as Ian McKellen.
Several visitors to the Prancing Pony walked on stilts to highlight the difference in height between humans and hobbits.
The large trees in Lothlorien Forest were made of rubber.
The final fight was filmed in unbearable heat. Many of the actors who played the Urukhai were carried off the set due to heat stroke.
The filming locations were heavily guarded, with at least three people arrested trying to enter the set.
From the very beginning, Tolkien's descendants reacted negatively to the idea of a film adaptation of the book. But since Tolkien sold the rights in 1968 for $15,000, they could not influence the course of filming. As soon as Tolkien's grandson, Simon, came out in support of the film adaptation, which immediately led to a deterioration in relations with other relatives.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy contributed approximately $200,000,000 to the New Zealand economy. The New Zealand government even created a special Lord of the Rings Ministry whose task was to explore the possibilities that the film's production offered.
Fans were invited to have their names mentioned in the end credits of the extended version of the film. This pleasure cost $39.95.
Although the film was rated PG in the UK, a special caption stated that the film contained scenes that may be inappropriate for children. After Jurassic Park (1993) and Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World (1997), The Fellowship of the Ring became the third film in history to receive such a title.
For 13 weeks, the film was in the top ten highest-grossing films in the United States at the end of the week.
In August 2002, the film set a record for DVD/VHS sales in the UK, selling over 2.4 million copies.
Hobbiton was built a year before filming began to give it a natural look.
29 Dark Rider costumes were made.
Throughout Elrond's council, leaves fall in the background. Half a dozen people were stationed above the set, scattering leaves at regular intervals. Many bags of fallen leaves were collected. Since the leaves turned black quite quickly, each leaf had to be repainted.
A rubber doll with a scary face was superimposed over Ian Holm's face in the scene where Bilbo looks at the ring in Rivendell.
The glowing floor that leads to the caves of Moria was painted with the same paint as the road signs.
Galadriel's House Lothlórien was the largest miniature built for the trilogy.
Large quantities of hair were imported to New Zealand to be made into wigs. Some of the hair was purchased in Russia.
The New Zealand government entered into a special agreement with the creators regarding taxation after the New Line studio threatened to move the production of the film to another country.
Despite the fact that the viewer meets Bilbo in Hobbiton, Ian Holm never filmed on location, having worked all his scenes against a blue screen.
The sounds that a cave troll makes are in most cases a combination of the sounds of a walrus, a tiger and a horse.
The script for each of the three films was largely rewritten during filming due to numerous suggestions and ideas added to it by various actors.
Storyboards that were too complex to create on paper were made on computers. George Lucas and Rick McCallum gave Peter Jackson a lot of advice about computer storyboards.
The film crew numbered about 3,000 people.
It took about a year to design the hobbits' feet. About 1,800 feet were created for the four main hobbits alone. It took about an hour and a half to attach the artificial feet to the actors' legs.
The scene in which the Brotherhood escapes from the Urukhai across the river was never filmed due to a flood that completely washed away the scenery.
28 separate hobbit houses were built for the Shire. None of them were like the other.
In the production of big-budget films, having two or three crews filming at the same time is common practice. However, for this trilogy, sometimes five or six teams were filming simultaneously.
There are 47 chimneys in Hobbiton.
Weta Digital, who did the special effects for the film, is named after the Giant Weta, the largest insect in the world.
Typically, on set, the director watches 20-25 minutes of footage every day. Since filming on The Lord of the Rings was carried out by several teams at once, the duration of the footage was 3-4 hours daily.
Howard Shore hired a Maori choir to record the music for the chase scene in the caves of Moria.
The trilogy's production budget was approximately $300 million, with another $200 million spent on promotion.
In their free time from filming, most of the actors went surfing. Among them was Viggo Mortensen, who one day seriously injured his face. No matter how hard the make-up artists tried to hide the bruises on Viggo’s face, the result left much to be desired. Therefore, Peter Jackson decided to film the actor in such a way that only one part of his face was always visible. In the scene in the caves of Moria, where the Fellowship finds the grave of Gimli's relative, Aragorn only ever has one part of his face visible.
Initially, Miramax studio expressed interest in the project, but they wanted to fit all the events into one film.
Peter Jackson originally intended to include Tom Bombadil in the film, but his scene was never filmed due to time constraints.
Orlando Bloom originally auditioned for the role of Faramir.
The roles of extras were performed by soldiers of the New Zealand Army. However, they left the set ahead of schedule, going as peacekeepers to East Timor.
The film's trailer appeared on the Internet on April 7, 2001 and was downloaded 1.6 million times within the first 24 hours.
Sam Neill and Tom Baker were considered for the role of Gandalf.
Christopher Lee has re-read the trilogy every year since its first publication, and he is the only person on the production team who met Tolkien in person.
When Christopher Lee and John Ronald Tolkien corresponded, the latter would have been happy for Lee to play Gandalf in the film adaptation of the book. Years later, Christopher Lee tried to score the role of Gandalf in the film directed by Peter Jackson. However, he was offered the role of Saruman. Since Lee wanted to act in the film anyway, he accepted the offer.
Christopher Lee also became the first actor officially cast in the trilogy, thanks in large part to his excellent knowledge of the works of John Ronald Tolkien. Moreover, make-up artists consulted Lee quite often about the appearance of various monsters.
Anthony Hopkins and Kate Winslet turned down roles in the film.
Initially, the creators wanted to make the orcs completely computer generated.
The length of the rough version of the film was 4 hours 30 minutes.
Especially for large-scale battles, a computer program “MASSIVE” was written, which allowed each of the 20,000 units to “think” and fight in their own style.
Gandalf's height is about 210 centimeters. Hobbits are about 90-120 centimeters tall. To emphasize this huge difference in height, quite often Ian McKellen (Gandalf) was placed much closer to the camera than Elijah Wood (Frodo). However, this filming technique is effective if the camera does not move and the actors remain in place. Therefore, the creators had to develop a series of special platforms on which the actors were located, and which began to move simultaneously with the camera movements.
During the filming of a fight scene, Viggo Mortensen had part of his tooth knocked out. Viggo wanted to glue the shard to the rest of his tooth so he could continue filming, but Peter Jackson decided to send the actor to the dentist during his lunch break.
Every day, 1,460 eggs were served to the film crew for breakfast.
More than 1,600 pairs of latex ears and feet were used for filming. Each pair was “cooked” in a special oven. Each pair of feet could only be used once, as they could not be removed from the actors' feet without damage.
During filming, Liv Tyler left a pair of elf ears on the dashboard of her car. When she returned, they had already melted.
Dominic Monaghan wore a special foam suit that made him look thicker. To avoid dehydration, he drank three liters of water daily.
Sean Astin gained 30 pounds for the role of Sam.
Viggo Mortensen performed all of his own stunts in the film.
Orlando Bloom performed almost all of his own stunts in the film. While performing one of the tricks, he broke a rib.
During filming, John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) developed an allergic reaction to his makeup.
The map that Gandalf examines in Bilbo's house is an exact copy of the map drawn by Tolkien for The Hobbit.
John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli, is the tallest of all the Brotherhood actors: his height is 185 centimeters.
Peter Jackson gave Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis each a ring used for filming. However, the actors thought that they each received a single copy of the ring.
Twenty minutes of the film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. It was here that the actors first saw the completed scenes of the film.
Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, was renamed Middle Earth for the film's premiere.
Peter Jackson's children are mentioned in the end credits as cute hobbit children.
Peter Jackson originally wanted to cast either Daniel Day-Lewis or Russell Crowe as Aragorn.
Initially, the producers wanted to make two films. However, after a meeting with the head of the New Line Cinema studio, it was decided to rewrite the script for a trilogy.
Cate Blanchett jokes that she only agreed to star in the film because she always wanted to have pointy ears.
Ian McKellen tried to imitate John Ronald Tolkien for Gandalf's accent.
The episode where Gandalf hits his head on the ceiling in Bilbo's house was not written into the script, but happened completely by accident during filming: Ian McKellen hit his head, but, without leaving the character, continued the scene. Peter Jackson liked this take so much that he included it in the film.
Viggo Mortensen, who is fluent in English, Spanish and Danish, requested that more scenes of Aragorn speaking Elvish be added to the script.
The orc smiths in Isengard were played by WETA Workshop employees who made the weapons for the film.
The Elvish phrases heard in the film are not only quotes from the book, they were also compiled from John Ronald Tolkien's own Elvish dictionary. The actors speak Elvish, imitating Tolkien's pronunciation.
Elves from Lothlorien have light blue eyes, while elves from Rivendell have dark blue eyes.
Approximately 3,100 frames (78% of the entire film) underwent special color grading using 5D Colossus software and Imagica XE high-resolution scanners. Since only 78% of the film was shot digitally, it was impossible to make fully digital copies for theaters. Therefore, the digital footage was recorded onto matte matte negatives at 1.77:1 resolution along with the non-digital original negatives and printed onto Kodak anamorphic film at 2.39:1 aspect ratio using an optical film copier.
When viewed in cinemas, many claimed that they saw a car in the background in the scene where Sam tells Frodo that this is the furthest he has ever gone from home. When the film was released on DVD, Peter Jackson watched the scene frame by frame and did not find any car. However, in the extra footage for the extended cut of the film, editor John Gilbert says that there was actually a car in the scene, and it was not removed from the frame because the filmmakers believed that no one would notice it. The car was removed from the frame when the film was released on DVD. In later magazine publications, Jackson admits that the car could be seen in the frame while watching the film in the cinema.
The end credits of the extended version of the film are approximately 30 minutes long, due to the mention of many members of the official Lord of the Rings fan club in the credits.
The portraits hanging over the fireplace in Bag End are based on the appearance of Peter Jackson and Frances Walsh.
Viggo Mortensen always kept Aragorn's sword with him, which, according to him, helped him constantly be in character.
When Frodo falls into the snow and loses the ring, the viewer sees a close-up of the ring with Frodo in the background. To achieve the double focus effect, a huge ring (6 inches (approximately 15 centimeters) in diameter) was made, which was used for filming this sequence.
The Cry of the Dark Riders is by Frances Walsh.
Filming was often carried out in remote locations, where the film crew and actors traveled by helicopter. Sean Bean (Boromir) is afraid of flying, and therefore did not agree to fly. To film the scene where the brotherhood crosses the snowy mountains, Bean spent two hours each day climbing while dressed as Boromir.
While filming scenes on the River Anduin, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies fell overboard from their boats.
Peter Jackson shot many scenes exactly as he did in the animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1978).
The Gollum in this film is different from the Gollum in subsequent films, because the Gollum scenes for The Fellowship of the Ring were filmed based on an earlier design. Gollum is only shown briefly, partly due to differences in appearance from subsequent films, and partly to whet the audience's interest in the sequel.
Reels containing theatrical copies of the film were labeled "Changing Seasons".
Peter Jackson originally wanted British actors to play the hobbits.
Viggo Mortensen got so used to the role that in a conversation with Peter Jackson, the latter addressed him as Aragorn, and Viggo didn’t even notice it.
During filming, Christopher Lee broke his left arm after hitting a hotel door.
When hobbits are present in the frame, they always move from the left corner of the screen to the right.
During Bilbo's birthday party, Pippin can be seen playing the guitar.
Originally Dominic Monaghan
Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Frodo.
Peter Jackson originally wanted Lucy Lawless to play Galadriel and Uma Thurman to play Arwen. However, the actresses became pregnant, and the roles went to Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler, respectively.
The butterfly to which Gandalf whispers something was born shortly before filming began and died some time after the scene was filmed.
Dominic Monaghan suffered from hay fever while filming the cornfield scene.
When Bilbo finds the ring at the beginning of the film, Gollum shouts "my treasure", but Andy Serkis was not present on the set, so Dominic Monaghan had to shout this phrase.
During his birthday party, Bilbo gives a small speech. When filming the reaction shots of the numerous hobbits gathered for the party, the speech was made not by Ian Holm, but by Dominic Monaghan.
When Pippin asks about second breakfast, he gets hit on the head with an apple. Viggo Mortensen threw apples at Billy Boyd. 16 takes were filmed. According to Billy, Viggo enjoyed himself immensely while filming the scene.
Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, voiced the dark riders before they reach the Shire, before Gandalf's return, and when Arwen rides with Frodo.
During the council of Rivendell, when Boromir says that the ring must be taken to Gondor, the Gondor theme song plays in the background. In The Return of the King, when the heroes arrive in Gondor, the same orchestral music plays. According to Howard Shore, he did not initially intend to develop the background music in Rivendell into a full-fledged Gondor main theme.