Ringer Fan Rod sent us this scan and observation the other day:

Judging by the recent interview with Ralph Bakshi he is somewhat embittered, to say the least. However he said he had heard that New Line had looked at his animated version of LOTR many times and extracted any good bits (not many I guess!).  But look at the attached scan from the Film of the Book version published in 1979 and compare it with the still from the FOTR teaser trailer.

[ Click for Larger Version ][ Click for larger version ]

If you put the two main images together from Bakshi’s book it is spookily simliar to the trailer still. Could just be coincidence of course.

Unfortunately the interview is more then likely a spoof (The Onion is a satirical newspaper), but the observation is right on!

Update

There is also a rendering by John Howe that mirrors this scene too. Check it out from Rolozo Tolkien. Thanks to Ringer Derek for the tip! [More]

I’m pretty sure, after receiving a few emails from fans of The Onion that the AV section is in fact legit and the interviews contained therein are also legit. Thanks to everyone who emailed me. Check the interview out for yourself. [More]