New Zealand’s film industry is hoping the flow-on effects from the release of The Hobbit on DVD will extend beyond just increased tourism numbers.
Released in North America this week, it featured a small clip of cast interviews raving over behind-the-scenes footage of New Zealand’s landscape.
Martin Freeman, who stars as Bilbo Baggins, said New Zealand was “too perfect”. (more…)
Posted in Hobbit Movie, New Zealand, The Hobbit
A new survey shows New Zealanders are divided on whether the Government’s subsidy to ensure the Hobbit was made in the country was value for money.
A UMR Online Omnibus Survey asked 1,000 New Zealanders aged over 18 whether they thought the subsidy was worthwhile. A narrow margin 42% to 38% thought it did represent value for money, with men, older New Zealanders and those on higher incomes more likely to be in favour. (more…)
Posted in Hobbit Movie, New Zealand, The Hobbit, Warner Bros.
There will be four dwarves attending at this years’ Armageddon
Expo held this weekend March 9 / 10th at the The Stables, Addington Raceway, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
They are Hobbit actors Dean O’Gorman (Fili), Jed Brophy (Nori) William Kircher (Bifur) and Peter Hambleton (Gloin). There will be signing and photo sessions on both days. On Saturday each actor will hold their own individual panel talk, and there will be a final group panel on Sunday.
For further information, tickets and session times click here
For those who are (Fili) Dean O’Gorman (hot dwarves fans) please note that he is only able to attend on Saturday.
Posted in Conventions, Dean O'Gorman, Events, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, New Zealand, Other Events, Peter Hambleton, William Kircher
Tolkien fans in Southern California will have an embarrassment of events to attend to share their love of all things Tolkien. From conventions and film screenings to enjoying the source material, here is a little rundown of events to attend and enjoy in the month of March.
First up is a Literary based Science Fiction convention in San Diego called Condor, taking place this weekend. TheOneRing.net will be hosting several discussions on Saturday and Sunday about The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net and Middle-earth. This weekend will be full of lots of interactive programming, so come on down and join in the fun.
On the following weekend, the American Cinematheque will be hosting a screening of The Hobbit and the LOTR Trilogy in a full day and night Middle-earth Marathon. This will be on Saturday, March 16 at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. TheOneRing.net will be there to talk Tolkien, run trivia contests and play a game or two. And to help some lucky Tolkien fan to OD on Middle-earth, we have a pair of tickets to give away. Go to our Event Page on Facebook, RSVP to attend the screening and leave a message stating how you plan to survive the 15 hours or so that this marathon will take, and we’ll randomly award a pair of tickets to one lucky person. Hurry, this contest will close on Saturday at Midnight.
Just a week later, on March 23, Tolkien Forever will be hosting their annual Tolkien Reading Day event. This event is typically held on March 25, the Middle-earth New Year after the Destruction of the Ring. But March 25 is a Monday, so the event in Los Angeles was moved to the Saturday before, and is going to be at what looks to be a wicked cool used bookstore in Downtown LA called The Last Bookstore. Selections of Tolkien’s wide range of works will be read to any and all who show up, spreading the love for his written word. Visit the Facebook Event Page to see more details.
The final event for So Cal Tolkien fans to attend and enjoy will be Wondercon in Anaheim at the end of the month. This convention is typically held in San Francisco, but moved to Anaheim last year and this year because Moscone Center in San Fran has been undergoing renovations. Wondercon is a spin off from San Diego Comic Con and is run in a similar manner, but on a much smaller scale, making it more accessible for fans to enjoy all that the con has to offer. TheOneRing.net will have a panel at Wondercon, but the schedule is still pending, we will announce when and where you can find as soon as we know.
And there you have it, 4 weekends of Tolkien fandom, fun and friendship. What more could wee little Hobbits hope for?
Posted in Contests, Conventions, Events, Fans, Film Screenings, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Meet Ups, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, New Zealand, Other Events, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien Reading Day, WonderCon
Bilbo Baggins’ lush green shire could have the life sucked out of it after Waikato’s undeclared drought restricted Hobbiton’s water supply.
It’s the region’s driest summer in five years and, with no rain in sight, Matamata best known tourist attraction may become three hectares of parched grass and stressed plants.
Losing the green image threatens to damage Hobbiton’s international image and could cost thousands of dollars to fix, manager Russell Alexander said yesterday.
The film set, that featured in both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, has enjoyed an unprecedented summer of business.
Posted in Locations Sets, New Zealand, The Hobbit
Welcome to the latest “Getting to know…” questions that need answering. Based on the old Getting to know you threads that I used to post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.
This month we’re asking questions of uber fan from Brisbane Australia, Peter Kenny.
Hi Peter and thank you for joining in 
Kelvarhin: What piece of Tolkien ephemera began your collection?
Peter: My very first Tolkien Book was a single volume paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings given to me as a gift in 1976. I still have that original copy in my collection.
Posted in Collectibles, Conventions, Creations, Events, Exhibits, Fans, Film Screenings, Green Books, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lectures & Education, Locations Sets, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Meet Ups, New Zealand, Oscar Parties, Other Merchandise, Other Tolkien books, Premieres, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The One Expected Party, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien, Tours, Toys, Wellington
Our sister site tolkienbrasil.com has posted and sent word of some very interesting verification that there is at least a possibility of a J.R.R. Tolkien inspired Middle-earth theme park. In records obtained by the website from the U.S. Patent office, the Saul Zaents Company, has registered in a goods and services document, several uses for Middle-earth properties that includes theme parks. When rumors of this first surfaced there was no credible source, or even really any source, that this was being explored. It didn’t even rise to the level of a rumor but now, those floating ideas are officially documented.
The Zaents Company owns Middle-earth Enterprises and that company gives Warner Bros. and other studios the right to produce Hobbit films and all that springs from them. The author, Tolkien sold his movie rights before his death to pay for medical expenses.
The found document is below, click it for a larger version:
The document, dated January 22, 2013, could be the company simply protecting its rights to develop a theme park in response to the message board rumors late last year or it could be actively considering such a development as a real possibility. It isn’t clear if this park would be in New Zealand or in one of the established theme-park regions of the U.S., such as Flordia or California, or perhaps both. Warners recently had a successful port of its Harry Potter movie franchise to a well-received theme park experience. The possibilities of what to do with such a park, is a nearly limitless source of message board content.
Thanks again to Tolkienbrasil.com for the heads up. You can read the story right here or below is a rough translation:
FROM TOLKIENBRASIL.COM:
Warner Bross and Univeral are already thinking of a theme park ride on Middle Earth and it looks like the rumors are true.
The first news about occurred in early January in a post on micro site Micechat.com. In saying only: “Great news in the world of theme parks. Universal is negotiating the possibility of bringing the sights and scenery of The Lord of the Rings at a theme park near you. Heated with the success of the magical world of Harry Potter, Universal is unwilling to let Disney take the reins of the market with parks Avatar or Star Wars. We will have an exciting time for fans of theme parks. ”
Many took no credibility with the post, why not present any kind of source on this information. And there is no announcement from Universal about. Thus, the information was taken as mere rumor.
Given the recent process of merchandising products on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Tolkien Estate promoted by the companies face in administering the films (Warner Bros, New Line and Saulz Company), started to think that a theme park would still be far from becoming reality.
However, recently the site parkrumors.com presented what appears to be a piece of a document relating to the transaction that is like a theme park. This is the trademark registration of the name “Middle Earth”, which is the company Saulz Company. But that was extended with the possibility of doing a theme park.
The document presented by Parkrumors site is authentic?
Well, the document that the site has not parkrumors has its source, ie, we do not know its origin, since it is not told what department this document originou.O that could still form the opinion that it is only a rumor from fact.
Lawyer Site Tolkien Brazil came into contact with the industry patent records from the U.S. government on this information and the veracity of the document. And it was confirmed as true in an email received this morning. In that email it was confirmed that no such document exists and can be found on-site records of U.S. patents (see HERE).
parquetemáricodoc
Click on image to enlarge
In this document we see that is dated on January 22, 2013, with the word mark “Middle Earth”. Taking as the record owner of the company The Saul Zaentz COMPANY (which is the company that holds the rights to produce adaptations of the hobbit, lord of the rings and that makes the licenses of any products derived from these stories). Below is the translation of the terms of the document:
IC 028. U.S. 022023038050. G & S: Amusement
IC 035. U.S. 100101102. G & S: Management facilities for camping; Providing consumer information services and making referrals in the field of entertainment services for products, services, events, activities, facilities and locations
IC 039. U.S. 100 105. G & S: Organization of excursions; Organization of sightseeing trips, providing information, news and commentary in the field of travel, providing links to websites of other guidebooks, transportation of passengers and / or goods by car, boat and rail, transportation services, namely, providing transport services by bus services travel information
IC 041. U.S. 100101107. G & S: Salas games, entertainment centers for children, interactive play areas; entertainment as amusement, entertainment services in the form of an amusement park to show, entertainment services, namely, arranging and conducting special events at an amusement park, entertainment services, namely, arranging for ticket reservations amusement park attractions; Organizing and organizing exhibitions for entertainment purposes; Providing amusement parks; Provide recreation facilities; Provision of park thematic
IC 043. U.S. 100 101. G & S: Reservation of accommodation for camping, camping facilities provide services Resort Hotel
The document is official. And we see clearly that this is a trademark registration document for the purpose of producing a theme park. It remains now await negotiations to be made quickly and it becomes reality theme park on the middle ground.
A pity that the park “Middle Earth” will have no character of Silmarillon stories …
Posted in Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, New Zealand, Rumours Spy News, The Hobbit
Marlborough was not among the filming locations in the first Hobbit movie, but the tourism officials still hope the region can cash in on the buzz created by the film franchise.
The films seem set to bring another tourism boost similar to that from The Lord of the Rings trilogy as travel websites reported significant growth in searches and bookings for New Zealand after the worldwide release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last month.
Air New Zealand bookings from the United States were reported to have nearly doubled on the day before the November 28 world premiere in Wellington, and increased by a third in Japan after a Hobbit promotion there.
Scenes for the The Hobbit (Ed note: the barrels out of bond scenes) were filmed at Pelorus Bridge last year, but the decision to split the story into three films means Marlborough will not feature until the second film, which is scheduled to be released on December 13.
Posted in Hobbit Movie, New Zealand, The Hobbit
The bid to name an anonymous peak in Fiordland National Park Mt Tolkien in honour of The Lord of the Rings author has received backing from a prominent member of the society dedicated to his work.
Manapouri man Aaron Nicholson has lodged a request to name the 1757-metre summit in the Earl Mountains, near Lake Gunn, with the New Zealand Geographic Board.
The peak appeared briefly alongside other Fiordland National Park locations in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Nicholson hoped that naming the summit, close to Consolation Peak, would provide a lure for Tolkien fan tourism in the wake of the release of The Hobbit movie.
The Tolkien Society, founded in London in 1969, is an international body devoted to the author’s works. It is regarded as one of the most important groups dedicated to Professor Tolkien’s canon.
Its education officer, Dr Lynn Forest-Hill, said she liked the idea of naming the mountain, but could not speak for the society as a whole.
Posted in J.R.R. Tolkien, New Zealand, Tolkien
New Zealand is expected to see a surge in tourism following the release of The Hobbit movie.
Travel websites have reported a significant growth this month in searches and bookings to the country following the launch of the JRR Tolkien-inspired film.
The flight search website Skyscanner reported a 102 per cent increase in worldwide flight searches to New Zealand this month compared to December 2011, including a 117 per cent rise in searches to Wellington, the country’s capital city.
The travel booking website Expedia had an 84 per cent increase in flight bookings to the country in December.
Bookings for New Zealand in 2012 went up by 30 per cent last month for hotel booking website Laterooms.com, with a 100 per cent rise in bookings for the small town of Matamata alone, where much of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel were filmed.
Posted in New Zealand, The Hobbit, Tours
Royd Tolkien, great-grandson of the writer, is besotted with New Zealand. Here he explains why.
When I was eight I fell in love for the first time. Miss Arnell was a supply teacher who stepped in to replace the grumpy, crabby Mrs Rogers.
I didn’t know it was love back then; I was just eight and keen on Action Man and climbing trees. What I do know is that I couldn’t wait to see her, and when I did my heart would skip a beat. She was a breath of fresh air and every time I went home I longed to see her again. I relished every moment with her and craved her attention. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and still do. (more…)
Posted in New Zealand, Tolkien Family
Many fans traveled to New Zealand from around the world in the days and weeks leading up to the Premiere, just to be there on that fateful day. One such person is Dr. Lynnette Porter, author of a new book “The Hobbit: The many lives of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin” (review forthcoming) and previously a speaker at one of TORn’s Lord of the Rings related conventions. She has just posted an in-depth article on why so many Tolkien fans flock to New Zealand and just what made Premiere week so special. You can check out her article at Popmatters to read about ‘What happens when Humans go a-Hobbiting’.
And for those wondering, it is likely that TheOneRing.net will mount another tour of New Zealand, but whether that is in conjunction with a Premiere or not is still to be determined. Wellington would first need to secure one of the two remaining film’s World Premiere to justify the level of activities they hosted this time around. But then, the locations are always there, and if not a tour, a Cruise to Middle-earth is a very relaxing way to see such a delightful and beautiful country. Keep an eye out, we will post something if the omens look favorable.
Posted in Fans, Hobbit Movie, Locations Sets, Meet Ups, New Zealand, Premieres, The Hobbit, Tours, Wellington
