We received a message from Weta Workshop saying that Richard Taylor would like to set the record straight about who built the installation at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. Everyone has been ooh-ing and aah-ing over the amazing Hobbit themed installations popping up all over the ‘Middle of Middle-earth’ – and Weta were concerned that 3Foot7 were not getting the kudos due to them. Here’s what they had to say:
To all our friends and readers at TORn – Please note that although our local newspaper has kindly credited Weta Workshop as having built the Gandalf on the front of the Embassy, this is not in fact the case. It is very important to us as a company to not receive credit for others’ work and we therefore wish to confirm that the Gandalf is the work of friends and colleagues of ours from 3foot7’s art department. We congratulate them on the opportunity to do this prize commission.
O the many licensees to make collectibles for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey only one, The Bridge Direct, gets to make some of the coolest action figures you will find. For this review, I called upon my fellow collector and friend from our message board, Dwalin, for his insights. With the holidays fast approaching these items will make great choices for you to get your favorite fan of Middle-earth!
TORn Staffer Greendragon has been hard at work recently updating our list of theatres around the world showing The Hobbit in HFR 3D, IMAX 3D, IMAX, Dolby Atmos.
The Hobbit is the first film to be released in theatres in seven formats: HFR 3D, IMAX 3D, IMAX, standard 3D, and 2D, accompanied by Dolby Atmos 64-channel audio or Standard Dolby Surround. Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been updating our list with dozens of reader submissions and updates of different theatres round the world that are screening The Hobbit in the HFR format.
Peter Jackson intends audiences to see it in HFR 3D with Dolby Atmos — the way he filmed it. When deciding to purchase your tickets, you might like to look for these theatres!
If you have an update to the list HFR list, drop us a line.
The latest edition of ‘Happy Hobbit’ has arrived in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday! Thanksgiving (and all feast holidays) are great times to gather family and friends, but how do you please a mix of dwarves, hobbits, elves and men at your table? Join Fili for some fun tips! [Happy Hobbit: Second Breakfast Thanksgiving – Episode 05]
The grandson of JRR Tolkien said he felt ‘suffocated’ by the legacy of his famous relative and feared never being able to emerge from his shadow.
Barrister-turned-novelist Simon Tolkien said the unstoppable success of the film adaptations of his grandfather’s classic Lord of the Rings trilogy caused a bitter feud within his family.
Mr Tolkien said the problems led to an ‘incredibly, dreadfully painful’ feud with his father Christoper.
The 53-year-old author of The Stepmother and the Inspector Trave trilogy said ‘nothing could prepare’ his family for the release of the films, which he said was like being ‘hit by a juggernaut’.
He said the success of the films, which grossed almost $3 billion worldwide, made him feel as if he had ‘disappeared’.
He told The Sunday Times: ‘It was like being hit by a juggernaut. One minute, I was Simon Tolkien, a barrister from London. The next, I was JRR Tolkien’s grandson. This might sound strange, but I began to lose sight of who I was. It was as if I — me, Simon — had disappeared. I felt suffocated.’
It was reported at the time that the family row stemmed from Mr Tolkien’s willingness to cooperate with director Peter Jackson despite opposition from the rest of the estate. However this was later denied.
Mr Tolkien said: ‘Maybe some people assumed it was about money…I don’t know.
‘In hindsight, I think all of my anger was being driven by this feeling that I was trapped. All I ever was going to be was the grandson of a very famous writer. That was the sum total of my achievements.’
He and his father have since managed to reconcile their differences and he even dedicated his latest book to his father. He said: ‘I guess I feel lucky that I got the chance to put things right with my dad.
Royd Tolkien in Return of the King J.R.R. Tolkien’s great-grandson Royd Tolkien has developed a long-standing relationship with the team behind Middle Earth’s big-screen adaptations, and even appeared as a Gondorian ranger in the third film The Return of the King.
Digital Spy sat down with Royd to get the Tolkien family perspective on Jackson’s adaptations, and discuss the time he spent in New Zealand bonding with the Lord of the Rings cast and crew.
When did you first get wind of Lord of the Rings being adapted as a live-action film? It was a very long development process…
“It was years before they filmed. I’d known Peter Jackson because I’d been a fan of his from Bad Taste and Braindead, from when I was younger. But I really had no involvement in the films at that stage – my first connection with them was at the first premiere in London, for The Fellowship [of the Ring]. That’s where I met Peter and other people from New Line.”
We received a message from Weta Workshop saying that Richard Taylor would like to set the record straight about who built the installation at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. Everyone has been ooh-ing and aah-ing over the amazing Hobbit themed installations popping up all over the ‘Middle of Middle-earth’ – and Weta were concerned that 3Foot7 were not getting the kudos due to them. Here’s what they had to say:
