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.
There has been some noise from some corners that The Hobbit isn’t so great or even good. During Hobbit Week (#HobbitWeek on Twitter) those comments can be a little painful to fans hoping to go and love the movie. Fictional Frontiers radio host Sohaib Awan interviewed TORn staffer Larry D. Curtis “MrCere” this week in a show that airs at 5 p.m. ET in Philly today. But Fictional Frontiers has shared the extended chat with TORn listeners early right now, right here. MrCere quite liked the film and is okay with 48 fps but needing further review and both gentlemen are critical of the critics whom they feel are sometimes giving the show a bit of a raw deal, intentionally or not. These guys have opinions and maybe informed ones at that. Here is the extended chat: http://www.fictionalfrontiers.podcastpeople.com/posts/49058
“One does not simply walk into Mordor.” It’s one of the classic catchphrases from Lord of the Rings. But is it true?
To celebrate the release of The Hobbit this month, Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais, two members of Rooster Teeth Productions (the creators of the acclaimed machinima series Red vs Blue*, as well as Immersion, and Achievement Hunter), decided to find out for themselves. They’ve set themselves the task to complete in just six days the 120+ mile journey across New Zealand from the filming location of Hobbiton in Matamata to that of Mount Doom on Mount Ngauruhoe. Continue reading “Exclusive video: can one simply walk into Mordor?”
A Fiordland peak could be named Mt Tolkien, after the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, if a Manapouri man’s proposal is accepted by the New Zealand Geographic Board. Aaron Nicholson has applied to name the peak, near Gunns Lake on the Milford Rd, Mt Tolkien, after J R R Tolkien. The 1757-metre unnamed peak is 1.8 kilometres from Consolation Peak, which is 1851 metres. Both lie at the northern end of the Earl Mountains. For the naming to go ahead, Mr Nicholson would have to get enough public support. “It’s got to be wanted. If I just show up saying, ‘Can we do this?’ and nobody else is interested, they’ll just pass on it.” Read more…
A cute little article about some of the people on the Red Carpet tour. You’ll see their faces and costumes on just about every pic of the party, the red carpet and general fan madness in Wellington. I’d like to give a big shout-out to all the people who have visited NZ for the premiere due to TORN and Red Carpet (amounts to the same thing, with most Red Carpet clients discovering the tours through TORN. Their costumes and enthusiasm added hugely to the atmosphere of the Premiere week in Wellington.
A decade ago, Matamata was a sleepy country town in the middle of the North Island, well-placed for travellers in need of a comfort stop and a takeaway snack. Today, it is better known as Hobbiton and is one of the country’s star tourist destinations, attracting 1.9 million visitors over the last 10 years. It is poised for a fresh invasion starting this Christmas which seems certain to top that number over the next decade.
It all began in 1998 when movie director Peter Jackson took to the sky in a small plane in search sites to film his planned trilogy of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
His target was a piece of countryside untouched by concrete buildings, power poles and roads that he could transform into Hobbiton, the primitive village home of Tolkien’s small, hairy, Hobbit people.
A family farm outside Matamata, set about halfway between the provincial capital, Hamilton, and the tourist city of Rotorua, and complete with Tolkien’s so-called “party tree” and a lake, proved perfect. Continue reading “How a sleepy country town became Hobbiton”
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’.
