Some of the coolest things you’ll see at Comic-Con are the Lego built characters either at their booth, other booths, and even outside of the convention center itself.
This year if you happen to make it to the Warner Bros. booth (#4545) you will get to see a Lego Smaug standing over six feet tall and weighing 411 pounds. Smaug took 625 hours to complete and includes 83,433 pieces. The folks at Lego also have some surprises for fans showing off new sets for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as well as an exclusive Bard figure. Continue reading “Lego Smaug coming to Comic-Con 2014”
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On July 22nd, Warner Bros. will be reissuing remastered, deluxe editions of the Rankin/Bass animated classics ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Return of the King’.
The Hobbit Deluxe Edition Synopsis: [Amazon.com]
The place is Middle Earth. The time is long ago, when humans shared their days with elves, wizards, goblins, dragons, heroes…and hobbits. Bilbo Baggins is a hero and a hobbit, a roundish, peaceable homebody going on a dangerous quest – even though adventures make hobbits late for dinner!
In this enchanting adaptation of the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bilbo the hobbit is asked to recover a fabulous treasure stolen from friendly dwarfs. All he must do is brave dark forests, towering mountains, hobbit-eating trolls, huge spiders, a fiery dragon and more. Fun and amazement await – so join the quest!
Special Features:
- J.R.R. Tolkien Facts & Trivia
- Cast & Crew credits
- From the Vault: 3 WB classic cartoons: ‘Knight-mare Hare’, ‘Knighty Knight Bugs’, and ‘Rabbit Hood’
- Trailers: ‘Tom and Jerry & The Lost Dragon’, ‘LEGO: Legends of Chima’, ‘LEGO: Hobbit’, ‘Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy’
Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Run Time: 78 minutes
[Buy on Amazon.com]
My Thoughts: It’s been many years since I last saw this, and I had forgotten how much I loved the voice talent: Orson Bean as Bilbo, John Huston as Gandalf, Otto Preminger as a very German Thranduil/Elvenking, and (my favorite) 1960’s Surrealist comic Brother Theodore as Gollum. Picture and sound are both superb. A great soundtrack by Glen Yarbrough.
‘The greatest adventure is what lies ahead
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said
The chances the changes are all yours to make
The mold of your life is in your hands to break”
The Return of the King Deluxe Edition Synopsis: [Amazon.com]
Frodo the Hobbit, the remarkable hero of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, battles more evil forces plaguing Middle Earth in The Return of the King.
The Magic Ring of The Hobbit has now become the Ring of Doom – and to restore peace it must be destroyed in the raging fires in which it was made. Chosen for the task, Frodo and faithful servant Samwise face grave perils – the worst of which is the ring’s terrible power to possess its wearer. Will Frodo give in to the madness of the ring….or will he fulfill his quest?
Special Features:
- J.R.R. Tolkien Facts & Trivia
- Cast & Crew Credits
- From the Vault: WB cartoon shorts ‘Good Knight Droppy’ and ‘Jerry Hood & His Merry Meeses’
- Trailers: ‘LEGO: Hobbit’, ‘Tom and Jerry & the Lost Dragon’, ‘LEGO: Legends of Chima’, ‘Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy’
Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Run Time: 98 minutes
[Buy on Amazon.com]
My Thoughts: It’s a shame Rankin/Bass didn’t have the chance to do ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ and ‘The Two Towers’, as ‘The Return of the King’ doesn’t do a great job of filling in the story for those that may be unfamiliar with the first two books. The mispronunciations are a little annoying, too. Still, the film is a lot of fun to watch; the Ringwraiths are fantastic, as is Eowyn’s confrontation with the Witch King of Angmar. As with ‘The Hobbit’, the picture, sound, and voice talent are all top-notch. Orson Bean, John Huston, Otto Preminger, and Brother Theodore reprise their roles; new additions include the great Roddy McDowell as Samwise Gamgee, and Casey Kasem as Merry. Best of all, ‘The Return of the King’ includes (in this writer’s humble opinion) one of the greatest Tolkien-inspired songs of all time:
“Where there’s a whip, there’s a way.
Where there’s a whip, there’s a way.
We don’t wanna go to war today,
But the lord of the lash says nay, nay, nay!
We’re gonna march all day, all day, all day,
Cause where there’s a whip, there’s a way.”
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It only makes sense, with the last of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Trilogy coming out this December, to have some kind of presence from Middle-earth at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. You will get that and more to keep you happy, if you are a fan of Middle-earth! You have some of the actors who have been in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy there for various projects, our awesome Laketown Luau sponsors Weta Workshop and Badali Jewlery, and of course the Laketown Luau. So with just eight days left before Comic-Con 2014, we wanted to list for you all the Middle-earth presence you will find at this year’s event.
Continue reading “Middle-earth’s huge presence at San Diego Comic-Con 2014”
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Here’s a confirmation that a lot of folks have been been waiting to hear: Peter Jackson will be presenting on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies at San Diego Comic-con.
On Saturday, July 26th, beginning at 10 a.m., Warner Bros. Pictures brings three of its most hotly anticipated films to this year’s Con: Peter Jackson will be on the main stage with “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” from New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, and George Miller will be on hand to present a first look at “Mad Max: Fury Road,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. Continue reading “Peter Jackson Hobbit 3 presentation confirmed for San Diego Comic-Con”
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Well, that was a surprise.
Even following our spy report last week that Warner Bros. (via New Line) had registered a new title for its trilogy of Hobbit films, I thought it unlikely they actually would follow through and make a change.
Mostly because There And Back Again seemed too established as a name and it seemed a bit irrational to toss away all that brand recognition.
On the other hand, it’s almost inarguable those two words The Hobbit are the true key that deliver all that goodwill (in an accounting sense) toward the films. And Warner Bros, with nothing more than the announcement of a mid-stream title change, have just scored the film millions of dollars worth of free editorial. That’s gold for any marketer.
Continue reading “How There and Back Again became The Battle of the Five Armies. And why.”
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A little bird from Warner Bros. whispered some very exciting news to us that could benefit a lot of people, including a few Hobbit fans. On Thursday, April 24 in West Hollywood, there will be a charity fundraising event with a very cool live and silent auction, including vacation packages to places like Hawaii and New Zealand. Running parallel to the live auction is an online auction that includes 2 VIP tickets to “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” premiere in New York, currently scheduled for December 8. This is not a full travel package, just the actual passes to see the film and attend the after party. The charity is called ‘L.A. Family Housing’ and aims to assist families out of homelessness and poverty and on the road recovery. You can read more about them below:
The mission of L.A. Family Housing (LAFH) is to help families transition out of homelessness and poverty through a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services. LAFH provides housing and social services to 3,500 children and adults each year. Learn More at: http://www.lafh.org
LAFH is gearing up for another great event – their annual fundraiser – on April 24, 2014, and will honor Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky as well as the individuals and corporations who have contributed to eradicating homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles. More than 500 prominent community, business and entertainment industry leaders are in attendance; the event sells to capacity each year and features a signature cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres and food stations hosted by renowned chefs, a celebrity red carpet, entertainment and auction. Funds raised help us make a difference in the lives of our community’s most vulnerable families and children.
Charitybuzz is proud to host an exclusive number of auction items as an extension of the live and silent auctions conducted at the event to help raise much needed funds for this amazing cause. Buy tickets and learn more about the event below. The Hobbit premiere ticket auction can be found here: http://www.charitybuzz.com/support/lafh
So whether you are a local in LA and able to attend this big ticket charity shindig, or in some far flung area and only able to participate in the online auction, know that it goes to a deserving charity.
greendragon notes: Looking at the date for this premiere in NYC, it seems unlikely to be the World Premiere, which will probably be a little earlier. Best guess is that this will be the American premiere; no word yet as to where the actual World Premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies will be. My money’s on London…
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Some of the coolest things you’ll see at Comic-Con are the Lego built characters either at their booth, other booths, and even outside of the convention center itself. 