The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Ian McKellen Director: Peter Jackson Peter Jackson

Overview

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) joins Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a band of dwarves led by the brave Thorin (Richard Armitage) on a treacherous quest to reclaim their mountain home from the fierce dragon Smaug in this epic fantasy adventure adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved novel by the creative forces behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Long before Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) made his arduous journey to Mordor, his brave uncle Bilbo embarked on an adventure for the ages. Bilbo's story gets under way when the great wizard Gandalf appears at his front gate with a most unusual offer. Displaced from their massive fortress in the Lonely Mountain by Smaug - a greedy dragon who coveted their gold - a community of noble dwarves were decimated by a surprise attack by monstrous orcs, whose dreaded leader the Pale Orc slew their king in a gruesome battle. Now, Thorin, the descendent of the king, is determined to reclaim his mountain kingdom for his people. Together with a fearless team of dwarves, Thorin and Gandalf recruit Bilbo to aid them in their quest since Hobbits have the unique ability to go undetected when they wish to. Before Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves can reach The Lonely Mountain and defeat Smaug, however, they'll have to contend with trolls, goblins, stone giants, Gollum (Andy Serkis), and even the dreaded Pale Orc himself. Peter Jackson directs a screenplay he co-penned with Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/19/2013
UPC:	0794043165368
Original Release:	2012
Source:	New Line Home Video
Region Code:	1
Time:	2:49:00
Sales rank:	1,294

Special Features

Includes 10 production videos: embark on your own journey behind the camera with director Peter Jackson as he personally guides you through the adventure of creating The Hobbit. Join him from the start of production and visit Hobbiton, go on location, see how Jackson pushed the boundaries of filmmaking and walk the red carpter in 10 comprehensive video blogs he created especially for fans

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ian McKellen	Gandalf
Martin Freeman	Bilbo
Richard Armitage	Thorin
Ken Stott	Balin
Graham McTavish	Dwalin
William Kircher	Bifur,Tom Troll
James Nesbitt	Bofur
Stephen Hunter	Bombur
Dean O'Gorman	Fili
Aidan Turner	Kili
John Callen	Oin
Peter Hambleton	Gloin,William Troll
Jed Brophy	Nori
Mark Hadlow	Dori,Bert Troll
Adam Brown	Ori
Ian Holm	Old Bilbo
Elijah Wood	Frodo
Hugo Weaving	Elrond
Cate Blanchett	Galadriel
Christopher Lee	Saruman
Andy Serkis	Gollum
Sylvester McCoy	Radagast
Barry Humphries	Great Goblin
Jeffrey Thomas	Thror
Mike Mizrahi	Thrain
Lee Pace	Thranduil
Manu Bennett	Azog
Conan Stevens	Bolg
John Rawls	Yazneg
Stephen Ure	Fimbul,Grinnah
Timothy Bartlett	Master Worrywart
Bret McKenzie	Lindir
Kiran Shah	Goblin Scribe
Benedict Cumberbatch	Necromancer
Glenn Boswell	Dwarf Miner
Thomas Robins	Young Thrain

Technical Credits

Peter Jackson

Philippa Boyens

Guillermo del Toro

Fran Walsh

Peter Jackson	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Carolyn Blackwood	Executive Producer
Scott Boland	Casting
Philippa Boyens	Co-producer,Screenwriter
Victoria Burrows	Casting
Carolynne Cunningham	Asst. Director,Producer
Weta Digital	Animator
Matthew Dravitzki	Associate Producer
Toby Emmerich	Executive Producer
David Farmer	Sound/Sound Designer
Guillermo del Toro	Consultant/advisor,Screenwriter
Simon Harding	Camera Operator
Dan Hennah	Production Designer
Alan Horn	Executive Producer
Amy Hubbard	Casting
John Hubbard	Casting
Tory Johnson	Sound Mixer
Ken Kamins	Executive Producer
Peter King	Makeup
Andrew Lesnie	Cinematographer
M*A*C	Makeup
Ann Maskrey	Costumes/Costume Designer
Brian Massey	Art Director
Andy McLaren	Art Director
Cameron McLean	Camera Operator
Brad Mill	Art Director
Eileen Moran	Co-producer
Liz Mullane	Casting
Terry Notary	Choreography
Jabez Olssen	Editor
Miranda Rivers	Casting
Ann Robinson	Casting
Howard Shore	Score Composer
Richard Taylor	Costumes/Costume Designer
Amanda Walker	Associate Producer
Fran Walsh	Producer,Screenwriter
Zane Weiner	Producer
Weta Workshop Ltd.	Makeup Special Effects
Dave Whitehead	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
1. Scene 1
2. Scene 2
3. Scene 3
4. Scene 4
5. Scene 5
6. Scene 6
7. Scene 7
8. Scene 8
9. Scene 9
10. Scene 10
11. Scene 11
12. Scene 12
13. Scene 13
14. Scene 14
15. Scene 15
16. Scene 16
17. Scene 17
18. Scene 18
19. Scene 19
20. Scene 20
21. Scene 21
22. Scene 22
23. Scene 23
24. Scene 24
25. Scene 25
26. Scene 26
27. Scene 27
28. Scene 28
29. Scene 29
30. Scene 30
31. Scene 31
32. Scene 32

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
   Play Movie
   Scene Selections
   Languages
      Spoken Languages
         English
         Français
         Español
      Subtitles
         English (For the Hearing Impaired)
         Français
         Español
         Subtitles: Off
Disc #2 -- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
   Special Features
      New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth
      Video Blogs
         Play All
         Video Blog #1 - Start of Production: April 14, 2011
         Video Blog #2 - Location Scouting: July 9, 2011
         Video Blog #3 - Shooting Black One: July 21, 2011
         Video Blog #4 - Filming in 3D: November 4, 2011
         Video Blog #5 - Locations Part 1: December 24, 2011
         Video Blog #6 - Locations Part 2: March 2, 2012
         Video Blog #7 - Stone St. Studios Tour: June 6, 2012
         Video Blog #8 - Wrap of Principal Photography: July 24, 2012
         Video Blog #9 - Post-Production Overview: November 24, 2012
         Video Blog #10 - Wellington World Premiere: December 14, 2012
      Theatrical Trailers
         Play All
         Trailer 1
         Trailer 3 - Dwarves
         Trailer 3 - Letter Opener
         Trailer 3 - Bilbo Contract
         Trailer 3 - Gandalf Wagers
         Trailer 3 - Gollum Paths
      Game Trailers
         Play All
         The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth
         Guardians of Middle-Earth
         LEGO: The Lord of the Rings
   Languages
      Spoken Languages
         English
      Subtitles
         English (for the Hearing Impaired)
         Français
         Japanese
         Chinese
         Korean
         Español
         Português
         Thai
         Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

Visionary director Peter Jackson takes fantasy fans back to Middle-earth and beyond in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. A visually sumptuous, frequently thrilling companion piece to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the first chapter of this new saga manages to maintain a satisfying sense of momentum once the proper introductions have been made, and rarely feels as cumbersome as its nearly three-hour running time would suggest. Although constant scenes of the questing group fleeing danger on majestic mountains, through sprawling fields, and in winding caverns occasionally dredge up a nagging sense of déjà vu, Jackson's kinetic camera work and flair for fantastical (and occasionally frightening) imagery are enough to evoke a sense of wonder all over again -- even if the group's penchant for getting out of harm's way at the last possible second grows a bit repetitive as the journey careens toward a dizzying climax. Long before Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) made his arduous journey to Mordor, his brave uncle Bilbo (Martin Freeman) embarked on an adventure for the ages. Bilbo's story gets under way when the great wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) appears at his front gate with a most unusual offer. Displaced from their massive fortress in the Lonely Mountain by Smaug, a greedy dragon who coveted their gold, a community of noble dwarves were decimated by a surprise attack by monstrous orcs, whose dreaded leader the Pale Orc slew their king in a gruesome battle. Now, Thorin (Richard Armitage), the descendent of the king, is determined to reclaim his mountain kingdom for his people. Together with a fearless group of dwarves, Thorin and Gandalf recruit Bilbo to help them in their quest since Hobbits have the unique ability to go undetected when they wish to. But reclaiming the Lonely Mountain from Smaug will be no small task, because before Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves can reach the distant peak, they'll have to contend with trolls, goblins, stone giants, Gollum (Andy Serkis), and even the dreaded Pale Orc himself. While some might accuse the story of being slow to start, when placed in the context of a trilogy, Jackson and fellow screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro do a commendable job of building momentum with lighthearted humor and big action. The laughs come early and often as Gandalf shows up on Bilbo's doorstep followed by a host of unruly dwarves, and the movie delivers thrills and sweeping spectacle as we learn how those boisterous dwarves were displaced from their mountaintop home by a greedy dragon and an army of orcs. Once Bilbo makes up his mind to join the group on their journey, the film hits a satisfying stride, with a number of gruesome threats giving Jackson and company the opportunity to flex their creative muscles. Shot with the same minute attention to detail that gave the Lord of the Rings trilogy such a classical feel, The Hobbit also possesses a strong visual connection to those films courtesy of returning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, whose artful handling of light yields sumptuous images under the sun and moon alike. It's no revelation that The Hobbit is a special-effects-heavy movie, and while the CG animation in the Lord of the Rings looks impressive even a decade later, advances made in those ensuing ten years are apparent from the earliest scenes. From the rumbling rock giants to the elaborate underground realm of the goblins, the gifted animators and talented cast work hand in hand to make everything in this universe seem tangible. Meanwhile, some of those creations -- the malevolent Necromancer, snarling wolves, and the sinister Pale Orc in particular -- make the Wraiths of the Lord of the Rings trilogy look downright friendly by comparison, and might actually provide nightmare fodder when lunging at younger viewers in vivid 3D. Regarding the cast, Freeman is a fine anchor for the large ensemble. Warm, cautiously inquisitive, and displaying an amiable air of uncertain courage, his Bilbo is the kind of quick-to-smile hero that audiences love to root for; we instinctively begin to trust him as much as the wise Gandalf, despite the vocal doubts of head dwarf Thorin, played with evenhanded authority by Armitage. Although the distinctive personalities of the dwarves gradually meld together once the group leave Bilbo's dining room for the Lonely Mountain, individual quirks still make them a likeable crew, and there will likely be plenty of room to flesh out their identities over the course of the coming two films. McKellen is once again in top form as Gandalf, spouting grandfatherly wisdom and occasionally using his wizardry to help the questing group out of a tight jam. Former Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy provides a welcome dose of comic relief as mushroom-addled wizard Radagast, and Andy Serkis makes Gollum every bit as tragic and terrifying as he was in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Many skeptics will still walk out of The Hobbit questioning Jackson's decision to turn a single novel into a sprawling, three-film epic. In many ways, it might have been preferable to have just one, shorter movie to balance out the intimidating girth of the cinematic leviathan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With the exception of his unwieldy King Kong remake, Jackson has generally proven to be a smart and efficient storyteller from the very beginning, and for the most part, his take on The Hobbit gallops along at an enjoyable stride. By using the Lonely Mountain sequences as the bookends for this first installment of the new trilogy, the screenwriters of The Hobbit manage to serve up an adventure that, while perhaps not complete in a literal sense, still offers a satisfying journey for fantasy fans while simultaneously laying the groundwork for the larger tale to come. Of course, it will be another two years until audiences can judge just how effectively Jackson, Boyens, Walsh, and del Toro have expanded this smaller story for the big screen, but if The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is any indicator of things to come, this trilogy could be every bit as wondrous and exciting as the one that preceded it.

All Movie Guide - Jason Buchanan