Tolkien’s fans all visit Middle-earth with slightly different interests. Some think the elves are clearly the best, while others most enjoy the world of the Shire and Hobbits. Still, there are those who see the dwarves as their kindred spirits. But if it’s the journeys of man that most draw you, then you’re in luck. The next outing into the world of The Lord of the Rings will take us into the history of Rohan and explore “the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep.” The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an epic animated adventure, an original anime movie, that tells the tale of the legendary Helm Hammerhand and his previously unnamed daughter, Héra. We’ve seen glimpses of the movie before, but now we can finally immerse ourselves in the full trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
You can check out this sneak peek at this The Lord of the Rings anime movie below, and make sure you watch this The War of the Rohirrim trailer until the very last moment…
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Trailer
The Lord of the Rings fans will know, of course, of Ralph Bakshi’s animated version of the main trilogy from 1978. But The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim‘s anime style offers a much different vision of an animated Middle-earth, an enchanting and gorgeous one if we do say so ourselves. It’s clear that The War of the Rohirrim‘s director Kenji Kamiyama knows exactly what he’s doing when it comes to creating an anime movie version of The Lord of the Rings. This one brings high art and high storytelling if The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim‘s trailer is anything to judge by.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim‘s trailer also very cleverly lures viewers in by reminding them of everything they loved about Rohan in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Who among us doesn’t feel stirred by the epic sounds of Rohan’s theme? We even see small clips from The Lord of the Rings movies and watch as they transform into The War of the Rohirrim‘s animated style. Miranda Otto even reprises her role as Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, to walk us through this tale with The Lord of the Rings trailer with a familiar guide.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Story and Synopsis
Éowyn’s voice echos through the trailer and introduces us to the story of The War of the Rohirrim, “All Middle-earth knows the tale of the War of the Ring, but 200 years before that, there was an older tale…” And thus our journey into the anime world of The Lord of the Rings begins.
The trailer hints at love stories gone awry, power tainting the hearts of man, the story of Héra, the daughter of Helm, coming into her own, and the gradual acceptance of her strength by her father. The War of the Rohirrim‘s trailer also makes it very plain that Helm Hammerhand is not a King of Rohan to be messed with. And last but not least, The War of the Rohirrim promises us many, many epic battles, on both a massive and small scale. We’re excited to continue to see more from this The Lord of the Rings anime movie.
Of course, though the characters in this story might not be familiar to The Lord of the Rings fans yet, even in this animated form, all the hallmarks of Middle-earth are in place. We see our favorite creatures such as the Great Eagles, Oliphaunts, tentacle monsters, and more. Éowyn even blows on a horn of Rohan to call her soldiers to battle. It gives us chills!
The War of the Rohirrim Synopsis
The synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim shared along with the trailer notes:
Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg—a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim‘s Trailer Teases Rings of Power
Of course, it wouldn’t be a The Lord of the Rings movie without, well, Rings of Power. At the last moment of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’s trailer, we see what looks like the One Ring, perhaps in the clutches of Gollum?! It’s not entirely clear, but it definitely has us buzzing to learn more. We the connective thread of the rings tying on The Lord of the Rings story to another.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim‘s Release Date, Cast, and More
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released in theaters on December 13, 2024, in the US and internationally beginning December 11, 2024. We’ll also soon learn more about the movie because it’s heading to NYCC in October.
More about the movie’s cast and creators is below:
Under the direction of award-winning filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama (the “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” and “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” TV series), the talented voice cast is led by Brian Cox (“Succession”) as Helm Hammerhand, the mighty King of Rohan; Gaia Wise (“A Walk in the Woods”) as his daughter Héra; and Luke Pasqualino (“Snowpiercer”) as Wulf. Miranda Otto, who delivered an unforgettable, award-winning performance in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, reprises her role as Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, who serves as the tale’s narrator. The voice ensemble also includes Lorraine Ashbourne (Netflix’s “Bridgerton”), Yazdan Qafouri (“I Came By”), Benjamin Wainwright (“World on Fire”), Laurence Ubong Williams (“Gateway”), Shaun Dooley (“The Witcher”), Michael Wildman (“Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”), Jude Akuwudike (“Beasts of No Nation”), Bilal Hasna (“Sparks”) and Janine Duvitski (“Benidorm”).
With Kamiyama at the helm, the original feature is being produced by Oscar winner Philippa Boyens, from the screenwriting team behind “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” Trilogies, alongside Jason DeMarco and Joseph Chou, who, in addition to their many separate animation projects, collaborated on the “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” series. The executive producers are Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Sam Register, Carolyn Blackwood and Toby Emmerich. The screenplay is by Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews and Phoebe Gittins & Arty Papageorgiou, story by Addiss & Matthews and Boyens, based on characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The team of creative collaborators returning from “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy also includes Oscar winners Alan Lee and Richard Taylor, along with esteemed Tolkien illustrator John Howe.