Lord of the Rings
Tolkien's beloved trilogy was made into three movies; the first one opened in December of 2001, and the last one opened in December 2003. The movies became another fantasy phenomenon, and not only did the preexisting Tolkien fans fall in love with the films, but it also gained more fans who had never read the books (Lyman). One reason why the films were so successful was how each film was made and marketed. The film was made by fans of the books and while the film was being created, New Line Cinema developed a website to give fans of the books a look in to how Peter Jackson was bringing Middle Earth to life (Lyman). The website gave fans a chance to view, and give their stamp of approval of, how their beloved world was being portrayed, as well as generating extreme excitement about the upcoming films (Lyman). This was a genius idea, because then the studio would know that there was an audience for the films and that there would be fans going to the movies on opening weekend (Lyman). Once the first movie had opened in theaters and proved to be a huge success, the opportunity for merchandise became apparent. Just like with Harry Potter merchandise, someone can buy Hobbit attire, Aragorn's sword, the jeweled necklace that Arwen gives to Aragorn, and more. If it was not for the studio's desire to make the core Tolkien fans happy and to leave them quivering with anticipation, the Lord of the Rings films may not have had the same eruption of popularity as fast as they did (Lyman).
The lead characters of the Lord of the Rings trilogy are Frodo, the young hobbit who sacrifices his life to destroy evil; his best friend Sam, who is also a hobbit and helps Frodo on his journey to defeat evil; Gandalf, the elderly wizard mentor who helps guide Frodo on his journey; Aragorn the self-exiled rightful King of Gondor, who is a born leader as well as being a great worrier; Aragorn's companions Legolas, and elf who is an expert archer, and Gimli, a dwarf who can wield an ax with superior abilities; and finally, Merry and Pippin, fellow Hobbits of Frodo and Sam. Those are the core group of good guys, but they also have several other characters who help them. Sauron is the epitome of evil and is the one who created the ring. His stooge is the wizard Saruman, and his army is made up of orcs, uruk-hai, and evil men. This story, like Harry Potter, is a story about good versus evil. Good must, and will, destroy all the evil in the world to bring peace to the age. Again, this story is loved by millions of people around the world and it is fascinating to see why people are drawn to stories such as Lord of the Rings.
The lead characters of the Lord of the Rings trilogy are Frodo, the young hobbit who sacrifices his life to destroy evil; his best friend Sam, who is also a hobbit and helps Frodo on his journey to defeat evil; Gandalf, the elderly wizard mentor who helps guide Frodo on his journey; Aragorn the self-exiled rightful King of Gondor, who is a born leader as well as being a great worrier; Aragorn's companions Legolas, and elf who is an expert archer, and Gimli, a dwarf who can wield an ax with superior abilities; and finally, Merry and Pippin, fellow Hobbits of Frodo and Sam. Those are the core group of good guys, but they also have several other characters who help them. Sauron is the epitome of evil and is the one who created the ring. His stooge is the wizard Saruman, and his army is made up of orcs, uruk-hai, and evil men. This story, like Harry Potter, is a story about good versus evil. Good must, and will, destroy all the evil in the world to bring peace to the age. Again, this story is loved by millions of people around the world and it is fascinating to see why people are drawn to stories such as Lord of the Rings.