I’ve mentioned before that I am pretty darn excited about the Hobbit films. My boyfriend was always a huge Lord of the Rings trilogy fan, but my real exposure to Tolkien was through The Hobbit. It’s a very different sort of story, even though it is set in the same world with many of the same characters. There is easily less at stake in this story – it’s not like the entire world will fall to darkness – but because of that, the story is far lighter in tone. It’s still going to be chock full of adventure, but it should also have a certain sense of fun. And I also think there are a lot of funny moments. Anyway, Peter Jackson put out a vlog of some of the first days of the production. Take a look below..

Man, don’t those sets look gorgeous? It’s amazing how much they were able to keep from LoTR. I’m impressed how much of Rivendell is just one continuous set. And the way the light hits that set in particular is just so lovely. Considering this is supposed to be a lighter time in the lives of the elves, the lighting will be very important in these scenes.

Easily the most glee-inducing moments of the video is seeing them run through the scene where Bilbo meets the different dwarves. Seeing Martin Freeman panicked as each “dwarf” dropped his axe in Bilbo’s arms… it’s just awesomely delightful. The whole part before they actually set out on their journey is one of my favorites. Hearing Jackson trying in vain to keep the dwarves straight make me feel better about never keeping them straight in my own head. Even with none of the actors in costume, it’s still pretty magical to see them all prepping the scene. Actually, it’s magical just to see Ian McKellen on that set again. Excuse me while I do a fangirl dance in the corner……………………………………………….. alright I’m back.

What makes me the happiest about this video is how enthusiastic Peter Jackson seems. This project was so touch and go for so long, so to have the director of the original trilogy come back with this level of energy and joy for the project… it’s a good sign. So, what was your favorite part of the video?

Oh, and you might have heard that Elijah Wood is reprising his role as Frodo, albeit a small role to open the story. Well, it’s been confirmed that Ian Holm is coming back to reprise his role as the older Bilbo, who will be sharing the story of his amazing adventure with his nephew. Again, more connections to the trilogy is probably a good thing… consistency is key!