There are few fictional worlds as expansive and popular as that of Middle-Earth fromThe Lord of the Rings. The stories of J.R.R. Tolkien changed the landscape of modern fiction in the 20th century, and they continue to be some of the most beloved of all time. There have been numerous adaptations of the author’s works over the years, ranging from theHobbitanimated TV special to Peter Jackson’s live-actionLord of the Ringstrilogy from the early 2000s and, most recently, Amazon Prime Video’sThe Rings of Powerseries. The desire for newLord of the Ringsmaterials has been consistent over the years, and fans are likely going to get a lot of it in the coming years.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO announced WBD’s intentions toevolveThe Lord of the Ringsinto a cornerstone franchise, similar to what Disney has done withStar Wars. This means that fans can likely expect a lot more films, series and other content set within the world of Middle-Earth to come down the pipe sooner than later.
Interestingly, this will all be independent of theRings of Powerseries, which Amazon is producing separately, and WBD will likely set these new expansions within the same continuity as Jackson’s trilogy. Throughout all of this newLord of the Ringsmaterial that will be produced, WBD should take note of the approaches of other franchises and find some room to include an animatedLord of the Ringsseries. Here’s why:
Middle-Earth in Animation
This wouldn’t be the first time that the world of Middle-Earth would be brought to life through animation. In fact, it would be pretty far from it. There have previously been three major animated adaptations of Tolkien’s work, and there’s another already set for release soon.
In addition to the aforementioned 1977 animated TV special based onThe Hobbit(which is currently streaming on Max, if you’re interested), there was also the theatrically-releasedLord of the Ringsanimated movie from cult filmmaker Ralph Bakshi as well as anotheranimated TV special that adaptedThe Return of the King. Looking to the future,The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis an anime-style prequel film that will debut at the Annecy Film Festival this summer before receiving a wide theatrical release in April 2024.
While it has been a while since the last three Middle-Earth animated features were released, all three of them proved that the characters and world that Tolkien created can thrive in animation. The medium allows for a complete embracing of the fantastical and grand-scale elements of the story and universe. Based onthe concept art that has been releasedforThe War of the Rohirrim, it seems like that film will be doing the same, while also taking a lot of visual inspiration from Jackson’s films.
It’s always a joy to enter the world of Tolkien’s works, and an animated series would allow for a much more consistent method of doing so, while also bringing along much of the awe-inspiring visuals without having to bethe most expensive show ever created.
Related:The Lord of the Rings: Revisiting Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 Animated Film
Expanding the Franchise
If WBD is really looking to buildThe Lord of the Ringsinto a wide-ranging on-screen franchise that can compete with the other major series of today, then an animated series is a small but important step to take.Star Wars, specifically, has found a lot of success with its various animated shows. Whether it beStar Wars: The Clone Wars,Rebels,The Bad Batch, orVisions, some of the best material from the galaxy far, far away has been brought to life through animation. A show likeVisionshas also allowed for a lot of new, original, and creative stories to be told by artists from around the world.
The animatedStar Warsshowsmay not receive as much viewership as, say,The Mandalorian,but they have done a lot to build and maintain a passionate fan base and keep the franchise up and running during the extended periods between live-action projects.
Star Warsisn’t the only major franchise that has embraced animation, though.Star Trekhas also developed several animated shows throughout its long history, ranging fromStar Trek: The Animated Seriesfrom the ‘70s to newer series likeLower Decks. Beyond that, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has also recently jumped into animation for the first time with shows likeWhat If…?and the upcomingSpider-Man: Freshman YearandX-Men ‘97, and there are several animated shows set within the world ofGame of Thronesin development at WBD as well.
The benefits of developing these animated shows are clear; they are cheaper to produce than the big-budget live-action series, they allow for more creative experimentation, and they can expand the franchise’s reach to new audiences that may not already be on board.
Related:Lord of the Rings: How War of the Rohirrim Could Establish a New Path for the Series
More Stories to Tell
Finally, one of the biggest reasons why we would love to see an animated series set within the world ofThe Lord of the Ringsis simply because there are so many stories within Middle-Earth that have not gotten their due yet. Tolkien’s writing expands much further than justThe Hobbitand theLord of the Ringsbooks. The lore of Middle-Earth and Arda is some of the deepest and most expansive in modern fiction, and the films and series so far have just scratched the surface of it.
Books likeThe Silmarillion,The Children of Húrin,andThe Book of Lost Taleshave been largely untouched by the on-screen adaptations of Tolkien’s work. An animated series could take on any number of untold stories, ranging from the wars of the First Age to the travels of Aragorn, the arrival of the Wizards to Middle-Earth, or even the world’s creation mythas it is told inThe Silmarillion.
Even beyond that, there are also a lot of loose ends and unexplored areas of Tolkien’s writing that could be worth exploring in new animated shows. One such idea is a series that follows the journeys of the two Blue Wizards, who travel into the East of Middle-Earth to resist the rise of Sauron from there.
Very little is actually known about what adventures the Blue Wizards had, so that gives a writer and creative team a lot of freedom with telling whatever type of story they would like. Stories like this are obscure enough within the overall Middle-Earth mythos that they likely would never receive a full live-action film or series on their own, but they could thrive in animation.
