Lord Of The Rings: The War Of Rohirrim Trailer Promises An Epic Theatrical Return To Middle-Earth, But It's The Miyazaki Vibes I'm Especially Excited About

It’s honestly such a great time to be a Lord of the Rings fan. Between The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2 premiere date being next week and a Gollum movie from Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis on the way, there’s a lot to look forward to from the fantastical world of J.R.R. Tolkien. And now we have the first trailer (above) for The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim movie to get us excited for the first theatrical release from the franchise in a decade.

The War of Rohirrim trailer marks the first Lord of the Rings anime, and it looks like a gorgeous vision from Kenji Kamiyama, who notably did some of the Ghost in the Shell series, Ultraman and Blade Runner: Black Lotus . Following the trailer debut, the story set 200 years before the main series looks like a gorgeous theatrical outing we'll get to have toward the end of the 2024 movie schedule . However, I’m especially hyped at how much this reminds me of a Hayao Miyazaki movie.

I Love That Lord Of The Rings: The War Of Rohirrim Is A Big-Screen Event

Yes, the last time audiences gathered to see Middle-earth on the big screen was for 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies from Peter Jackson. So, it’s great to see the trailer connect the original movies to this one. There’s a gorgeous transition that unveils the 2D animation that looks to offer a lot of unique opportunities to see Middle-earth through a new lens.

When The War of Rohirrim was announced back in 2021, New Line Cinema shared that it was “fast-tracked for the big screen” and that’s so exciting to me. In a world where more animation projects are being sidelined to streaming services, it’s excellent that we get to look forward to seeing this project in theaters – including with an IMAX release. Of course, it also helps that the first look absolutely delivers as well.

The War Of Rohirrim Is Clearly Influenced By Hayao Miyazaki, And I Cannot Wait

As the two-and-a-half-minute preview shows, The War Of Rohirrim will allow audiences to see the War of the Ring through the time of Helm Hammerhand, the ninth king of Rohan. As the trailer showcases, the story will be focused on his daughter, Héra. While she is being asked to be married, by what looks like a childhood friend of hers, she wants to take part in the battle and become a true leader. And, she is seen taking part in some major battles.

Over the summer, the voice actress behind Héra, Gaia Wise, told EW that her character resembles heroines from Hayao Miyazaki movies like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and contrasts the likes of other women in the Lord of the Rings franchise like Arwen and Éowyn. She seems to be in touch with nature and not afraid to pick a fight, but beneath that, there also seems to be an emotional story to tell about her father and her history with Wulf.

As a fan of all of Miyazaki’s movies , I can see the influence, and I definitely count it as something that gives me more anticipation for the new Lord of the Rings movie. Also, there’s something about the idea of seeing animated creatures from Middle-earth rather than CG that could be magical (and looks gorgeous in this preview). It feels like the series was made to be adapted in this fashion!

With The War Of Rohirrim delving into a story that doesn’t has page by page lore from Tolkien, I’m interested to see how Middle-earth will be adapted through a gorgeous anime, and I'm thrilled that we're getting a powerful heroine we’ve yet to see in these movies and in this way. You can look forward to seeing The War of Rohirrim in theaters on December 13.