Book Description
With Peter Jackson's Acadamy Award-winning epic motion picture trilogy drawing to a spectacular and triumphant close, Gary Russell's detailed research takes us back into the world of Middle-earth, to relive all the visual drama and excitement of The Return of the King.The Art of The Return of the King illustrates the creative development of the film from sketch to special effect and features 600 images, most appearing nowhere else. This fully authorized book includes pencil sketches by Alan Lee and John Howe, costume designes by Ngila Dickson, magnificent full-color paintings by Jeremy Bennett, and prop designs, concepts, sculptures and digital artwork from Weta Workshop and Weta Digital. From Minas Tirith to Mount Doom, from the Army of the Dead to Shelob the monstrous spider, all the spectacular landscapes, characters and creatures are covered in stunning detail, including concepts that did not make it into the final film.To accompany this wealth of imagery, detailed and informative commentaries appear by all the featured artists and designers, together with a special afterword by Peter Jackson. Their personal thoughts and explanations offer unique and fascinating insight into how The Return of the King was brought to life. An artistic journey begun in 1997 reaches its glorious conclusion within these pages, giving the reader a unique chance to witness the creative process that led to one of the most spectacular movies of all time.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Designing the spectacular scale and visual grandeur of Peter Jackson's triumphal climax to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was a monumental, years-long challenge for the hundreds of artists and artisans involved. Featuring celebrated Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe who were responsible for the conceptual designs, production designer Grant Major, costume designer Ngila Dickson, visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel, and the talented and dedicated artists of Richard Taylor's Weta Workshop including Jeremy Bennett, Daniel Falconer, Paul Lasaine and Christian Rivers, The Lord of the Rings: The Art of the Return of the King celebrates their achievement in lavish fashion. Including over 500 sketches, paintings, sculptures and digital artworks as well as the expert commentaries of the actual artists throughout, this book offers a wealth of detail available nowhere else on how J.R.R. Tolkien's spellbinding literary work was turned into unforgettable movie magic.

FROM THE CRITICS

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