Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim First Reactions Surface

The Lord of the Rings is gearing up for a return to the big screen. It was made clear a few years back that Warner Bros. Discovery was working on a new Lord of the Rings film, and this one will be unlike any we’ve seen before. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be the franchise’s first anime entry and an early peek at the film was just shown to guests at Annecy Film Festival. So if you want to know how the first look went over, we are here to tell you things are looking good for the film.

For those needing a bit of context, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an anime feature directed by Kenji Kamiyama. The movie is part of the IP’s live-action film series and will act as a prequel to both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As for Annecy Festival, producer Jason DeMarco confirmed the footage was shown to guests that is very much a “work in progress” so it will not be released widely.

As for what guests thought about the footage, well – it seems all things are looking good. Ryan Grobins, a filmmaker with Nezui, had to say the following: “Just finished the work in progress talk for the new #LotR film #WaroftheRohirrim, and I have to say that the marriage between Lord of the Rings and #anime never looked so good! The world and characters looked very authentic. I can’t wait to see this in theaters next year.”

Rafael Motamayor, a freelance journalist who frequently covers animation, was incredibly positive in his reaction. “LordOfTheRings War of the Rohirrim is already shooting to the top of my most anticipated movies of 2024. The (very short and unfinished) footage shown at #Annecy2023 looks fantastic. This is 100% in line with the original trilogy while also very much an anime. Can’t wait,” they wrote.

Other press members from outlets like CloneWeb admitted they teared up watching the footage. Some were also on the lookout for the footage’s animation quality, and it seems The War of the Rohirrim will take a vetted direction with its aesthetic. Cinepop’s Miguel said several in-progress scenes shown reminded them of Netflix’s Castlevania which earned critical acclaim for its animation style.

For now, it seems The Lord of the Rings’ new movie is in good hands given these glowing reactions. Work is still ongoing on the feature, but hopefully, a teaser will be shared before long. After all, The War of the Rohirrim is slated to debut in April 2024, so the movie’s marketing window will be here before you know it!

What do you think about this latest Lord of the Rings update? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.