There might not be any airplanes in Middle Earth but Air New Zealand's new 'The Hobbit' safety video certainly makes us think that Gandalf is a frequent flier.
Just in time for the release of 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies,' "The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made" features flight attendants giving the usual safety precautions during a flight. They also had a little help from Elijah Wood (who played Frodo Baggins in the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy) as well as Peter Jackson (who directed all of the JRR Tolkien adaptations).
Other familiar faces in the entertaining clip includes Sylvester McCoy (who plays the wizard Radagast), Dean O'Gorman (who plays the dwarf Fili), Japanese baseball player Naoyuki Shimizu, Richard Taylor from Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, and New Zealand film director Taika Waititi.
New Zealand tourism has been booming for the past years, thanks to the 'Lord Of The Rings' and 'The Hobbit' franchises, and it looks like it's still reaping the benefits from hosting two of the most successful film series.
As the "official airline of Middle-earth," Air New Zealand also branded images of Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' movies on its planes. The airline released an earlier version of the safety video in 2012 with the Academy Award-winning director only making an appearance as a passenger. The video was aptly titled 'An Unexpected Briefing,' as a shout-out to the first instalment.
The video reportedly attracted more than 12 million online viewers.
Compared to the past clip, however, this version of Air New Zealand's 'The Hobbit' safety video was shot all over the scenic country. There were also several cameos from wizards (including Gandalf riding on a giant eagle), elves, dwarves, and even orcs.
The airline reused the hashtag #airnzhobbit which was the same one they used in 2012 to promote the clip.
According to Hills News, Jackson called the video "fantastic."
"I had a lot of fun on the set with Taika and the team and look forward to seeing the video on board," the acclaimed helmer reportedly said.
Tell us what you think of Air New Zealand's 'The Hobbit' safety video!
