The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Extended Edition) (Blu-ray)

Peter Jackson's extended editions are always worth the wait, and "The Hobbit: Extended Edition" is no exception. In addition to adding back scenes that were cut for the theatrical release (which other reviewers have mentioned), there are an amazing 3 discs of bonus coverage totaling almost 9 hours.Just as J.R.R. Tolkien had appendices to his books, Jackson's movies have appendices. These extraordinary "making of" features for "The Hobbit" carry on the numbering from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The extended edition release for "Return of the King" ended with Appendices Part 6. So "The Hobbit" begins with Appendices Part 7.These are extraordinarily detailed glimpses into the creation of this movie from the very beginning to the very end. Long before any actors were notified, they worked on production design and concepts. Character designs and concepts. Scripts were changed right up to the day of shooting. Motion-capture was brought to new levels. Costuming and the decisions that went into it are fascinating!You see clips from rehearsals and clips from rushes. Clips from meetings and makeup and why this was done instead of that. Very often, they start with quotes from Tolkien, how he described something/someone, and how Jackson (writer/director/coproducer) could work off of that. Commentators include every actor and I think just about everybody on the crew, too, from the concept creature sculptor to the animation technician desperately trying to finish Azog almost right up to the day of the New Zealand World Premiere! You will not be bored by watching these many hours of extra features.All features can be listened to in English. Subtitles are available in English, Francais, Español, Portuguêse and four more languages.BONUS DISC 1 The Appendices Part 7:A. Introduction by Peter Jackson (2 minutes)B. A Long Expected Journey - The Chronicles of The Hobbit - Part 1 (total 87 minutes)You can watch the six parts individually or "play all".1........Opening2........The Journey Back to Middle Earth3........Riddles in the Dark - Gollum's Cave4........Roast Mutton - Trollshaw's Forest5........Bastion of the Greenwood - Rhosgobel6........A Short Rest - Rivendell & LondonDan Hennah (production designer) on his team's 1st look at the plans: "We were going to be building over 100 sets in 4 studios. I can't say we actually paniced...!"It's fabulous watching the rehearsals of Frodo and Gollum in the cave, with Andy Serkis in his motion capture suit and doing THAT voice!Ian McKellen (plays Gandalf) remembers that when filming The Ring Trilogy 10 years earlier, he was made to look 25% larger "by putting me, the larger character, closer to the camera." But as The Hobbit is shot in 3D, that system doesn't work.Alex Funke (motion control supervisor) describes how it was done for The Hobbit: "The only way we can make a person bigger is to put the camera closer to him. So, effectively,[in the dinner scene in Frodo's home] we have a camera that looks at the dwarves and Bilbo in a set built to their scale. And a camera that looks at Gandalf, on a green screen, which is 25% closer to him" on a smaller scale kitchen set. Except it isn't really a set, because everything is draped in green fabric. The two cameras are synchronized, but McKellen could not hear anything on the other set. This was very disconcerting at first, and when you look at the conditions, it's amazing it works. It's touching as McKellen describes how he was so upset after the 1st day of shooting in the green-room Bag End, that he considered he'd have to leave the movie!Ikhf id ursu Khazad(Feel the fire of the Dwarves)Nevui penim miruvor(We are almost out of wine)C. The Songs of The Hobbit (36 minutes)One of the most fun songs in the movie is "Down Down to Goblin Town", sung by Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin. The always humorous Humphries (better known as Dame Edna!) says, "It's entirely about destruction, death and torture. But, I tried to do it in a sympathetic way!"BONUS DISC 2 continuation of The Appendices Part 7A. A Long Expected Journey - The Chronicles of The Hobbit Part 1 (total 2 hrs, 21 minutes)You can watch the nine parts individually or "play all"7........Over Hill - The Misty Mountains8........Under Hill - Goblin Town9........Out of the Frying Pan - The Forest Ledge10......Return to Hobbiton - The Shire11......The Epic of Scene 88 - Strath Taieri12......The Battle of Moria - Azanulbizar13......Edge of the Wilderland - Pick-Up and The Carrock14......Home is Behind, The World Ahead15......CreditsTim Wong (assistant stunt coordinator) talks about the stunt which sends Bilbo and the dwarves tumbling down into Goblin Town: "The trap door stunt, which leads to the Goblin caves, was probably the most intricate and dangerous stunt that I've ever been part of."Peter Jackson does a cameo in all his films. This time he is a refugee dwarf in a long dark beard. Did you see him passing Thorin at a run?Last, but not least, you are given a lovely preview of the 2nd movie, "The Desolation of Smaug", including a sneak peek of Benedict Cumberbatch in his facial motion capture get-up, breathing fire (figuratively).B. Realms of the Third Age: From Bag End to Goblin Town (total 1 hour)You can watch the five parts individually or "play all"1.......Hobbiton2.......Rhosgobel (Radagast's home)3.......Rivendell4.......The Misty Mountains5.......Goblin TownThis feature focuses on the sets and locations.Peter Jackson says at the beginning, "It was important visually, with 'The Hobbit', that it feels like a slightly more idyllic time. I mean, the darkness that descends on this world in Lord of the Rings is brewing, but it hasn't yet expanded to the levels it's going to."For the Ring trilogy, most of Hobbiton was made of styrofoam and torn down afterwards. And still tourists made pilgrimages. This time around, they built the Hobbit holes and structures as in real life. They are made to last. Now you really can visit a Bag End.BONUS DISC 3 The Appendices Part 8Return to Middle EarthYou can watch the four parts individually or "play all"A. The Company of Thorin (1 hour 10 minutes)Tolkien's books don't give a lot of definition for many of the dwarf personalities. For a movie, though, each of the dwarves in the party has to have his own characteristics, which drives his costume and weapons. So it was left to Jackson & Team, as well as the actors to fill everything in. Adam Brown (plays Ori) says: "This is my first movie. I thought I'd aim high!"B. Mr. Baggins - The 14th Member (16 minutes)Ian Mckellen, the old pro, says of Martin Freeman: "His most remarkable quality as an actor is to be able, with absolute clarity, to convey that he's thinking two things at the same time."C. Durin's Folk: Creating the Dwarves (7 minutes)Richard Armitage (plays Thorin) went through many mutations on his costuming: "Tolkien described Thorin as having a full beard that he tucked into his belt. We have had to depart from that. I know this is controversial, because the King of the the Long Beards, people felt he should have a long beard."Graham McTavish (plays the bulkier, even for a dwarf, Dwalin): "I just thought that Dwalin would have names for his axes. Because he's that kind of guy. I remembered that Emily Brönte had two dogs called Grasper and Keeper.... What an extraordinary pair of names." And they became the names of his axes.D. The Peoples and Denizens of Middle Earth (total 2 hours)You can watch the four parts individually or "play all"1........The Stone Trolls2........Radagast the Brown3........Goblins4........Azog the DefilerSylvester McCoy plays the wizard Radagast, who's practically turned into a forest creature himself. McCoy didn't learn he had to say a spell in formal Elvish until he got on set. McCoy says, "They tell me when I first arrive, and I misheard, and I thought it was Elvis." And he goes into an Elvis impersonation. He is better at the ElviSH.In the book, Azog apparently dies of his injury at Thorin's hand, in the Battle for Moria. With a little artistic license, they brought him back for 'The Hobbit', lusting for Thorin's head. Manu Bennet, the actor who's motion capture was used for Azog, talks about his character: "The necessary thing that Peter wanted from Azog was what we Maori call mana, the size of the guy, the spiritual strength of the character."Happy Reader