The War of the Rohirrim is a feature set in Peter Jackson’s live-action Lord of the Rings universe, and according to the early reactions by folks on social media, the return of Eowyn and the riders of Rohan in this anime movie is a spectacle for the most diehard of fans and the most ardent of gatekeepers.
Tolkien fans have had a tough year contending with Amazon’s The Rings of Power series and all the things it gets wrong about Middle-earth, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel, after all. (Or as Samwise Gamgee would say, “But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.”)
During the recent Annecy Animated Film Festival, The War of the Rohirrim was showcased to a room full of fans and reporters, and the early impressions seem to be very positive.
But first off, let’s quickly recap everything we learned about the movie. The War of the Rohirrim takes place almost 200 years before the events of the trilogy and depicts the tale of Helm Hammerhand. Miranda Otto’s Eowyn is indeed in the story as the main narrator, but the main heroine is actually going to be Hammerhand’s daughter, Hera. When asked why she is the one to spearhead the adaptation, the producers replied: “Everyone else dies!” So we’re definitely in for a tragic story hearkening back to old Germanic folklore.
What’s more, the pic is going to revisit many places from Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy, with the producers doing everything in their power to remain true to Tolkien’s canon. And anime apparently never looked this good.
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. pic.twitter.com/3H2DyWppWb
— Ryan Grobins @ AnnecyFestival (@RyanGrobins) June 13, 2023
The film is already making its way to people’s most anticipated things to look out for in 2024.
The War of the Rohirrim is in good hands. Tear-jerkingly good.
Je sèche mes yeux mouillés, je mets au propre toutes ces pages de notes et je vous raconte mais #WarOfTheRohirrim est entre de très bonnes mains. pic.twitter.com/1r0wcVgaqb
— CloneWeb (@cloneweb) June 13, 2023
The War of the Rohirrim is being compared to Castlevania, which is honestly a high bar if you’ve watched that anime series.
Passaram 2 cenas (uma delas, a abertura, não finalizada) e os produtores comentaram da importância de tentar unir o mundo dos filmes de Senhor dos Anéis com os de animes. E realmente foi uma combinação interessante. Me lembrou um pouco de Castlevania #TheWarOfTheRohirrim
— Miguel @ Annecy (@mpmorales) June 13, 2023
Some aren’t convinced, but they’re remaining cautiously optimistic thanks to the high production value.
J’ai vu les premières images de l’anime (japonais) « The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim »
— Matteo – Chaîne du Geek (@MatteoSapin) June 13, 2023
Pour être honnête, pas spécialement convaincu pour l’instant, j’espérais autre chose MAIS on retrouve vraiment le style des films de PJ et les décors semblent réussis
RDV 2024 pic.twitter.com/tLE9eHE3oa
Will The War of the Rohirrim redeem Middle-earth in cinema, if not live-action? I guess we’ll get to answer that question for ourselves come April 12, 2024.
