Please note, essential tree removal works are being completed on the Movie Set on Tuesday 28th April to ensure the ongoing safety of our visitors and team. There is expected to be considerable operational noise, along with low-flying helicopter activity while we conduct this work. Our team will ensure that tours continue to run smoothly, and that the tour experience remains as immersive and enjoyable as possible.
Please note, essential tree removal works are being completed on the Movie Set on Tuesday 28th April to ensure the ongoing safety of our visitors and team. There is expected to be considerable operational noise, along with low-flying helicopter activity while we conduct this work. Our team will ensure that tours continue to run smoothly, and that the tour experience remains as immersive and enjoyable as possible.
Please note, essential tree removal works are being completed on the Movie Set on Tuesday 28th April to ensure the ongoing safety of our visitors and team. There is expected to be considerable operational noise, along with low-flying helicopter activity while we conduct this work. Our team will ensure that tours continue to run smoothly, and that the tour experience remains as immersive and enjoyable as possible.
Please note, essential tree removal works are being completed on the Movie Set on Tuesday 28th April to ensure the ongoing safety of our visitors and team. There is expected to be considerable operational noise, along with low-flying helicopter activity while we conduct this work. Our team will ensure that tours continue to run smoothly, and that the tour experience remains as immersive and enjoyable as possible.
Please note, essential tree removal works are being completed on the Movie Set on Tuesday 28th April to ensure the ongoing safety of our visitors and team. There is expected to be considerable operational noise, along with low-flying helicopter activity while we conduct this work. Our team will ensure that tours continue to run smoothly, and that the tour experience remains as immersive and enjoyable as possible.
Please note, essential tree removal works are being completed on the Movie Set on Tuesday 28th April to ensure the ongoing safety of our visitors and team. There is expected to be considerable operational noise, along with low-flying helicopter activity while we conduct this work. Our team will ensure that tours continue to run smoothly, and that the tour experience remains as immersive and enjoyable as possible.
Meet the Stone Trolls: The Newest Residents at Hobbiton Movie Set
Something new has arrived on the outskirts of Hobbiton™ Movie Set.
Visitors exploring the picturesque village of Hobbiton can now venture beyond the familiar Hobbit Holes™ and into a small section of forest, where three enormous Stone Trolls await.
William, Bert and Tom have joined the landscape at Hobbiton Movie Set, creating a brand new, fully immersive environment for visitors to discover as part of their Hobbiton Movie Set Tour experience.
Meet William, Bert and Tom
Standing at an impressive 5.7 metres tall, William is the largest of the trio, with Bert and Tom not far behind.
The three Stone Trolls have been carefully constructed around engineered steel armatures, with their forms built up and sculpted in polystyrene before being coated in a two-part concrete-resin composite.
The finishing touches were just as important. Each troll was scenic-painted and aged by hand using film-industry techniques to recreate the weathered, on-screen appearance of the trolls from The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Their story is familiar to fans of Middle-earth™. As seen in the films, the trolls were turned to stone and remained frozen for 77 years.
“Thanks to Bilbo's clever thinking (and a little help from Gandalf) William Bert, and Tom have been preserved in stone and will delight visitors to Hobbiton for many years to come” says Sir Peter Jackson.
Bringing Middle-earth to life at Hobbiton
Nestled in the idyllic Matamata countryside on the 1250-acre Alexander family farm, Hobbiton Movie Set has long been a destination for fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies.
Hobbiton Movie Set CEO, Russell Alexander says he is “thrilled that visitors will continue to have the opportunity to experience something new and visually spectacular during their time exploring the Movie Set, that is something that is very important to us as a team. We are incredibly lucky to have the continued support of Sir Peter Jackson, and his creative voice and vision for the Hobbiton Movie Set and the curation of our visitor experience” Alexander continues.
Sir Peter has long aspired to share the experience of the Stone Trolls with visitors.
"Hobbiton has always been a welcoming place, so naturally I thought it needed three enormous trolls. I’ve wanted visitors to encounter William, Bert and Tom here for years, and it’s wonderful to see them finally settled in. They’re considerably better behaved since turning to stone”
Sir Peter Jackson
The Stone Trolls also bring a special connection to the original films. Sir Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies, “has fond memories of creating the Troll scene for the film and what better place for these memories to find a home in than, the rolling hills of The Shire™, for generations of fans to enjoy” Alexander says.
Magic of the Making: Stone Trolls From the films to The Shire
Construction of the Stone Trolls was undertaken by the Hobbiton Movie Set Art Department, including sculptors and painters who worked on the original Trilogies.
Their involvement helped ensure William, Bert and Tom remained authentic to their film counterparts, from their sculpted forms through to the intricate painting and ageing techniques used to give them their distinctive stone appearance.
Now complete and settling into their new home among the rolling hills of The Shire™, the Stone Trolls are now part of all Hobbiton experiences. So, as you wander beyond the village and into the forest, keep an eye out... You never know what (or who) you might find waiting among the trees.
