Are you looking for a last-minute gift idea for your favorite Tolkien-fan-geek? Look no further than your favorite bookstore for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Art & Design by the Weta Workshop, the Wellington, New Zealand special effects company behind the beauty of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
If you are as fascinated by the settings, costumes, and art design as I am, this is the perfect book. It’s a large hard-cover book perfect for prominent display. The high-quality glossy pages are filled with vibrant storyboard pictures, costume design renderings, and short vignettes by the art and design crew members about the senses they were attempting to convey as you progress through the story of The Desolation of Smaug. You will feel the set and costume designers’ passion for the roles they played in the film’s production.
The book is arranged based on the chapters of the original pages of The Hobbit, although, as I’d mentioned in my review of the film earlier this week, there are some plot diversions. These are addressed as well.
Enjoy the behind-the-scenes journeys through Lonely Mountain, Lake-town, Long Lake, the Woodland Realm, and Mirkwood as you learn about Weta’s motivations in design. For example, readers will learn about Lake-town’s Tibetan and Scandinavian influences.
This book makes an outstanding companion to the film; its intended audience is someone who has already read the book and/or seen the film. There are spoilers in the book, so be sure your gift recipient knows the story already!
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Art & Design retails for $39.99 and is available at book retailers nationwide, to include Amazon.
GeekMom received this item for review purposes.
