by The highly anticipated press conference for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, ‘the first original feature-length animated film by renowned director Kenji Kamiyama, was a momentous event. Held at the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France on the 11th local time, the conference unveiled stunning visuals of the main characters, including the enigmatic protagonist Hela.
This work, which leads to the live-action film trilogy, is an original story that expands on the description of Helm, the strongest king of Rohan, which is part of the “Lord of the Rings Supplement.” Set in Middle-earth 183 years before the trilogy, it reveals the battles that were told as legends of the horse-riding country of Rohan, as well as the origins of the Horn Castle and Helm’s Deep, which are familiar to fans of the series.
The stills show the members of the Rohan royal family, who are the story’s focus. The main character, Princess Hela, faces her enemies with her beautiful and intense eyes. In addition, we can see the three children surrounding King Helm (Hela, Hareth, and Herma) and Wolf, Hela’s childhood friend and greatest enemy. Along with the fate of the Helm royal family, we are also curious about the fateful showdown between Hela and Wolf.
Director Kamiyama explains the film’s setting, “183 years before The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, in the kingdom of Rohan in Middle-earth. It is during the time of King Helm, the ancestor of King Theoden. King Helm’s bloodline was once cut off with him, and the son of King Helm’s sister (Hild), Frearaaf, in other words, King Helm’s nephew, ascended to the throne. I think his name only appeared in The Two Towers. From there, the bloodline changed and led to King Theoden. This film depicts what happened at that time, 183 years ago.”
“In Tolkien’s original work, this description is in the ‘Supplementary Edition,’ but only about 11 pages in the Japanese version. King Helm was the strongest king in the history of Rohan. He was a warrior and a great king. His nickname was Helm Hammerhand, which in Japanese translates to King Hammerhand. This was because he had the strength to kill an enemy with just his fists. To a certain extent, he was overconfident in his strength. The story in the original work explains why this royal bloodline became extinct.”
