The Wes Anderson Lord Of The Rings Trailer & Cast Are Too Good To Be True
The ongoing AI evolution took a big leap forward in 2023. New tools like ChatGPT and generative AI have had a huge impact on productivity — and helped spark industry-wide strikes, to boot. However, entertainment buffs have also found a uniquely useless (and endlessly entertaining) application of the cutting-edge technology: creating fan-inspired, AI-made trailers that depict their own version of cinematic stories and events.
Curious Refuge is one of these AI-driven inspirational outlets. The storytelling site recently created a unique mashup of iconic cinematic elements in the form of a Wes Anderson iteration of a Middle-earth tale. The fictional (literally) film in question is titled "The Whimsical Fellowship: A Lord of the Rings Story." Its AI-generated trailer was posted on YouTube (shared below) on May 9 and has received millions of views since — with good reason, too. It depicts a fantastical portrayal of Middle-earth that is dripping with the director's fantastical, child-like slow-motion style.
The less-than-two-minute experience spans the gamut from quaint to epic — all within the clear confines of Anderson's whimsical style. It's also laced with self-awareness and subtle humor, from Frodo listing the need for a second breakfast as a prerequisite for the journey to the narrator saying at different times that the movie is coming out both in the winter and the summer. The light-hearted clip is everything you would expect in an Anderson film set in Tolkien's world, from the visuals and pacing to the too-clever-by-half casting. Let's take a closer look, shall we?
The trailer's visuals and tone are vintage Wes Anderson
The "Whimsical Fellowship" trailer begins with a sudden zoom onto a Hobbit hole located across a rickety wooden bridge that spans a large pond (clearly, the AI software didn't read up on Hobbits' general terror for bodies of water and their culture-wide inability to swim). It opens with the spot-on line, "In the quaintest corner of Middle-earth, embark on an epic journey unlike any you've experienced before."
From there, we are ushered through a brief montage of shots depicting unspecified characters and places. Multiple giant buildings with curiously modern construction styles are exhibited, echoing nothing so much as Anderson's 2014 cinematic entry "The Grand Budapest Hotel." These are interspersed by groups of Elves and Dwarves who are shown slowly moving and breaking the fourth wall with somber curiosity.
A little over 30 seconds into the trailer, Frodo says, "Our quest is clear. We must destroy the One Ring, overcome the eccentricities of our newfound fellowship, and perhaps learn the true meaning of friendship along the way." The Halfling goes on to recite the things the group will need to succeed, listing random essentials, from a pipe, a walking stick, and antique maps to the Ring of Power itself ...along with both first and second breakfast.
The Andersonian aesthetic is on full display throughout all of this. Every scene is warm and fun, even the evil ones. Harmonious symmetry is rampant, and the carousel of shots manages to blend serenity and adventure into a single experience.
The casting is also Andersonian to a T
At the one-minute mark, the trailer launches into a 20-second rapid-fire account of the fanfic film's AI-generated cast — and it's to die for. Front and center is Timothée Chalamet, who portrays the reluctantly heroic Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins. Anderson regular Bill Murray also shows up as "the enigmatic Wizard Gandalf." From this solid foundation, the list of famous fan-casted actors just gets better and better.
Tilda Swinton shows up as Galadriel. A somber Ben Stiller plays Boromir while the uncertain Edward Norton fills in as Aragorn. Adrien Brody is cast as the sharp-eyed Legolas. Jeff Goldblum and Christoph Waltz bring a stately and somber feel to the roles of Elrond and Saruman, respectively. Léa Seydoux is Arwen. Benicio Del Toro is Gimli. Willem Dafoe drops in as the one and only Sméagol. There's even a fun alliterative moment that manifests in the form of Bob Balaban's balding Bilbo. The lineup ends with a gut-busting depiction of Sauron as a black-cloaked, faceless being with red eyes ...played by a grunting "Owen Wilson."
While the video is nearly two minutes long, the actual trailer only lasts for around 90 seconds, the final ten seconds of which wrap things up with the classic Tolkienian refrain, "Not all those who wander are lost." It's an appropriate ending for an AI-generated trailer that clearly knows what it's doing. Love it or hate it, if Wes Anderson had his way in Middle-earth, this is most definitely something that could come out of the deal. What's that line that Michael Scott says on "The Office" as he follows his car's GPS into a lake? The machine knows ...