Hobbit-themed flight safety video released

A screen capture from Air New Zealand's safety video. [Photo/From Internet]

Dwarves, orcs and elves take flight once again as Air New Zealand unveils "The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made" ahead of the final film in The Hobbit Trilogy, The Hobbit:The Battle of the Five Armies, which premiered in China last week.

Hobbit cast members Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Dean O'Gorman (Fili the Dwarf) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast) star in the video which is directed by Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi (Boy, What We Do in the Shadows). The video also features cameos from The Hobbit Trilogy director Sir Peter Jackson, Weta Workshop co-founder Sir Richard Taylor and Waititi himself, who appears as a wizard.

The safety video was shot over six days across a number of New Zealand's Middle-earth locations including Hobbit on and Central Otago. Behind the scenes creative talent from the films was also involved in the production of the video including Weta Workshop, which supplied costumes and more than 150 makeup prosthetics, and Weta Digital which created visual special effects.

Director of The Hobbit films Sir Peter Jackson says, "Air New Zealand has created yet another fantastic video to celebrate The Hobbit. This latest offering combines members of our cast and our locations with Air New Zealand's unique personality. I had a lot of fun on the set with Taika and the team and look forward to seeing the video on board."

"We are very proud to be the official airline of Middle-earth and have worked hard over the past three years to create highly effective global marketing campaigns, including distinctive branded aircraft and Hobbit inspired online content which have got the world talking about both our airline and destination New Zealand," says Air New Zealand Head of Global Brand Development Jodi Williams.

"The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made" follows the airline's first Hobbit inspired safety video, "An Unexpected Briefing" (2012) which attracted more than 12 million online views and generated huge media and social media coverage.

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