Six Things You Should Know About 'The Hobbit' Before It Explodes

It's been nine years since the final installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy busted the box office wide open with its pre-Christmas opening. Now the world is bracing for another cinematic trip to Middle Earth in the form of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which gets a wide release Dec. 14. For the uninitiated, "The Hobbit" was written as a children's book in 1937 by Oxford professor J.R.R. Tolkien. It was followed in 1954 by the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which was adapted by New Zealand-based filmmaker Peter Jackson and released from 2001 to 2003. The final installment of the trilogy, "The Return of the King," won 11 Academy Awards, tying with "Ben Hur" (1959) and "Titanic" (1997) for the most Oscars ever awarded to a single film. The trilogy itself grossed some $4 billion worldwide. Much about "The Hobbit" is the same as its wildly successful predecessor. The same writer and director (Mr. Jackson) made it, and indeed many members of the New Zealand-based crew are "Rings" veterans. A few of its stars -- including Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood -- have reprised their otherworldly roles, and the film was shot in many of the same spectacular locations. As the world gears up for the film's release, here are six things you should know about "The Hobbit" before the conversation starts:

Six Things You Should Know About 'The Hobbit' Before It Explodes

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