After a record-breaking season at Te Papa in 2002–2003, this exhibition toured to the likes of Boston, London, Sydney, and Singapore – until over one million people had seen it.

While the exhibition travelled, The Return of the King, the third movie in the trilogy, was released, and more exhibits were added. The exhibition then came back home, and showed at Te Papa for one last time from April to August 2006. In addition to the exhibits added while it was on the road, it boasts an array of completely new items, never seen anywhere else in the world.

Exquisite costumes and jewellery, finely worked weapons and armour, painstakingly created miniatures, not to mention the inside story on Weta Digital’s groundbreaking animation work ? it’s all here. Along with revealing video interviews and a chance for visitors to try out some of the technology themselves!

This exhibition offered a chance to see the astonishing level of design and crafting that went into every aspect of The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy.