Cinefex no. 96

The Return of the King: Director Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, comes to a dazzling conclusion with The Return of the King, in which Frodo and surviving members of the Fellowship meet their separate fates in the perilous quest to destroy the One Ring before it destroys the very fabric of Middle-earth. Weta Digital, which won visual effects Oscars for both of the first two films, turns its attention to creating new characters, new environments, and new adventures for the final epic installment. In addition to our massive coverage of The Return of the King, there will be shorter feature articles on director P.J. Hogan's new adaptation of the classic Peter Pan tale, with ambitious effects from two Oscar-winning effects companies, Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain; director Peter Weir's Napoleonic sea saga, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, with visual effects by Weta Workshop, ILM, and Asylum Effects; and director Tim Burton's 'tall tale' story, Big Fish with effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Stan Winston Studio.