Film based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Special features DVD : Welcome to Middle-earth ; Quest for the ring Fox TV special; A passage to Middle-earth Sci-Fi channel special ; Lordoftherings.net featurettes: Exploring the locales and cultures of Middle-earth: Finding Hobbiton ; Hobbiton comes alive ; Believing the world of Bree ; Ringwraiths: the fallen kings ; Rivendell: the Elven refuge ; Languages of Middle-earth ; Two wizards ; Music of Middle-earth ; Elijah Wood ; Viggo Mortensen ; Orlando Bloom ; Cate Blanchett ; Liv Tyler ; Ian McKellen ; Weathertop: the windy hill ; exclusive 10 minute behind the scenes preview of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ; original theatrical trailers and TV spots ; Enya "May it be" music video ; an inside look at the special extended DVD edition of The Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the ring.

Special features Blu-ray: theatrical trailers ; scene selection.

Originally released as a motion picture in 2001.

Director of photography, Andrew Lesnie ; editor, John Gilbert ; music, Howard Shore ; production designer, Grant Major ; costume designers, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor ; visual effects supervisor, Jim Rygiel.

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis.

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-Smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-Earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-Earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

MPAA rating: PG-13; for epic battle sequences and some scary images.

Blu-ray.

Audio tracks in English and Spanish ; subtitled in Spanish ; English subtitled for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Academy Award; Best Cinematography, 2001: Andrew Lesnie.

Academy Award; Best Makeup, 2001: Peter Owen, Richard Taylor.

Academy Award; Best Original Score, 2001: Howard Shore.

Academy Award; Best Visual Effects, 2001.

AFI Award; Digital Effects Artist of the Year, 2002: Jim Rygiel.

AFI Award; Movie of the Year, 2002: Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Tim Sanders.

BAFTA Award; Audience Award, 2002.

BAFTA Award; Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects, 2002.

BAFTA Award; Best Film, 2002: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Sanders.

BAFTA Award; Best Make Up/Hair, 2002: Peter Owen, Peter King, Richard Taylor.

BAFTA Award; David Lean Award or Direction, 2002: Peter Jackson.

Grammy Award; Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, 2003: Howard Shore (composer), John Kurlander (engineer/mixer)