‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ director says anime film was a 'journey to the unknown'

This week, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” premiered in Philippine cinemas.

The original anime feature film tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan.

In an interview shared to GMA News Online by Warner Bros. Pictures, director Kenji Kamiyama said that he thought it was impossible to do hand-drawn animation because of the number of soldiers, the intricacies of design, and the horses.

“But it was a chance to take on something that I loved and really admire. I had to take it, I just didn’t know how,” he said.

Kenji thinks that, because it’s already an imagined world, anime is a fantastic medium for trying to depict genres like fantasy and science fiction.

“When you are entering into the world of animation, you have a certain agreement with the audience that it is make believe, it is something drawn and imagined.  And also it’s very easy to expand where you are,” he said.

According to the director, while it was hard to create the anime with the many characters, it also gives the creators freedom. But in adapting titles like “The Lord of the Rings,” there is the danger of going “too far down that road and lose a sense of reality.”

He added that another challenge that comes with it is staying consistent with the previous works before it.

“There’s that sense of reality that has to be maintained while trying to do this story of fantasy.  To do that with filmmaking, you have to be aware of the camera angle, the kind of lens you use in each shot, and also the extent of the exposure, lighting, and realistic movements of camera.  You light it differently than just a flat drawing,” he said.

The award-winning filmmaker hopes that audiences will enjoy Japanese animation, which he said is a little different from other animation forms.

“It started out with a journey to the unknown, with so much uncertainty, but now that we’re looking at release it’s incredible,” he said.

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is produced by Philippa Boyens. The executive producers are Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Sam Register, Ken Kamins, Carolyn Blackwood, and Toby Emmerich.

The voice cast is led by Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand, Gaia Wise as his daughter Héra, and Luke Pasqualino as Wulf. —Carby Rose Basina/JCB, GMA Integrated News