--- title: Lord of the Rings: 15th Anniversary Behind-the-Scenes Photos description: Believe it or not, it's been nearly 15 years since the release of the first installment of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. canonical: https://time.com/4591437/lord-of-the-rings-behind-the-scenes-photos/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-15T15:10:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:32.483Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 9 Magical Behind-the-Scenes Photos From 'Lord of the Rings' og:description: In honor of the trilogy's 15th anniversary og:url: https://time.com/4591437/lord-of-the-rings-behind-the-scenes-photos/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec722c42eb7c4630/6988b0c8f887dc32c0e98672/lotr-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: lotr-lead og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 9 Magical Behind-the-Scenes Photos From 'Lord of the Rings' twitter:description: In honor of the trilogy's 15th anniversary twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec722c42eb7c4630/6988b0c8f887dc32c0e98672/lotr-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of _The Lord of the Rings_ Movies With Behind-the-Scenes Photos by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) and [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/) Dec 15, 2016 3:10 PM CUT  New Line Cinema by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) and [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/) Dec 15, 2016 3:10 PM CUT Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 15 years since the release of the first installment of [Peter Jackson’s](http://time.com/3942749/peter-jackson-bilbos-bag-end-basement/ "undefined") [_The_ _Lord of the Rings_](http://time.com/4325907/new-zealand-volcano-mordor/ "undefined") trilogy, which means it’s time to take a look back at some of the amazing moments that went into making the beloved trilogy. [_The Fellowship of the Ring_](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2005583%5F2005581%5F2005566,00.html "undefined")— which hit theaters on Dec. 19, 2001 — introduced audiences to Jackson’s vision of [J.R.R. Tolkien’s](http://time.com/4407241/jrr-tolkien-galadriel-poem/ "undefined") Middle Earth, featuring Elijah Wood as the hobbit Frodo Baggins and Ian McKellen as the wizard Gandalf. It was followed by 2002’s _The Two Towers_ and 2003’s _The Return of the King_, concluding a franchise that became the winningest in Oscars history, earning 11 awards at the 2004 ceremony alone. Check out the gallery above for a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the groundbreaking series.  Elijah Wood filming The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001. New Line Cinema  Storyboard for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001. New Line Cinema  Andy Serkis as Gollum filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002. New Line Cinema  Viggo Mortensen, right, filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002. New Line Cinema  Peter Jackson and Sean Bean filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002. New Line Cinema  Behind the scenes of Peter Jackson and Sean Bean filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002. New Line Cinema  Sean Bean and David Wenham filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002. New Line Cinema  Peter Jackson and Liv Tyler filming The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003. New Line Cinema  Peter Jackson and Ian McKellen filming The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003. 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