- Who
- Hobbiton
- Where
- New Zealand (Matamata)
- When
The largest purpose-built film set was the village of Hobbiton and its surroundings, which were crafted originally for the Lord of the Rings film series (NZ/USA, 2001–03), and later expanded and updated for the Hobbit trilogy (NZ/USA, 2012–14). The set covers 5.5 hectares (14 acres), and includes subterranean hobbit houses, a thatched-roof inn and watermill, and extensive landscaped gardens and farms. The set was originally constructed between March and December 1999.
The Hobbiton set sits on a working farm in New Zealand's Waikato region, located in the northern part of North Island. The site was chosen by director Peter Jackson (NZ) during a location scouting flight over the region in 1998. He was attracted to the undulating, hilly terrain and the presence of a lake with a narrow arm that could stand in for a broad river.
The landscaping and structures of Hobbiton were designed by set decorator Alan Lee (UK). There are 44 hobbit holes in the village (the original 1999 set had just 37), built at a number of different scales (including small ones designed to look tiny in relation to the non-hobbit actors and large ones designed to make the hobbit actors look small). Most are just facades as the interior scenes were shot in a studio. The original set was built using normal scenic construction materials and techniques (things like plywood and vacuum-formed plastic), but it was rebuilt as a set of permanent structures before the filming of the Hobbit trilogy.
Today, the set is a major tourist attraction and some of the buildings have been made into actual working inns and restaurants.
