First 8 minutes of the new Lord of the Rings anime movie arrives online for free - and fans are already loving it

The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim footage
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Good news Lord of the Rings fans, the opening scenes of the upcoming animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim have landed online and are available to watch for free. And it looks like fans are already impressed.

The footage was posted on Twitter by Warner Brothers and captioned “Before you return to Middle-earth, here's an extended preview of what's in store." The 8-minute clip opens with a man caught in a blizzard who comes face to face with a terrifying beast that we cannot see. After a vicious attack, a survivor flees and tells the kingdom’s leader that "he" has killed them all with his bare hands. The rest of the clip shows the dark and snowy winter sweeping through the kingdom, Orcs collecting fistfuls of rings to take to Mordor, and a new look at main character Héra Hammerhand voiced by Gaia Wise. Watch the full clip below.

It looks like fans are already loving the new movie as one replied to the tweet writing, "Wow I can’t wait!" while another posted a GIF of Frodo Baggins applauding.

Set 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy based on the beloved books by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of the King of Rohan Helm Hammerhand as he tries to protect his kingdom against ruthless Dunlending lord Wulf.

The official synopsis from Warner Bros reads: "Wulf, seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction."

As well as Wise, the voice cast also includes Succession’ Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand, Snowpiercer’s Luke Pasqualino as Wulf, and The Lord of the Rings’ Miranda Otto, who is reprising her role as Éowyn. Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, and Michael Wildman also star.

The animated film, directed by Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ Kenji Kamiyama also boasts the same screenwriting team behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as Peter Jackson himself on board as a producer.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim releases on December 13. For more, check out the best anime you should be watching now and the latest from 2024's biggest new anime.

Editorial Associate, 12DOVE

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

Read more
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Just two weeks after its theatrical release, Lord of the Ring: The War of Rohirrim is heading to digital
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings anime movie sets streaming date, meaning every movie will be available in one place
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Lord of the Rings anime movie actor "squealed" when she noticed an "insanely exciting" Easter egg in the War of the Rohirrim script
Helm Hammerhand and his family in the throne room during the upcoming movie, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.
If you squint, those Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos work surprisingly well in Tolkien lore
 Helm Hammerhand and his family in the throne room during the upcoming movie, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.
Lord of the Rings producer addresses the "rumored rivalry" between The Rings of Power and the movies: "There is absolutely not and I don't believe there is from their part either"
Brian Cox in Succession
Lord of the Rings anime movie star Brian Cox feels that he has "somehow been avoiding" Tolkien until now, despite being "up for" a role in the live-action films
Latest in Lord of the Rings Movies
Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
24 years later, fans are still spotting the incredible, "unmatched" attention to detail in Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings anime movie sets streaming date, meaning every movie will be available in one place
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Peter Jackson reveals his favorite movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it's not the one you're probably expecting
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Just two weeks after its theatrical release, Lord of the Ring: The War of Rohirrim is heading to digital
The Matrix
32 movies that spawned iconic internet memes
Helm Hammerhand and his family in the throne room during the upcoming movie, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.
If you squint, those Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cameos work surprisingly well in Tolkien lore
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog