Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings is seen as a pinnacle of fantasy filmmaking, creating a name for Jackson as a director as well as the myriad production companies that worked on it--but what if the trilogy was created as an animation by Pixar instead?
This is the question Instagram user Benmornin seeks to answer with a series of images showing the original Fellowship (plus a bonus Arwen) rendered in Pixar's iconic animated style.
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While the renders are clearly based on the actors who appeared in PJ's trilogy, the style is more reminiscent of Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord Of The Rings from 1978.
The renderings are AI generated using Midjourney, as part of a trend that has seen many well-known franchises given the same treatment. Benmornin has also generated Star Wars in Pixar style, while Reddit user Ozdemirburak showed another take on a Pixarified Lord of the Rings that also included Gollum and Galadriel.
If you're hoping for a full film in this style, the Russo Brothers' Joe Russo has estimated that AI will be able to generate a "very competent" 90 minute film within the next two years--though there are plenty of hurdles and ethical concerns to consider before that becomes a reality.