Third Age · 60 years before Frodo

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Bilbo sets out with thirteen dwarves

Runtime2h49Where to watchTBCIn your marathonnot seen yet

Do you need to watch it before The Hunt for Gollum?

Yes. It's in the Main story, the list of only what moves the plot forward to The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

Where it falls in the order

Main story1 of 7
Chronological5 of 11
Everything5 of 14

BeforeThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

AfterThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Post-credits scenes

No post-credits scenes. You can stop when the credits roll.

Spoilers for this title

Quick recap

Gandalf talks Bilbo Baggins into joining Thorin Oakenshield and twelve other Dwarves on a quest to reclaim Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, taken by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo stalls three trolls until sunrise turns them to stone, and the wizard Radagast warns of a Necromancer in Dol Guldur. The company rests in Rivendell, where Gandalf meets with Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman. In the Misty Mountains, goblins capture the Dwarves and Bilbo gets lost. In a cave he finds a ring, beats Gollum in a riddle game and escapes invisible, sparing the creature's life. Azog, the pale orc, hunts the company. Bilbo saves Thorin, eagles rescue the group, and the Lonely Mountain appears on the horizon.

No spoilersOpens once you mark the title as seen.

4 easter eggs

Hidden details

CameoPeter Jackson flees the dragon
In the prologue, when Smaug attacks Erebor, Peter Jackson shows up as one of the Dwarf refugees running from the dragon.
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Behind the scenesThe first at 48 frames
It was the first wide-release feature shot and projected at 48 frames per second, double the standard. Critics were split, and most theaters ran the 24 fps version.
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ReferenceThe Misty Mountains song
The Dwarves' song at Bilbo's house uses lyrics straight from Tolkien's book. Howard Shore turned the melody into a theme that keeps returning in the score.
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SetupA ring in the dark
Bilbo finds a ring on the floor of Gollum's cave and pockets it without telling anyone. This comes back later.
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No spoilersThe easter eggs give away parts of the title. They open once you mark it as seen.

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