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How Legolas from The Lord of the Rings Mounted a Horse: Breaking Down the Legendary Scene from the Special Effects Specialist
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A small leap for an elf, but a giant step for cinematography.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a treasure trove of unforgettable cinematic moments. Any viewer can easily remember at least one exciting scene that does not lose strength even 20 years after viewing.
But especially noteworthy is the moment when Legolas mounted his horse in The Two Towers. Polygon held its own investigationto expose all the secrets of this moment. Let's talk about the main thing.
How to throw Legolas on a horse with magic
The author of Polygon turned to Matt Aitken, a visual effects specialist at Weta Digital, for an extended commentary. Aitken worked on this scene and willingly gave interviews.
The bonus material for The Two Towers Expanded Edition states that the scene with Legolas was not originally planned. All three films were filmed in parallel, and such large-scale projects are not without incident. On the day the scene was filmed, Orlando Bloom fell off his horse and broke a rib. The piece had to end without him. The team had footage of Legolas jumping up and down with one arm outstretched. They decided to shoot the scene, replacing the actor with a digital double.
A digital twin is a virtual copy of a movie character that allows you to shoot dangerous scenes without risking stuntmen. Now this is a common service of the Weta Digital studio: digital twins appeared in Fast and Furious 7 and, for example, in the climax of Avengers: Endgame. However, at the time of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the company was still experimenting with new technology. This scene presented a brand new challenge for the studio: to show the transition from footage with the real Legolas to his computer version.
It seems to be the first major digital frame in the history of Weta Digital. We were still developing the technology back then. They made figures for extras, large armies in battle, but in the frame they were always small. Showing a digital character close-up was another challenge. It was necessary to make it fit into the visual range and not distract the attention of the audience. I think this scene was a turning point for us.
Making the digital model convincing was not easy, according to Aitken. In two and a half months, Weta Digital animator Christopher Hatala made thirty-five versions of the animation. Somewhere Legolas was mounting his horse from the side, somewhere he was doing somersaults.
We settled on the version that ended up in the film. According to Aitken, if you look at the movements of Legolas from a different angle, they will look ridiculous.
It denies all the laws of physics. I think Legolas goes through the earth and the horse. It seems even through Gimli.
Digital Legolas needed the appropriate space. The studio recreated the hill, the horse, and Gimli in 3D so that the models fully corresponded in shape to the trajectory of movement. This technique is called tracking, and it allowed Weta to integrate Legolas' digital twin into real space. To make it difficult to notice the substitution, the studio worked out every little thing: from lighting to simulation of hair and clothes.
According to Aitken, the studio wasn't just working on Legolas in this scene.
Orlando Bloom shoots a digital arrow. I can guarantee you that he never fired a real arrow in the entire trilogy. They are all added using CGI.
How to throw Legolas on a horse with science
The author of Polygon wondered if such a trick was possible in reality. For an answer, he turned to Rhett Allen, an associate professor of physics and science consultant for MacGyver.
You grab the harness with one hand and dash at speeds of up to ten miles an hour. This is a serious burden on the hand. If I did that, I would dislocate my shoulder.
Allen was confused by another question.
I don't think it's physically realistic. But I also tried to understand why they stylistically animated the scene in this way. If he grabs the horse like that, it would be logical to climb onto his right side, but instead he makes a jerk to the left.
But Legolas isn't exactly human. Allen points out that an elf can pull off such a trick if he weighs less than mere mortals. Or his strength is incomparable to his weight.
To weigh Legolas, the author of Polygon turned to a scene from The Fellowship of the Ring where the heroes cross Mount Caradhras.
Travelers literally drown in the snow - all except Legolas, who barely leaves footprints on the snowdrift. In 2017, Because Science's Kyle Hill disassembled this scene and calculated that the elf's body has a density of less than 72 kilograms per cubic meter.
Allen commented on this information.
Then, I assume, it weighs no more than 20 kilograms. With such parameters, it is easier for him to climb a horse, because the momentum of the body does not change so much when jerking.
But the scientist still thinks the elf's movements are strange.
However, this did not stop the scene from becoming important for both the audience and Weta Digital. In it, the studio proved that digital doubles can effectively replace actors to perform complex stunts.
Digital twins are a key element of our work. They are asked to do for all the films we work on. For us, this stage was a testing ground and a turning point in the development of the studio. She showed what level visual effects have reached and what tools are now available to directors.
The author of Polygon summed up that Legolas' amazing trick might be impossible for a human or even an elf, but against all odds, the hero got on the damn horse.
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