In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-Earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-Earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

MPAA rating: PG-13.

Closed-captioned.

Originally produced as a motion picture in 2001.

Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Special features: 3 in-depth behind-the-scenes programs; 15 featurettes created for lordoftherings.net, exploring the locales and cultures of Middle Earth; original theatrical trailers and TV spots.

Director of photography, Andrew Lesnie ; editor, John Gilbert ; music, Howard Shore ; production designer, Grant Major ; costume designers, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor ; visual effects supervisor, Jim Rygiel.

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan.

DVD format.

Academy Awards, 2001: Best Cinematography (Andrew Lesnie); Best Music, Original Score (Howard Shore); Best Effects, Visual Effects (Jim Rygiel); Best Makeup (Peter Owen, Richard Taylor).