Radagast scenes should've been combined

[Scourge of the Stoors]

While it was essential to show how Radagast came to discover the Necromancer, it was excessive to show him trying to revive his hedgehog while hiding from the spiders.

Also, we get this moment of intrigue and seriousness that is broken by the unceremonious reveal that he has freaking rabbits pulling his sleigh. The quirky element of the rabbits clashes with the importance of the situation.

These two points could've been eliminated by merging the Dol Goldur scene with his introduction

Here:
Radagast arrives upon the Company as in the film. Gandalf says "this is Radagast" etc, etc. Radagast narrates as we see him finding the dead animals and spiders and following the bird to their source. Cue Dol Goldur sequence.

This would've taken the baggage off the absurdity of the Bunny Sleigh, as we would have been introduced to it before he told his story. Thus, when it shows him jump over the hill in it, we're focusing not on the fact that there are rabbits pulling a sleigh, but that he's on a mission.

 

[arithmancer]

 

[lurtz2010]

the whole movie is like a classic disney film so the sled fits in perfectly.

Anyway I thought Radagasts intro was good as it was, I thought his scene in dol guldur could'te een continued straight on from his first buswdcene but that would mean too much time away from bilbo

 

[Kangi Ska]

 

[Ataahua]

for the practicality and believability of the rabbit sled. Have a look at what she has to say.

 

[MouthofSauron]

fun times!

 

[Kimtc]

It adds some fairy tale back into the story, some of which is diluted by the addition of the outside elements (which I like, don't get me wrong). One of the aspects of FOTR that makes it so different from the next two is that it retains the most of that sort of fantasy; the next two get less so (as the "dominion of men" takes center stage), with the exception of the ents (who, honestly, got on my nerves as much as they did on Merry's). So yeah, give me giant bunnies, along with dragons, bear shapeshifters, stone giants, etc. I'll take all I can get of that.

 

[sauget.diblosio]

I've seen it in a couple of places, so i'm assuming it's some kind of joke, but i can't figure it out. What does it mean?

 

[Vaire]

"Sledge" is just another word for "sled".

 

[Kullervo]

It's a fairytale element in a fairytale, so it fits perfectly in my opinion. There are lots of different animals pulling all kinds of sleighs and sleds throughout the history of the wolrd's fairytales, so why not rabbits, especially Rhosgobel Rabbits.

 

[Kullervo]

Except I loved the ents. But, like you said, I think it is very reasonable to expect and even hope that there is propably going to be fairies in a fairy tale.[]

 

[sycorax82]

We say 'sledge' in the UK where I think 'sled' and 'sleigh' are used more in the US...

Oh, and I'm looking forward to the explanation from Peter over the bunnies...maybe he can blame del Toro?

 

[CuriousG]

I understand that epics can be humorous, but they don't hold up as epics if they're ridiculous. I realize there are lovers and haters of the bunny sled, but everyone should agree it's a silly thing. Just say to someone who hasn't seen the movie, or think of your reaction before you'd ever heard of the movie, if you said "a sled carrying a man pulled by rabbits." Sounds like the punch line of a joke. Yes, it's cute, and it adds levity, and I understand why some people love it, but it created a jarring discontinuity with the epic implications of the Necromancer's presence. (Or at least, the movie tries to be epic; that's another topic.)

Maybe it's a matter of timing? If we only saw the bunny sled when Radagast is light-hearted and happy, and not after the dark magic and Necromancer, then it should have worked, as you slide from a carefree Shire-like state into a dark Mordor-like mood. Just my opinion.

 

[sauget.diblosio]

In the US, sledge is only used for the type of hammer.

 

[arithmancer]

Maybe it's a matter of timing? If we only saw the bunny sled when Radagast is light-hearted and happy, and not after the dark magic and Necromancer, then it should have worked, as you slide from a carefree Shire-like state into a dark Mordor-like mood. Just my opinion.

...since the bunny sled worked for me from viewing 1 on.

I don't really see how having him save the cute little hedgehog from the dark magic does not match with having him then travel to investigate its source with cute, oversized rabbits providing the transportation.

 

[Vaire]

The movie guide book reveals that the bunny sled was all Peter's idea. Although I don't know that blame is the right word, as the vast majority of people I've talked to love it.

 

[swordwhale]

[laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh]

I was so intrigued by the whole thing (also, RofLm AoinG all over my dog crates) I waxed eloquent on it, here...
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/01/03/67872-radagasts-racing-rhosgobel-rabbits-a-recreational-musher-looks-at-the-realities-of-bunny-sledding/

I note someone has pasted a link to the other place it appears. Cool. Now go look up Maddie the Weight Pulling Poodle... five pound poodle, pulls 300... yup, really.

 

[swordwhale]

It adds some fairy tale back into the story, some of which is diluted by the addition of the outside elements (which I like, don't get me wrong). One of the aspects of FOTR that makes it so different from the next two is that it retains the most of that sort of fantasy; the next two get less so (as the "dominion of men" takes center stage), with the exception of the ents (who, honestly, got on my nerves as much as they did on Merry's). So yeah, give me giant bunnies, along with dragons, bear shapeshifters, stone giants, etc. I'll take all I can get of that.

There is a subtle difference between the Hobbit and LOTR, and I think you nailed it. Not only the style; LOTR is Epic and Hobbit is a fast paced fairy tale in the oral tradition... but that Hobbit contains more "magic", more classic "out there" faerie tale elements. More whimsy if you will. I think that must have been one of the harder things to do; make this set of films look like LOTR, carry the serious beginnings of that epic, and still have the faerie tale quality, stone giants and trolls and all that. I was struck by the Dwarf designs; they seem to embody that quality of the tale being both quirky faerie tale and serious epic saga. There are characters that are perilously close to cartoon: Bifur (Bifurcation means the splitting of a main body into two parts) with the orc axe in his head, for instance... only it works, beautifully, because, um, because WETA folk are geniuses. Because there is enough realism in look and character to carry off the slightly out there stuff.

 

[swordwhale]

We say 'sledge' in the UK where I think 'sled' and 'sleigh' are used more in the US...

Oh, and I'm looking forward to the explanation from Peter over the bunnies...maybe he can blame del Toro?

U.S.: Sledge (besides being a Dwarvish weapon) could be the sort of stone sledge my dad's family used (pulled by a mule or two) to move heavy dirt or rock, very Dwarvish. Sleigh; pulled by horse or horses (think jingle bells). Sled: thing you slide down hill on, Flexible Flyer or Lightning Guider, also possibly a washing machine lid or car hood... also, sled pulled by dogs. Unless you're on skis, then it's ski-joring (and slightly crazy).

I really want to see someone explain where the bunny sled came from...

A musher friend sent me pic of a miniature dogsled being pulled by a... toad. He was doing a great job, nice tight gangline...

 

[swordwhale]

Maybe it's a matter of timing? If we only saw the bunny sled when Radagast is light-hearted and happy, and not after the dark magic and Necromancer, then it should have worked, as you slide from a carefree Shire-like state into a dark Mordor-like mood. Just my opinion.

...since the bunny sled worked for me from viewing 1 on.



I don't really see how having him save the cute little hedgehog from the dark magic does not match with having him then travel to investigate its source with cute, oversized rabbits providing the transportation.

It occurs to me that this year there have been several portrayals of rabbits in film, in which they have Power. Somewhere in the British Isles, there was a goddess whose animals was Rabbit (we still remember this as the Easter Bunny). This was, I think, a symbol of renewal in spring. In Rise of theGuardians, we have an Easter Bunny who's 6' tall, has a pair of wicked boomerangs, tribal tattoos, and sounds like Wolverine from the X-Men (because he is Hugh Jackman). giving the archetype back its power.

There is something about the way Radagast responds to those are (blahblah) wargs with "Rhosgobel Rabbits" which suggests the true power of Rabbit, not the cutesey thing he's become in our modern culture. those bunnies dashing through the forest over everything in their way look very much like they could outrun any champion sprint racing sled dogs on their trail!