A 13 meter long Gollum invaded the Wellington Airport main terminal Thursday morning with the help of Weta Workshop.
The sculpture depicts the playful Gollum as he attempts to catch delicious fish for his dinner. Created by designer, Richard Taylor and Weta Workshop’s Rob Gillies, it is now the Welcome point for the airport terminal.
Richard said, “We have had a long and wonderful relationship with the Wellington Airport team, who continually focus on presenting an exciting gateway into our city. We are thrilled to once again be creating something with Wellington Airport that will bring delight to the many visitors coming to our fabulous city.”
All of New Zealand has embraced the Peter Jackson epic, and the Wellington Airport is no exception as they have renamed the terminal displaying the sneaky Gollum, “The Middle of Middle-earth”.
“As the first and last impression to our region, the Airport is proud to work with Weta and have this magnificent sculpture on display for all to see. Everyone will be amazed as they enter the terminal and be able to walk under and around Gollum; it really does feel like you’re in the stream with him,” said Steve Sanderson, Wellington Airport Chief Executive.
You can read the full article on the Weta site here.
Weta Workshop documented their adventure with a video of the assembly of the 1.2 tonne sculpture, which gives a closer look at their painstaking effort.
The Hobbit premiers on December 14th, and advance ticket sales start November 7th.
Follow Steve “Rifflo” Fitch on TWITTER: @HobbitSteve
Incredible! What a spectacular job those folks have!