A sequel to Tolkien's earlier novel (The Hobbit), The Lord of the Rings was published in three volumes from 1954 to 1955 and made into a very successful live-action feature film trilogy (2001-2003) by director Peter Jackson.

Originally the prologue was to be narrated by Frodo (Elijah Wood), but since his character didn't really have much to do with the opening sequence it just didn't feel right. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) took over narration duties, actually recording a version of the prologue, but the producers still felt that this was the wrong character for the part. Finally, it was decided to let Galadriel narrate the prologue as this would emphasize the timelessness of the elves. Originally, New Line Cinema had insisted on limiting the prologue to two minutes; but in the final film, it lasts for seven and a half.

The Dark Lord Sauron desperately wants the Ring of Power which will give him mastery over Middle-earth. The only way to destroy the Ring is to cast it back into the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.

Centuries of the Ring's influence have twisted Gollum's body and mind, and he has come to call the Ring "my precious", illustrating his perversion from loving another living being to loving an object of power.

Gandalf reunites with his old friend Bilbo at the Hobbit's 111st (pronounced "eleventy first") birthday party. When Bilbo uses the One Ring to vanish from his own party, playing a prank on his guests, Gandalf begins to suspect the Ring's true nature.

As the Fellowship nears the end of its journey through the mines of Moria, they are attacked by a fire demon known as a Balrog. In order to buy the others time to escape, Gandalf engages the Balrog in battle. Although he dies during the course of the battle, Gandalf's life is later restored and he is returned to Middle-earth to complete his task.

In The Two Towers, Pippin and Merry escape from their Orc captors only to be captured by an Ent named Treebeard. Although Treebeard crushes the lone Orc who is pursuing them, he still mistakes the two hobbits for "little orcs" and announces his intention to ask the White Wizard for advice on what to do with them. Fortunately for Pippin and Merry, the "White Wizard" turns out to be a resurrected Gandalf--not the evil Saruman.

Gandalf is delighting Bilbo's birthday crowd with a pyrotechnic display when the two trouble-making Hobbits steal a giant dragon firecracker and set it off inside a tent. As penance, Gandalf forces them to wash dishes after the feast.

An advisor to King Theoden, Grima Wormtongue's task is to keep Rohan weak. Through his manipulations, Saruman is able to cast a deadly spell on Theoden, sapping his will and reducing him to nothing more than a pawn whom Grima can easily control. When the Fellowship arrives in Edoras, the capital of Rohan, Gandalf uses his magic to liberate the bewitched ruler from Saruman's control.

Gimli attacks the One Ring with his battle axe, but it cannot be destroyed. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade.