Synopsis:

Today I’m excited to share my fanedit of The Hobbit. For context, I love watching Adam Dens, Maple, M4 fanedits when I want to experience The Hobbit as movies. However, there are times when I want to spend more time in Middle-earth, but two things keep me from revisiting the original trilogy: the Kíli-Tauriel romance and Alfrid's antics. That's where my fanedit comes in.

Intentions:

While the original trilogy presented The Hobbit as a set of films, I believe a miniseries works better for the amount of material involved. So, I’ve reimagined The Hobbit into an 11-episode miniseries, each running around 45 minutes, aimed at creating a more focused narrative while maintaining the grandeur of An Unexpected Journey. In this version, I’ve carefully trimmed away the Fíli-Tauriel romance and Alfrid’s antics to keep the story tighter, while preserving the overall plot structure of the films. To make it consistent, I’ve re-edited some parts, such as the death of Kíli, which now happens simultaneously with Fíli’s. Crafted from the Blu-ray Extended Editions, this edit ensures the highest quality in both video and audio, and is available both in English and Spanish.

Change List:

Cuts & Additions E01 – AN UNEXPECTED PARTY (43:14) Bilbo Baggins, a reluctant hobbit, is unexpectedly swept into an adventure with Gandalf and a group of dwarves to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug, leaving his peaceful life in the Shire behind. Cut the “An Unexpected Journey” title. E02 – ROAST MUTTON (42:02) After leaving the Shire, Bilbo and the dwarves face numerous dangers, including trolls, goblins, and Wargs, before finding refuge in Rivendell. Meanwhile, the White Council convenes in Rivendell. Trimmed Radagast encounter with the company, cutting part when he extracts an insect from his mouth. Also moved shot of Bilbo looking awkwardly to when Radagast smokes. E03 – A SHORT REST (44:30) In Rivendell, the company receives guidance from Elrond before continuing their journey, encountering more dangers along the way, including the treacherous path through the Misty Mountains, where Bilbo is separated from the group and falls into the dark caves. E04 – RIDDLES IN THE DARK (42:48) After falling into the mountain caves, Bilbo encounters Gollum, finds the One Ring, and then reunites with the dwarves. Together, they face a dangerous escape from goblins and Wargs, culminating in their rescue by the eagles. E05 – FLIES AND SPIDERS (47:28) The company rests at Beorn’s house and continues their journey through Mirkwood, where they are attacked by giant spiders and eventually captured by the Wood Elves. Cut the “The Desolation of Smaug” title. E06 – BARRELS OUT OF BOND (46:56) After being imprisoned by the Elves, Bilbo and the dwarves escape in barrels, floating down the river to Lake-town, where they are welcomed by the people and eventually make their way to Bard's house. Meanwhile, Gandalf investigates the Nine Kings of Men tombs. Cut the scene where Legolas and Tauriel discuss Kíli while he is imprisoned. Trimmed Thranduil and Tauriel’s conversation, cutting Thranduil’s suggestion that Legolas might be falling in love with her. Trimmed Kíli-Tauriel scene in Mirkwood prison, cutting Kíli’s speech about his promise to his father and the end of the scene when they start talking, and Legolas sees them. I kept Tauriel’s speech about the white lights and Kíli beginning to fall in love with her. Cut a small shot of Tauriel looking horrified as Kíli gets wounded in the river. Trimmed the Master and Alfrid’s presentation, cutting the Master eating. E07 – A WARM WELCOME (43:20) After arriving in Lake-town, the company makes their way to the Lonely Mountain, where they enter the secret passage and discover the treasure hoard. As they explore, Bilbo encounters the dragon Smaug. Meanwhile, Gandalf is imprisoned in Dol Guldur. E08 – FIRE AND WATER (45:43) After Bilbo’s encounter with Smaug, the dwarves, including Thorin, confront the dragon in the mountain, but Smaug taunts them before flying out to attack Lake-town. Bard kills the dragon with an arrow, saving the town. Merged the end of DoS and beginning of BoFA, so this episode closes with Smaug’s death. Trimmed Tauriel healing Kíli, no hand-touching. Kíli still delivers his hallucination speech, and Tauriel looks at him helplessly, unsure of what to say. Cut the “The Battle of the Five Armies” title (closing scene of the episode). E09 – THE GATHERING OF THE CLOUDS (45:09) After Smaug’s death, tensions rise between elves, men, and dwarves, all preparing to claim the treasure. Meanwhile, Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman go to aid Gandalf, confronting the Nine Kings of Men, and the White Council ultimately defeats Sauron. Cut Alfrid’s “Why always me?” at the lake’s beach. Cut Kíli-Tauriel farewell so they don’t speak. We still see the dwarves leaving, with Tauriel and Legolas watching them. Kíli looks back, but she is no longer looking. Cut Alfrid fighting for a towel. Cut Alfrid grabbing Bard’s daughter. Trimmed the conversation between Alfrid and Bard about the mountain, cutting Alfrid’s comments about the gold and the women cleaning it. Trimmed Radagast and Gandalf farewell, cutting final part when Radagast talks about the stick not working properly. E10 – THE CLOUDS BURST (43:56) The Battle of the Five Armies begins, first between dwarves, elves, and men. As the battle continues, they must unite against the orc and goblin forces. During the chaos, Thorin and his best warriors fight valiantly at Ravenhill. Trimmed some battle footage with no soundtrack right after Bard reunites with his children. This is the last time we see Alfrid, when he hides, suggesting he leaves the battle (technically we see him later in a shot in the market, but he is in the background and facing away). Trimmed the scene of Bard asking his children to go to the market, cutting Alfrid. Trimmed the sequence of people going to the market, cutting Alfrid. Trimmed some battle footage with no soundtrack right before Bofur takes control of a troll. Trimmed the sequence of people arming in the market, cutting Alfrid. Trimmed the war chariot scene on the frozen lake, cutting some shots with no soundtrack. Cut Alfrid’s death scene. E11 – THE LAST STAGE (43:07) After Thorin arrives at Ravenhill, he battles Azog the Defiler in a final, tragic confrontation, where he is mortally wounded. As Thorin dies, Bilbo is able to say goodbye, and the battle ends with the defeat of the orc army. The dwarves, elves, and men agree to a fragile peace. Trimmed Tauriel confronting Thranduil, cutting the part where they discuss love. Cut the battle scene with no soundtrack where Bifur loses his axe. Re-edited the Ravenhill scene: After Fíli falls, we see all of Kíli’s fighting scenes, culminating in a confrontation with Bolg, who kills him while Thorin witnesses. Trimmed Tauriel’s fighting scenes so she doesn’t shout “Kíli” while searching for him. Re-edited Tauriel and Bolg fight, now it’s just a fight between them, without Kíli. Trimmed the final Thranduil scene, cutting Tauriel’s crying for Kíli, as well as her conversation with him. We still see Thranduil and Legolas’ last conversation. Added Gandal’s eulogy during Thorin’s funeral. Kept some of the final credits, although trimmed them to fit in two songs, “Song of the Lonely Mountain” and “Dreaming of Bag End”.

Additional Notes:

Editing Details The strategy behind this edit followed three main guidelines: Removing the Kíli-Tauriel romance: I trimmed their scenes to change the nature of their relationship. Instead of a mutual romance, Kíli’s feelings for Tauriel are now portrayed as one-sided. Tauriel is shown as someone who cares deeply for all living beings, with Kíli being just another one of them. The dynamic I aimed for is somewhat akin to the relationship between Gimli and Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. Trimming Alfrid: While Alfrid still moves the plot forward, most of his scenes have been cut, including his entire arc. The last we see of him is hiding during the battle, and I removed any further comedic moments (such as the lady-dressing scenes) to keep the focus on the main story. Ensure highest quality, aiming for 45-minute episodes cut at cliffhanger moments: After ripping original Blu-rays to keep highest quality in both video (1080p resolution and 20+ Mb/s bitrate) and audio (7.1/5.1 Surround), I restructured the edit to fit 45-minute episodes, naming them after the chapters from the book that best align with the events. Additionally, I added short credits at the end of each episode, accompanied by the Misty Mountains theme, to maintain the atmosphere. Plot-wise, the one key alteration involves the death of Kíli, which now occurs simultaneously with Fíli's, witnessed by Thorin and Bilbo. Apart from that, I’ve tried to preserve the original structure and artistic decisions. Other relevant notes from this edit: Merged the end of DoS and the beginning of BoFA into the same episode. Trimmed a few Extended Edition battle scenes from BoFA that lacked a soundtrack and didn’t add to the story. The Dol Guldur plot remains untouched, although trimmed some of Radagast’s antics.

Other Sources:

Special Features ISO playable on your computer with VLC and burnable to Blu-ray disc (dual-layer). MP4 retaining original resolution (1080p Full HD) and bitrate (20+ Mb/s) from the Extended Edition Blu-rays, with two audio tracks: 7.1 English and 5.1 Spanish. Ensure your media player supports audio track selection (e.g., VLC works well). A lighter version (720p HD) is also available, perfect for phones, tablets, and PC screens, with separate files for each language.