The Hobbit: stormclouds gather over premiere amid animal care row (THE GUARDIAN)

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The film’s cast and crew have denied allegations of cruelty to animals. Photograph: Warner Bros/Planet Photos

British actor Martin Freeman is close to becoming an official mascot for New Zealand, thanks to his role in the new Hobbit film and this weekend's unveiling of a giant image of his face on the side of a Boeing jet at Auckland airport. And suddenly it looks as if the Tolkien entertainment industry might be in need of such a congenial ambassador.


Just three days before the film premieres in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, the long-awaited Peter Jackson adaptation of JRR Tolkien's first foray into Middle-earth is under attack from several quarters. Its Hollywood producers stand variously accused of cruelty to animals, suppression of the press and exploitative merchandising.

The film-makers and stars of the Lord of the Rings prequel, including Freeman, who plays Bilbo Baggins, and Elijah Wood, who makes a cameo appearance as Frodo Baggins, are working to restore goodwill. And there is a lot riding on the franchise. Air New Zealand bosses have spent a large portion of the company's £51m marketing budget for the next two years on Hobbit-themed promotions. But the painted Boeing is only the wing-tip of the effort. A special flight-safety video, featuring characters from the film, has already gained almost 10m web views since its release three weeks ago. Hobbit coins, bearing the faces of Bilbo and Gandalf, are circulating as legal tender in New Zealand, and Wellington's Waitangi Park is to be transformed into a Hobbit Artisan Market this weekend, ready for the premiere, while the three films in Jackson's earlier Lord of the Rings trilogy are shown on a big screen.

READ MORE:http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/nov/25/the-hobbit-premiere-animal-row