Air New Zealand Knows the Real Reason People Go to New Zealand

Culture

People really, really love The Lord of the Rings. The film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga was shot in New Zealand. Therefore, Air New Zealand's latest safety video, simply titled the "Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made," has brilliantly capitalized on this association by spoofing the beloved trilogy, complete with cameos, Elvish subtitles and a giant CGI eagle. 

The promo features cameos from Sylvester McCoy (Radagast the Brown), Dean O'Gorman (the dwarf Fili) and even Elijah Wood (Frodo). New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi helmed the production. 

Air New Zealand also tweeted this excellent infographic, which illustrates just how much work went into the epic clip that was shot over the course of six days: 

Air New Zealand vis Twitter

Remember, one does not simply walk into Mordor — you apparently need an oxygen mask and a fastened seatbelt, too.    

h/t Mashable