List Of Accolades Received By The Lord Of The Rings Film Series
All three films premiered to widespread critical acclaim. The Toronto Film Critics Association awarded Jackson a "Special Citation" for his work on the series as a whole, while the Austin Film Critics Association selected the entire series as the decade's third best film. The films won seventeen out of thirty Academy Award nominations, and The Return of the King holds the record for most Oscars with eleven alongside Titanic and Ben-Hur. The Return of the King also has the distinction of being the only fantasy film until The Shape of Water (2017) to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In addition to receiving the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and National Board of Review Award for Best Cast, many of the actors were also recognized for their individual work, including McKellen (12 nominations), Serkis (10 nominations), Astin (9 nominations), and Mortensen (5 nominations). Composer Howard Shore received recognition for his original score, as he was the recipient of three Academy Awards, two BAFTA nominations, and three Grammy Awards in addition to a number of other awards. The series also received accolades in various technical categories, including those in editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. Walsh, Boyens, and Jackson's screenwriting earned them 10 awards out of 23 total nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (for The Return of the King). In total, the series received 475 awards out of 800 nominations, thus making the films the most awarded film series in cinematic history.
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released in theatres worldwide on 19 December 2001. Faced with a production budget of $93 million, the first film earned a worldwide gross of $871,530,324. As in the rest of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring had a large ensemble cast, introducing Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis. The first film's plot follows Frodo Baggins (Wood) and the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring as they begin their journey to destroy the One Ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron once and for all.
According to film site aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 91 percent of critics were favourable about The Fellowship of the Ring. Entertainment Weekly columnist Lisa Schwarzbaum called the film "thrilling – a great picture, a triumphant picture, a joyfully conceived work of cinema that (based on this first installment, with two more ready for release in the next two years) would appear to embrace Tolkien's classic with love and delight, and rewards both adepts and novices with the highest compliment of all: an intelligence and artistry as a movie independent of blind fidelity to the page." Nev Pierce of BBC added, "Funny, scary and, totally involving, Peter Jackson's assured adaptation of J. R. R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings turns the book's least screen-worthy volume into a gripping and powerful adventure movie."
The Fellowship of the Ring received thirteen Academy Award nominations, winning in four categories. It also earned thirteen nominations at the 55th British Academy Film Awards, leading to wins in the categories for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Special Visual Effects, and the Orange Film of the Year Award. Other notable ceremonies where it received much recognition included the American Film Institute Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, the Empire Awards, the Golden Globes, the MTV Movie Awards, the Satellite Awards, and Saturn Awards. Various critics groups, such as those in Chicago and Phoenix also awarded the film. In total, The Fellowship of the Ring received 98 awards out of 152 nominations.
| Organization | Award category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne and Fran Walsh | Nominated |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Dan Hennah | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | John Gilbert | Nominated | |
| Best Makeup | Peter Owen and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Original Song | Enya, Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan For the song "May It Be" |
Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Gethin Creagh and Hammond Peek | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, Richard Taylor and Mark Stetson | Won | |
| Amanda Awards | Best Foreign Feature Film | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| American Cinema Editors | Best Edited Film – Drama | John Gilbert | Nominated |
| American Film Institute Awards | Movie of the Year | Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, Tim Sanders, and Fran Walsh | Won |
| Composer of the Year | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Digital Effects Artist of the Year | Jim Rygiel | Won | |
| Production Designer of the Year | Grant Major | Won | |
| American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Cinematography – Theatrical Releases | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated |
| Art Directors Guild | Excellence in Production Design – Fantasy or Period Film | Nominated | |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Howard Shore | Won |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts | Best Foreign Film | Barrie Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Tim Sanders | Won |
| Bodil Awards | Best American Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Picture | Runner-up | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Runner-up | |
| Bram Stoker Awards | Best Screenplay | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Frances Walsh (based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien) | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film | Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Tim Sanders | Won |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Screenplay – Adapted | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | John Gilbert | Nominated | |
| Film Music | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Makeup and Hair | Peter King, Peter Owen, and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Best Production Design | Grant Major | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Christopher Boyes, Gethin Creagh, David Farmer, Mike Hopkins, Hammond Peek, Michael Semanick, and Ethan Van der Ryn | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Randall William Cook, Alex Funke, Jim Rygiel, Mark Stetson, and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Orange Film of the Year Award | Won | ||
| British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated |
| Broadcast Film Critics | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Composer | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Song | Enya, for the song "May It Be" Tied with "Vanilla Sky" by Paul McCartney |
Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Cinema Audio Society | Outstanding Sound Mixing – Motion Pictures | Christopher Boyes, Gethin Creagh, Hammond Peek and Michael Semanick | Won |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics | Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won |
| Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directing – Motion Picture | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Empire Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Viggo Mortensen | Nominated | |
| Elijah Wood | Won | ||
| Best British Actor | Sean Bean | Nominated | |
| Ian McKellen | Nominated | ||
| Best Debut | Orlando Bloom | Won | |
| Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan | Nominated | ||
| Florida Film Critics | Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress | Cate Blanchett | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Film – Drama | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Original Song | Enya For the song "May It Be" |
Nominated | |
| Golden Tomatoes Awards | Best Film | Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Barrie M.Osborne | Won |
| Grammy Awards | Best Score Soundtrack Album – Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | John Kurlander and Howard Shore | Won |
| Best Song – Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Enya, Nicky Ryan, and Roma Ryan For the song "May It Be" |
Nominated | |
| Heartland Film Festival | Truly Moving Picture Award | Won | |
| Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation | Won | |
| Jupiter Awards | Best International Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Best International Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Locus Awards | Best Script | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics | Best Music Score | Howard Shore | Won |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing – Foreign Film | Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryan, David Farmer, Brent Burge, John McKay, Timothy Nielsen, Craig Tomlinson, Dave Whitehead, Jason Canovas, Ray Beentjes, and Chris Todd | Nominated |
| Best Sound Editing – Music – Feature Film, Domestic and Foreign | Suzana Peric, Nancy Allen, Michael Price, and Andrew Dudman | Won | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Movie | Won | |
| Best Action Sequence | "The Cave Tomb Battle" | Nominated | |
| Best Breakthrough Performance | Orlando Bloom | Won | |
| Best Fight | Christopher Lee vs. Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| Best Male Performance | Elijah Wood | Nominated | |
| Best Villain | Christopher Lee | Nominated | |
| National Board of Review | Best Supporting Actress | Cate Blanchett | Won |
| Outstanding Production Design | Grant Major | Won | |
| Special Filmmaking Award | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| National Society of Film Critics | Best Film | Runner-up | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Runner-up | |
| Nebula Awards | Best Script | Frances Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Won |
| Online Film Critics | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Frances Walsh | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Cast | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture Tied with Spider-Man |
Won | |
| Favorite Motion Picture | Won | ||
| Producers Guild of America | Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award | Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best American Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media | Won | |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Art Director & Production Design | Grant Major and Dan Hennah | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | John Gilbert | Won | |
| Best Sound (Mixing & Editing) | Gethin Creagh, Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, and Hammond Peek | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor, Drama | Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Jim Rygiel, Richard Taylor, Alex Funke, and Randall William Cook | Won | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Fantasy Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ian McKellen | Won | |
| Best Costumes | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Face of the Future – Male | Orlando Bloom | Nominated | |
| Best Makeup | Peter Owen and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Score | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Special Effects | Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, Richard Taylor, and Mark Stetson | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role | Ian McKellen | Won |
| Outstanding Cast – Motion Picture | Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Marton Csokas, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Craig Parker, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, and Elijah Wood | Nominated | |
| Toronto Film Critics | Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| USC Scripter Awards | USC Scripter Award | Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| World Soundtrack Awards | Composer of the Year | Howard Shore | Nominated |
| Best Original Soundtrack of the Year – Orchestral | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Public Choice Award | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Writers Guild of America | Best Screenplay – Adapted | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Family Feature Film – Drama | Nominated | |
The Two Towers
The worldwide theatrical release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers occurred on 18 December 2002. The series' second film earned a worldwide gross of $926,047,111 based on a production budget of $94 million. The film introduced new characters played by Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, David Wenham, and Brad Dourif.
The Two Towers received critical acclaim; film site aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 96 percent of critics were positive. CNN film critic Paul Clinton called The Two Towers an "utter triumph", and writer Philip French of The Guardian noted in a review of the second film that "these Tolkien films have a weight and seriousness that very few sword-and-sorcery pictures of the past 30-odd years have attained." Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman remarked "The Two Towers conjures an illusion of the gravity that you want from an emotionally charged storybook epic. Really, though, what it comes down to is superbly staged battle scenes and moral alliances forged in earnest yet purged of the wit and dynamic, bristly ego that define true on-screen personality." The film was also listed on a number of critics' lists; Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics named The Two Towers 2002's third best film, while Central Ohio Film Critics named The Two Towers that year's fifth best film and Southeastern Film Critics ranked it the eighth.
The Two Towers won two out of six Academy Award nominations and three accolades out of ten nominations at the 56th British Academy Film Awards. Like its predecessor, the second film also received recognition at the American Film Institute Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, the Empire Awards, the Golden Globes, the MTV Movie Awards, the Satellite Awards, and the Saturn Awards. Various critics groups, such as Chicago, Phoenix, and Seattle also awarded the film. In total, The Two Towers received 136 awards out of 222 nominations.
| Organization | Award category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Alan Lee | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | Michael Horton | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Editing | Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke | Won | |
| Amanda Awards | Best Foreign Feature Film | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| American Cinema Editors | Best Edited Film – Drama | Michael Horton | Nominated |
| American Film Institute Awards | AFI Movies of the Year – Official Selections | Won | |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Howard Shore | Won |
| Art Directors Guild | Excellence in Production Design – Fantasy or Period Film | Grant Major, Dan Hennah, Joe Bleakley, Rob Otterside, Phil Ivey, Mark Robins, Jules Cook, Ross McGarva, Jacqui Allen | Won |
| Austin Film Critics Association | Top 10 Films of the Decade | The Lord of the Rings Trilogy | Won |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts | Best Foreign Film | Peter Jackson, Barnie M. Osborne, and Fran Walsh | Won |
| Bogey Awards | Bogey Award In Titanium | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film | Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, and Fran Walsh | Nominated |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Best Editing | Michael Horton | Nominated | |
| Best Make Up & Hair | Peter King, Peter Owen, and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Production Design | Grant Major | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Christopher Boyes, David Farmer, Michael Hedges, Michael Hopkins, Hammond Peek, Michael Semanick, and Ethan Van Der Ryn | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Randall William Cook, Alex Funke, Joe Letteri, and Jim Rygiel | Won | |
| Orange Film of the Year Award | Won | ||
| British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated |
| Broadcast Film Critics | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Composer | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Digital Acting Performance | Andy Serkis as Gollum | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Cinema Audio Society | Outstanding Sound Mixing – Motion Pictures | Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, and Hammond Peek | Nominated |
| Costume Designers Guild | Excellence in Costume Design – Fantasy or Period Film | Ngila Dickson | Nominated |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics | Best Picture | Runner-up | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directing – Motion Picture | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Empire Awards | Best Actor | Viggo Mortensen | Nominated |
| Best British Actor | Andy Serkis | Nominated | |
| Ian McKellen | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Miranda Otto | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Sony Ericsson Scene of the Year | "Gollum's debate" | Nominated | |
| Best Film | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Picture – Drama | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Golden Tomatoes Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | Best Action | "The Ant Farm" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | Best Score Soundtrack Album – Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Peter Cobbin, John Kurlander, and Howard Shore | Won |
| Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form | Won | |
| London Film Critics | Director of the Year | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing – Foreign Film | Mike Hopkins, Andrew Dudman, Steve Price, Mark Willsher, Malcolm Fife, Nigel Scott, Jonathan Schultz, Rebecca Gatrell, and Raphaël Mouterde | Nominated |
| Best Sound Editing – Music – Feature Film, Domestic and Foreign | Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryn, David Farmer, Brent Burge, Dave Whitehead, John McKay, Kyrsten Mate Comoglio, Craig Tomlinson, Hayden Collow, Jason Canovas, Ray Beentjes, Polly McKinnon, Nigel Stone, and Mark Franken | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Movie | Won | |
| Best Action Sequence | "The Battle for Helm's Deep" | Won | |
| Best Virtual Performance | Gollum | Won | |
| Best Male Performance | Viggo Mortensen | Nominated | |
| Best On-Screen Duo | Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, and Gollum | Won | |
| Nebula Awards | Best Script | Frances Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson | Won |
| Online Film Critics | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Frances Walsh | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Andy Serkis | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | Nominated | ||
| Best Cast | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Michael Horton and Jabez Olssen | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Won | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Won | ||
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture | Won | |
| Producers Guild of America | Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award | Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, and Fran Walsh | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Picture – Drama | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Drama | Viggo Mortensen | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Michael Horton | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Stephen Sinclair, and Fran Walsh | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek, and Michael Semanick | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Randall Cook, Alex Funke, Joe Letteri, and Jim Rygiel | Won | |
| Best Overall DVD | (for the Special Extended Edition) | Won | |
| Best DVD Extras | (for the Special Extended Edition) | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Fantasy Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Viggo Mortensen | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Andy Serkis | Won | |
| Best Costumes | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Best Makeup | Peter Owen and Peter King | Won | |
| Best Music | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Special Effects | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke | Nominated | |
| Best Writing | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Young Actor | Elijah Wood | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Cast – Motion Picture | Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, Craig Parker, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood | Nominated |
| SFX Awards | Best SF Or Fantasy Film | Won | |
| Best SF Or Fantasy Film Actor | Viggo Mortensen | Won | |
| Ian McKellen | Nominated | ||
| Elijah Wood | Nominated | ||
| Best SF Or Fantasy Film Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best SF Or Fantasy Film Music | Howard Shore | Won | |
| USC Scripter Awards | USC Scripter Award | Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Spacey Awards | Best Fantasy or Sci-fi Film | Won | |
| Best Action Sequence | Won | ||
| Visual Effects Society | Best Visual Effects in an Effects Driven Motion Picture | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke | Won |
| Best Character Animation in a Live Action Motion Picture | Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Ken McGaugh, and Bay Raitt | Won | |
| Best Special Effects in a Motion Picture | Steve Ingram, Blair Foord, Rich Cordobes, and Scott Harens | Won | |
| Best Matte Painting in a Motion Picture | Yanick Dusseault, Max Dennison, Roger Kupelian, and Mathieu Raynault | Nominated | |
| Best Models and Miniatures in a Motion Picture | Richard Taylor, Paul Van Ommen, and Matt Aitken | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects Photography in a Motion Picture | Alex Funke, Brian Van't Hul, and Richard Bluck | Won | |
| Best Effects Art Direction in a Motion Picture | Alan Lee, Jeremy Bennett, Christian Rivers, and Gino Acevedo | Won | |
| Best Compositing in a Motion Picture | Mark Lewis, GG Heitmann Demers, Alex Lemke, and Alfred Murrle | Won | |
| Best Performance by an Actor in an Effects Film | Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, and Sean Astin | Won | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Picture | Runner-up | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Runner-up | |
| World Soundtrack Awards | Best Original Song Written for a Film (for "Gollum's Song") |
Howard Shore (Composer) Emilíana Torrini (Performer) Fran Walsh, Janet Roddick, David Donaldson, Steve Roche, and David Long (Lyrics) | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Family Feature Film – Drama | Won | |
The Return of the King
The worldwide theatrical release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King occurred on 17 December 2003. The series' third film earned a worldwide gross of $1,119,929,521 off a production budget of $94 million and became the second highest worldwide grossing until James Cameron's Avatar released in 2009. In addition to containing most of the cast from the previous two films, The Return of the King introduced Denethor, the Steward of Gondor, played by John Noble (though the character appeared in the extended edition of The Two Towers).
The Return of the King continued the series' critical success, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting that 93% of critics had given the film a positive review. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times believed the film to be the best of the three, as it "certifies the Ring trilogy as a work of bold ambition at a time of cinematic timidity." Entertainment Weekly film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum was equally praiseworthy of the final chapter. She explained, "I can't think of another film trilogy that ends in such glory, or another monumental work of sustained storytelling that surges ahead with so much inventiveness and ardor. The conclusion of Peter Jackson's masterwork is passionate and literate, detailed and expansive, and it's conceived with a risk-taking flair for old-fashioned movie magic at its most precious, a rarity now that CGI prowess has fallen into the hands of run-of-the-mill studio ring-chasers." The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw wrote, "With enormous energy and a passionately exacting eye for detail, Jackson has made the regressive-romantic legend live again. He has given the Tolkien myth a turbo-charged rush into the 21st century."
The film won eleven Academy Awards (from eleven nominations), tying Titanic and Ben-Hur for the most Oscars won, as well as setting a new record for the highest clean sweep at the Oscars (which it still holds to this day). The Return of the King also became the first fantasy film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Return of the King won five BAFTAs, three Empire Awards, four Golden Globes, one Satellite Award, and eight Saturn Awards, among others. In total, the film received 258 awards out of 337 nominations.
| Organization | Award category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne and Fran Walsh | Won |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Alan Lee and Grant Major | Won | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Best Film Editing | Jamie Selkirk | Won | |
| Best Makeup | Peter King and Richard Taylor | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Original Song | Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox (for the song "Into the West") |
Won | |
| Best Sound Mixing | Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke | Won | |
| African American Film Critics Association | Best Picture | Won | |
| Amanda Awards | Best Foreign Feature Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| American Cinema Editors | Best Edited Film – Drama | Jamie Selkirk | Won |
| American Film Institute Awards | AFI Movies of the Year – Official Selections | Won | |
| American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Cinematography – Theatrical Releases | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography of the Decade | The Lord of the Rings Trilogy | Nominated | |
| Art Directors Guild | Excellence in Production Design – Fantasy or Period Film | Jacqui Allen, Joe Bleakley, Simon Bright, Jules Cook, Dan Hennah, Philip Ivey, Grant Major, and Ross McGarva | Won |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Howard Shore | Won |
| Austin Film Critics Association | Top 10 Films of the Decade | The Lord of the Rings Trilogy | Won |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts | Best Foreign Film | Peter Jackson, Barnie M. Osborne, and Fran Walsh | Won |
| Bodil Awards | Best American Film | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Bogey Awards | Bogey Award In Titanium | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film | Barrie M Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson | Won |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay – Adapted | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ian McKellen | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won | |
| Best Editing | Jamie Selkirk | Nominated | |
| Film Music | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Make Up & Hair | Richard Taylor, Peter King, and Peter Owen | Nominated | |
| Best Production Design | Grant Major | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Ethan Van Der Ryn, Michael Hopkins, David Farmer, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, and Hammond Peek | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Joe Letteri, Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke | Won | |
| Orange Film of the Year Award | Won | ||
| British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated |
| Broadcast Film Critics | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Composer | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Acting Ensemble | Won | ||
| Favorite Film Franchise | Peter Jackson for "The Lord of the Rings" | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Frances Walsh | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sean Astin | Won | |
| Andy Serkis | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Cinema Audio Society | Outstanding Sound Mixing – Motion Pictures | Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, and Hammond Peek | Nominated |
| Costume Designers Guild | Excellence in Costume Design – Fantasy or Period Film | Ngila Dickson | Won |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won | |
| Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directing – Motion Picture | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Directors Guild of Great Britain | Outstanding Directing – International Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Empire Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Viggo Mortensen | Nominated | |
| Sean Astin | Nominated | ||
| Best British Actor | Andy Serkis | Won | |
| Ian McKellen | Nominated | ||
| Orlando Bloom | Nominated | ||
| Sony Ericsson Scene of the Year | "Ride Of The Rohirrim" | Won | |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia | Best Foreign Film – English Language | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Picture – Drama | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Original Song | Annie Lennox, Howard Shore and Fran Walsh (for "Into the West") |
Won | |
| GoldSpirit Awards | Best Score | Howard Shore | Won |
| Best Composer | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| best CD Release | Won | ||
| Best Song | Into The West | Won | |
| Best Theme | "Minas Tirith" and "The White Tree" | Won | |
| Best Horror Theme | "Shelob's Lair" | Won | |
| Best Epic Theme | "Minas Tirith" and "The White Tree" | Won | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | Best Drama | "The Ant Farm" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | Best Score Soundtrack Album – Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | John Kurlander and Howard Shore | Won |
| Best Song – Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Annie Lennox, Howard Shore and Fran Walsh (for "Into the West") |
Won | |
| Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form | Won | |
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best International Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Jupiter Award | Best International Film | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Best International Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| London Film Critics | Film of the Year | Nominated | |
| Director of the Year | Peter Jackson | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics | Films of the Decade | The Lord of the Rings Trilogy | Won |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Production Design | Grant Major | Won | |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing – Foreign Film | Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryan, David Farmer, Brent Burge, Dave Whitehead, Hayden Collow, Craig Tomlinson, Beau Borders, Timothy Nielsen, Addison Teague, Katy Wood, Peter Mills, Jason Canovas, Mark Franken, Ray Beentjes, Nick Breslin, Polly McKinnon, and Chris Ward | Nominated |
| Best Sound Editing – Music – Feature Film, Domestic and Foreign | Jonathan Schultz, Andrew Dudman, Steve Price, Michael Price, Malcolm Fife, Nigel Scott, and Rebecca Gatrell | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Movie | Won | |
| Best Action Sequence | "Battle Of Gondor" | Won | |
| National Board of Review | Best Cast | Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, and Bernard Hill | Won |
| National Society of Film Critics | Best Director | Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Nebula Awards | Best Script | Frances Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Won |
| New York Film Critics | Best Picture | Won | |
| Online Film Critics | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Frances Walsh | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sean Astin | Nominated | |
| Andy Serkis | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Won | |
| Best Costume Design | Won | ||
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Sound | Won | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Won | ||
| Producers Guild of America | Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award | Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, and Fran Walsh | Won |
| San Diego Film Critics | Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Best Production Design | Grant Major | Won | |
| San Francisco Film Critics | Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | Modern Master Award | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Satellite Awards | Best Picture - Drama | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction & Production Design | Grant Major, Dan Hennah, and Alan Lee | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Lesnie | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | Jamie Selkirk | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Howard Shore | Nominated | |
| Best Sound (Mixing & Editing) | David Farmer, Ethan Van der Ryn, and Michael Hopkins | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Fantasy Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Actor | Elijah Wood | Won | |
| Viggo Mortensen | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Sean Astin | Won | |
| Ian McKellen | Nominated | ||
| Andy Serkis | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Miranda Otto | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor | Nominated | |
| Best Make-up | Richard Taylor and Peter King | Won | |
| Best Score | Howard Shore | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Cast – Motion Picture | Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Marton Csokas, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, Craig Parker, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood | Won |
| SFX Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Spacey Awards | Best Fantasy or Sci-fi Film | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | Won | ||
| Special Achievement | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Toronto Film Critics | Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won |
| Special Citation | Peter Jackson for the whole "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy | Won | |
| USC Scripter Awards | USC Scripter Award | Frances Walsh & Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson | Nominated |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Picture | Runner-up | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Visual Effects Society | Outstanding Visual Effects – Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture | Randall Cook, Joe Letteri, Jim Rygiel, and Dean Wright | Won |
| Best Single Visual Effect of the Year in Any Medium | Randall Cook, Joe Letteri, Jim Rygiel, and Dean Wright | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Character Animation – Live Action Motion Picture | Greg Butler, Steven Hornby, Matthias Menz, and Andy Serkis | Won | |
| Outstanding Compositing – Motion Picture | Moritz Glaesle, Mark Lewis, and Kara Vandeleur | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Models and Miniatures – Motion Picture | Eric Saindon, Richard Taylor, and Paul Van Ommen | Won | |
| Outstanding Male or Female Actor – Effects Film | Sean Astin | Won | |
| Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects – Motion Picture | Scott Harens, Sven Harens, and Chuck Shuman | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Visual Effects Photography – Motion Picture | Alex Funke, Rob Kerr, and Henk Prins | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Director | Peter Jackson | Won | |
| Best Screenplay – Adapted | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Frances Walsh | Nominated | |
| Best Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| World Soundtrack Awards | Best Original Song Written for a Film | Howard Shore (Composer) Annie Lennox (Performer) Fran Walsh (Lyrics) | Nominated |
| Writers Guild of America | Best Screenplay – Adapted | Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Family Feature Film – Drama | Won | |
See also
- List of accolades received by The Hobbit film series
- 2001 in film
- 2002 in film
- 2003 in film
- List of films considered the best
- List of highest-grossing films