Entertainment News: elijah wood

The release date for the third and final film in Peter Jackson's "Hobbit" was announced by Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures on August 31.

Unlike the first two films in "The Hobbit" trilogy, which will open during the winter holiday season, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" is slated to open in theaters during the summer, on July 18, 2014.

Director Peter Jackson announced on July 30 that "The Hobbit" will be released as a trilogy, rather than just two films.

"Upon recently viewing a cut of the first film, and a chunk of the second, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and I were very pleased with the way the story was coming together," Jackson said in a statement. "We recognized that the richness of the story of 'The Hobbit,' as well as some of the related material in the appendices of 'The Lord of the Rings,' gave rise to a simple question: do we tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as filmmakers and fans was an unreserved 'yes.'"

The trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the first part of the prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" films, was recently released.

The fantasy sagas are based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. "The Hobbit" depicts the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman. The character is the uncle of "Lord of the Rings" hero Frodo, who was played by Elijah Wood. Both are short, man-like beings with pointy ears and furry feet. In "The Hobbit," the older Baggins, who embarks on a quest to find a treasure guarded by a dragon.

Elijah Wood says the two-part "Hobbit" film, the prequel to "The Lord of The Rings," will be "fantastic," thanks to the innovative 3D animation techniques director Peter Jackson is using.

Wood reprises his role as Frodo in the "Hobbit" films, the first of which is set to be released in December 2012.

Elijah Wood's penguin alter-ego Mumble demonstrates some impressive dance moves in "Happy Feet Two," but the actor says he can "hold his own" on the dance floor.

"I don't think I can dance as well as these penguins can," Wood told OnTheRedCarpet.com at the film's Hollywood premiere. "My go-to move, just because I think it applies to almost any song, is sort of a twisting motion. It's the twist, but the twist can be so many things - it can be short here, it can be wide."

Robin Williams reprises his roles as penguins Lovelace and Ramon in "Happy Feet Two" and says the animated comedy movie teaches about a very real threat.

In this film, which was released on November 18, main penguin Mumble, portrayed by Elijah Wood, and his family and friends realize that there's a very real threat to their home that forces them to band together to survive.