Smaug’s Here – Or At Least He’s on an Airplane

Peter Jackson hasn’t been showing off more than just a brief glimpse here and there of Smaug from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but Air New Zealand’s providing a much better look at the dragon on the side of its The Hobbit B777-300. Dubbed “The Airline of Middle-Earth,” Air New Zealand has released a time lapse video showing off the wrapping of the plane with the Smaug design.

The Plot:

The film continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous Mirkwood Forest.

After escaping capture by the dangerous Woodland Elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all—a creature more terrifying than any before, which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself—the Dragon Smaug.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens on December 13, 2013.