Middle-Earth is getting animated (again)! Back before Peter Jackson brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpieces to life, Rankin/Bass (the folks behind the Christmas time Rudolph specials) actually had created animated classics based on The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Return of the King.

Since then we’ve primarily just gotten live action features of the Tolkien universe. But now, thanks to award-winning filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama, The Lord of the Rings will be animated once more this Christmas, in The Lord of the Rings: The War of The Rohirrim! And we now have a first look at the upcoming feature.

The new, unique take on the Middle-Earth Saga will tell the story of Rohan, which we first saw in The Two Towers. We will meet Helm Hammerhead, voiced by Succession‘s Brian Cox, as well as his daughter Héra, who will be portrayed by Gaia Wise. The tale will be narrated by Éowyn, from the original saga, with Miranda Otto reprising the role she originated in the Jackson films.

This week we got a first look at the upcoming film. Take a look at the first images from the anticipated release in the gallery below:

The story for this film will be set 183 years before the original trilogy, and center on the origins of Helms Deep, where a critical battle took place in The Two Towers. The eponymous war will be a conflict between Helm Hammerhand, king of Rohan, and a Dunlending lord named Wulf. And will showcase the last stand of the people of Rohan for the fortress of Hornburg, led by Héra.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of The Rohirrim will be hitting theaters December 13, 2024!