Are Frodo and Legolas in The Hobbit?
Who is really in the book, and who walked in for the films
No, neither Frodo nor Legolas appears in Tolkien's book. Frodo is not born yet, and Legolas is never mentioned. In the films, though, both appear: Frodo briefly at the start of the first film, and Legolas in the second and third.
Several other familiar faces were added to the films in the same way.
Why is Frodo in the film but not the book?
The Hobbit takes place about sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, before Frodo was born. The film An Unexpected Journey opens on Bilbo's 111th birthday, the same day The Fellowship of the Ring begins, with the old Bilbo, played again by Ian Holm, starting to write down his adventure. Elijah Wood appears as Frodo in that short scene, which ties the new film to the old ones before the story jumps back in time.
↑ Back to the topWhy is Legolas in the Hobbit films?
Legolas is the son of the Elvenking whose halls the dwarves are dragged into in Mirkwood, so the films reasoned that he would be there. Tolkien never says so, and in the book the king's son is not named. Orlando Bloom returns as Legolas in The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies, fighting alongside Tauriel, a new elf character played by Evangeline Lilly. At the end the Elvenking sends him to look for a young ranger called Strider, a nod to Aragorn.
↑ Back to the topGaladriel, Saruman, Gimli and the rest
Galadriel and Saruman appear in the films as members of the White Council, who drive the Necromancer out of his fortress while the dwarves travel. In the book this happens off the page, and Gandalf just mentions it at the end. Gimli is not in the story, but his father Glóin is one of Thorin's dwarves, and in the films Glóin shows a small portrait of his son. Aragorn does not appear in either version.
↑ Back to the topWhy did the films add Lord of the Rings characters?
The Hobbit is a short children's book with a lighter tone, while the films were made as prequels to a trilogy audiences already loved. Bringing back familiar faces, and adding the Necromancer story from Tolkien's later notes, linked the two series and filled out three long films. Readers who come to the book expecting Legolas are often surprised by how small and focused it is.
↑ Back to the topBook and films: who appears where
| Character | In the book? | In the films? |
|---|---|---|
| Bilbo | Yes, the hero | Yes |
| Gandalf | Yes | Yes |
| Gollum | Yes | Yes |
| Elrond | Yes | Yes |
| Frodo | No | Yes, a short opening scene |
| Legolas | No | Yes, films 2 and 3 |
| Galadriel | No | Yes |
| Saruman | Only mentioned in later writings | Yes |
| Gimli | No; his father Glóin is in the company | Only as a picture |
| Tauriel | No, invented for the films | Yes |
More about The Hobbit
Books Like The Hobbit
The Two TowersJ. R. R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the RingJ. R. R. Tolkien
The Return of the KingJ. R. R. Tolkien
StardustNeil GaimanInkheartCornelia Funke
The Horse and His BoyC. S. Lewis
Nettle & BoneT. Kingfisher
Prince CaspianC. S. LewisThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.