( Liz Klimas) There was a time when you were most likely riveted to the safety presentation given by flight attendants before take-off. But after your fifth flight or so you were probably already sleeping or kept your eyes on your reading material, feeling that you knew everything there was to know about airplane emergency information.
In an effort to get its travelers paying attention again, Air New Zealand has released “An Unexpected Briefing.” Instead of the usual pre-recorded safety clip one might try to tune out, eyes might just leave books and magazines to look up at hobbits and other mythical characters traveling on a flight in Middle Earth.
Made in partnership with WETA Workshop, the new “Hobbit-inspired Safety Video” shows all the usual precautionary messages, except the flight attendant is an elf, hobbits, dwarfs and orcs are the passengers, and a wizard the pilot.
“Welcome aboard this Air Middle Earth flight,” the female elf stewardess says. “Before we set out on our journey, I would like to impart this story of safety. Even if you fly with us often, be sure to keep a sharp eye on the briefing.”
