Air New Zealand Travels to Middle-earth With In-Flight Safety Video

Yes, yes, my precious! Air New Zealand and WETA Workshop soar with this Hobbit tie-in—a real in-flight safety video. Characters from J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrate what to do in the case of an emergency and put a fanciful Middle-earth spin on donning oxygen masks, inflating life vests and pointing the way to the exits. This reminds me a bit of Virgin America's recent flight of fantasy, but it's less cluttered and more engaging. Here, the plane's filled by a pointy-eared lot, some with protruding fangs, leathery skin and razor claws, but they're still less freakish than former Air NZ pitchman Richard Simmons.