Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Movies With Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Peter Jackson and Liv Tyler filming The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003.

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 15 years since the release of the first installment ofPeter Jackson’sTheLord of the Ringstrilogy, which means it’s time to take a look back at some of the amazing moments that went into making the beloved trilogy.

The Fellowship of the Ring— which hit theaters on Dec. 19, 2001 — introduced audiences to Jackson’s vision ofJ.R.R. Tolkien’sMiddle Earth, featuring Elijah Wood as the hobbit Frodo Baggins and Ian McKellen as the wizard Gandalf. It was followed by 2002’sThe Two Towersand 2003’sThe Return of the King, concluding a franchise that became the winningest in Oscars history, earning 11 awards at the 2004 ceremony alone.

Viggo Mortensen, right, filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002.

Check out the gallery above for a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the groundbreaking series.

Behind the scenes of Peter Jackson and Sean Bean filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002.

(TIME)