The latest production blog for The Hobbit is a surprisingly thorough exploration of the Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand.  The enormity and expense of these two films is communicated quite clearly as the camera runs through many different departments, detailing some of the seemingly mundane work that actually makes a movie happen, whilst also giving those necessary teases of cool scenes being shot.

Fans of the exhaustive behind the scenes documentary footage on the LotR discs will find it impossible not to feel a bit of nostalgia seeing so many familiar and friendly faces happily showing off their work.  Oh Richard Taylor, how we've missed your can-do attitude and boundless enthusiasm.

The blog, which debuted on the The Hobbit facebook page, clocks in at a whopping 14 minutes, but you're going to want to watch through to the end for a nice little surprise.

I love that Peter King, Make Up and Hair Designer, says, "Hi, welcome to the hair and make up department.  We're now on day 5,953 of shooting."  The Hobbit has a ridiculously long shooting schedule, and it's good to see that the New Zealand crew is upbeat and in good humor despite the duration.

After having created a truly massive trilogy adapting J.R.R. Tolkein's equally epic novels, Peter Jackson is returning to Middle Earth for this prequel, and in addition to many of the same creative figures and crew, he's bringing along familiar castmembers Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, and Christopher Lee.  The always-excellent Martin Freeman leads the cast as the younger Bilbo Baggins, and he's accompanied by fellow series newcomers Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Billy Connolly, Evangeline Lilly, James Nesbitt, Lee Pace, John Bell, Aidan Turner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, and many, many more.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrives in 2D and 48 fps 3D this December 14th, followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13, 2013.