Peter Jackson’s beloved Lord of the Rings movies stuck fairly close to J.R.R. Tolkien’s original fantasy novels, but there is one very specific detail about two of the story’s main characters that the cinematic trilogy omitted. After the breaking of the Fellowship of the Ring at the end of the first movie, the movies followed the separated members of the Fellowship just as the books did. While Frodo and Sam’s journey to Mordor with the One Ring can be considered the most important storyline, their fellow Hobbits Merry and Pippin were involved in some of Middle-earth’s most important conflicts.
The Lord of the Rings movies changed Merry and Pippin into mischievous pranksters, which is a departure from their novel counterparts. Over the course of their respective journeys, they both mature and grow as people due to the hardships they are forced to endure. The novels include another form of growth that they undergo, although the theatrical version of Peter Jackson’s magnum opus excluded that particular detail.
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Merry & Pippin Are Physically Taller In Lord Of The Rings’ Ending
The two Hobbits wound up the tallest Hobbits in the history of the Shire.
Tolkien’s original novels describe Hobbits as roughly half the size of men, with their heights ranging anywhere from two feet to four feet. He specifically mentions in the Lord of the Rings‘ prologue that they used to be taller centuries before, but in the present day they rarely reach three feet. Peter Jackson famously used almost no CGI to make the Hobbit actors look small, and kept their height similar to what’s laid out in the books. However, at the end of the Lord of the Rings saga, Merry and Pippin are actually taller than they were at the beginning.
In the novel The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Merry and Pippin are allowed to drink some of Treebeard’s “Ent-draught” when they are staying with him in Fangorn Forest. The mysterious beverage acted as a source of nourishment for the Ents, but when the two Hobbits drank some it caused them to physically grow. In the books, both Hobbits grow by several inches, ultimately making them the tallest Hobbits in the Shire.
Peter Jackson’s LOTR Trilogy Cut A Scene With Merry & Pippin’s Growth (But With A Twist)
A scene from the LOTR extended version shows their growth, but it’s only temporary.
Something similar actually occurs in an extra scene from the Lord of the Rings extended edition, although as opposed to Treebeard giving the Hobbits the Ent-draught, Pippin discovers it himself. In the scene, Pippin drinks what he believes is just spring water, but it turns out that the liquid causes him to grow and speak “treeish”. Merry of course wants to keep up with Pippin’s growth, and drinks some for himself.
Unlike in the novels, the growth is not permanent. By the time the Ents march on Isengard and take control of the area, both Merry and Pippin have returned to their normal heights. In the books, both Hobbits retain their added inches for the rest of their lives, and return to the Shire with both their heights approaching five feet.
Why Merry & Pippin’s Physical Changing Is Important For Their Stories
It symbolizes their growth throughout the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
While the Hobbits’ physical growth is played for a laugh in Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy, it carries legitimate importance in Tolkien’s original novels. Merry and Pippin retain their height all the way back home to the Shire, making them the tallest Hobbits ever. This directly symbolizes the growth that they underwent during their travels around Middle-earth, changing from irresponsible ne’er-do-wells to respected citizens of the larger world. They are literally taller than the rest of the Hobbits in the Lord of the Rings because their deeds have carried them to greater metaphorical heights.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a Fantasy film by director Peter Jackson and is based on The Two Towers book by author J. R. R. Tolkien. A sequel to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, this installment continues Frodo’s journey to take the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it.
