'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' the first film in Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' film trilogy, has been long in the making. The professed J.R.R. Tolkien fan has been wanting to turn this beloved book into a big screen adaptation for some time, and the debut of the 'Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy was a step towards this fulfillment. But it certainly wasn't an easy road as many people teamed up to put this project together.

Before you see 'An Unexpected Journey' in theaters when it hits this Friday, December 14, take a look at this collection of behind-the-scenes photos to get a feel for what it took to make a movie of this magnitude. Seeing a group of ogres without costume and makeup is as arguably entertaining as seeing them on screen. Or what about Sir Ian McKellen grabbing some coffe in full Gandalf attire!

Scroll through all the 'Hobbit' behind-the-scenes photos below.