Which 2012 epic fantasy film is the first in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy?

The 2012 epic fantasy film that begins Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit, the film follows Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, after Gandalf recruits him to join Thorin Oakenshield and twelve other Dwarves. Their mission is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug.

The story takes place in Middle-earth approximately 60 years before The Lord of the Rings. That makes An Unexpected Journey a prequel in story chronology, even though it was released after Jackson’s original trilogy. Ian McKellen returned as Gandalf, and several actors from The Lord of the Rings also appeared, including Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom.

A common mix-up is treating The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as the first Hobbit film; it is instead the first film of Jackson’s earlier trilogy. The two Hobbit sequels are The Desolation of Smaug, released in 2013, and The Battle of the Five Armies, released in 2014.