Release the Ents!

The Fellowship of the Ring was a juggernaut, even before it was released in theaters—for many not very obvious reasons.
When I heard a movie adaptation of Tolkien’s epic work would be coming to a theater in three massive installments, there were several scenes I truly looked forward to viewing on the silver screen.
Above all scenes, however, was the Last March of the Ents found in chapter Treebeard.
I can’t explain why. It probably has something to do with growing up at the base of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State, out in the craggy mountain wilderness where Old Growth trees of various species more than five hundred years old still exist, their limbs gnarled and ancient, their boughs bearing streamers of rich dark moss. Even in a minor breeze the trees appear to move, made more alive than the forest around them. The Ents to me represent all that is good and clean where I grew up, all that is good and clean in the world.
When I first read Lord of the Rings I had just moved to Seattle for college. It was then I first encountered the Ents. Having seen the big city in all of its concrete and cold grey glory, I had a new appreciation for the plight of the trees. I discovered I missed the trees of my youth, still do if truth be told, and the Ents reminded me how wild and wonderful nature can be.
So when the Ents go to war against Isengard, there is just something about pissed off trees wreaking havoc against the establishment that appealed to my sense of cinema—and right and wrong.
Pissed off trees. Gotta love it!
From the moment the Fellowship of the Ring teaser trailer was released—revealing the fellowship led by Gandalf cresting a hilltop en route to Mordor—it was apparent the vast marketing potential the movie held. It had wizards, warriors, dwarves, elves, hobbits and so much more. George Lucas pioneered merchandising in the late 70’s and 80’s, proving money could be made outside of ticket sales, and like Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings movies had a diverse world to draw from and capitalize on in various marketing fronts.
Out of the numerous merchandising licenses New Line Cinema sold, Sideshow Collectibles piqued my curiosity right from the start. It proved, before Fellowship was even released, that it would succeed through quality and beautiful renditions of the movie’s characters. After all, the Lord of the Rings has been around for decades, its readership vast not only in age but in economic means, and Sideshow Collectibles hoped to capture that huge fan base. People were going to want well done figurines and statues to place in homes and workspaces. To miss out on all of that potential would be folly. Sideshow Collectibles rose to the challenge, crafting beautifully detailed polystone statues, toy figures, busts, masks, coins and so much more.
All but one facet from the movies—the Ents!
Sideshow Collectibles created a Treebeard bust. It was a large bust, standing more than a foot tall. But it’s not what I am looking for. Not exactly. I want Treebeard from the roots of his feet to the moss of his head, in respective size to the other polystone figures in the series. With the growing current political and cultural emphasis on being “green” and trying to make the world we live in more environmental friendly, I would imagine there would be a growing desire to have an Ent statue representing how we should be treating our world.
I think we all should get a polystone treatment of Treebeard. Or Leaflock. Or Skinbark. Or Quickbeam. Or any of the others! Maybe holding a boulder or crushing an orc or carrying Merry and Pippin. I want the birch and beech, oak and fir, chestnut and ash, the rowan and the linden. Bring them all out of the forest and into my living room!
So, a challenge to Sideshow Collectibles! Release the Ents!
After all, a wizard should know better!