THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG trailer welcomes you back to Middle Earth

Crawl out of your hobbit hole and enjoy the new trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Peter Jackson is back with his second installment in his second Middle Earth big-screen trilogy. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug promises to continue the story of a young Bilbo Baggins on his first adventure, and a new full-length trailer for the film has made its way online. An earlier trailer felt a bit teaser-ish, but it stirred up our appetite for more. The new trailer ups the stakes, introduces a new character or two, previews Benedict Cumberbatch voicing Smaug, hints at a romance for the stoic favorite Legolas, and makes the movie look like a grand ol’ time.

Check out the worthwhile new trailer, and see a handful of new character banners (one featured above), after the jump!

Not too shabby, eh? The world feels a bit more established in its mystery, as does the adventure, and it’s fun to think of this film and the following one building up the the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One day all six films will make for an epic movie marathon.

Here’s an official synopsis for the film:

From Academy Award®-winning filmmakerPeter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpieceTheHobbit,byJ.R.R.Tolkien. Thefilmcontinuestheadventureofthetitlecharacter Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous Mirkwood Forest. After escaping capture by the dangerous Woodland Elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all—a creature more terrifying than any before, which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself—the Dragon Smaug.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is set to hit theaters December 13th.