'The Hobbit' Fan Trailer: Watch 8-Minute Compilation Teaser From Previously Released Footage (VIDEO)

With less than a month till the Dec. 14 release of "The Hobbit," fan excitement is heating up.

One J.R.R. Tolkien enthusiast showed love for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in a particularly creative way -- by making an eight-minute supercut of all of the trailers, features, and footage in circulation for the film. There are already close to 50,000 views on YouTube since the fan, username joatmonjb, posted the video on Tuesday.

The people behind "The Hobbit" have come under major fire this week as allegations have been made about the mistreatment of animals on set. The AP reported that, according to animal wranglers involved in the project, up to 27 animals were killed in the making of the movie.

Peter Jackson, meanwhile, refutes the claim. "The producers completely reject the accusations that twenty seven animals died due to mistreatment during the making of the films," he said in a statement. "Extraordinary measures were taken to make sure that animals were not used during action sequences or any other sequence that might create undue stress for the animals involved. Over fifty five per cent of all shots using animals in The Hobbit are in fact computer generated; this includes horses, ponies, rabbits, hedgehogs, birds, deer, elk, mice, wild boars, and wolves."

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is the first film in the upcoming $500 million trilogy.

For more, head over to SlashFilm.

[via Slash Film]