History Heartwarming / TheLordOfTheRings

->'''Legolas:''' "How about side by side with a ''friend''?

* Gandalf has been berating Pippen ever since Pip picked up the Palantir. As they stand on a balcony looking out past Osgiliath towards Mordor, Minas Morgul fires a column of white-green light into the sky, signalling the start of Mordor's invasion. Newly minted Citadel Guard Pip is terrified. Gandalf instantly comforts his very young friend.

** As well as his opinion of Sam: "Your land must be a realm of peace and content, and there must gardeners be held in high honour."
*** He's right.

* As Frodo is just deciding to take off on his own and is running from his encounter with Boromir, he first runs into Aragorn. When it becomes clear what Frodo is doing, Aragorn tells him "I would have gone with you to the end," and Frodo says he knows. He then asks Aragorn to look after the other, "especially Sam" who will not understand.

** Later, as the Fellowship are escaping Moria, it's Legolas who saves Gimli from falling when he jumps a broken bridge.

* At the beginning of the first film, Bilbo is trying to work on his book when Gandalf comes knocking.

** Frodo offers Aragorn the ring, and Aragorn refuses it. This proves to Aragorn what even *Arwen* couldn't convince him of: he does not share Isildur's weakness. It was Frodo who showed Aragon that he was worthy of the throne of Gondor.

** Frodo offers Aragorn the ring, and Aragorn refuses it. This proves to Aragorn what even 'Arwen' couldn't convince him of: he does not share Isildur's weakness. It was Frodo who showed Aragon that he was worthy of the throne of Gondor.

** Samwise Gamgee is a hero amongst men, dwarves, elves and hobbits, he's faced immortal demi-gods with nothing but an empty stomach, an enchanted knife, and a magic lantern... and he'll be ''damned'' if he ain't going to work up the courage to ask a girl out! And then, the amusement of the other three that turns into joy for their friend. [[CrowningMomentofAwesome CMoA]], [[CrowningMomentofFunny CMoF]] and [=CMoH=] all at once.

* The final scene in the trilogy may also be the most touching. Sam returns to Hobbiton having said goodbye to Frodo, looking to still be as sad as when it happened. Just as he's coming up to his house, his daughter runs out and dashes to hug her father. Sam proudly holds her in his arms as his wife, Rosie, comes out with their baby with a smile on her face as the two kiss. Frodo's last message to him, combined with the accomponying music, may be ''the'' CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for the entire series:

* The AwardBaitSong "Into The West" by Music/AnnieLennox is a CMOH for AwesomeMusic, basically a song about adventurers/warriors who have gone through harrowing experiences and finally get to rest. It fits not only with the story and characters, but also in a meta example for the whole production crew; It's been an experience of truly epic proportions spanning several years of nonstop production, and they can all finally take a real rest and look back on experiences that brought them together. There's a reason they won an Oscar for this one.

** Of course, the echo of those words at the end of ''Fellowship'' and Frodo's reaction just makes it even more so.

* At the end of ''Fellowship'' that makes us [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments laugh]] through our tears:

* Gandalf's reappearance in ''The Two Towers''. Aragorn being struck completely speechless and then only managing to say, "You fell..." unable to believe that he's truly come back. After he tells them how he survived (or didn't, rather) the fall and the fight with the Balrog, he explains how he's come back "at the turn of the tide." After this, Aragorn is smirking, and teases Gandalf about how he still speaks cryptically. The look on his face? That's the look of a man who's just had his hope restored.

** Then Aragorn, unable to think of anything else, gives Haldir a ''very'' grateful hug. All poor Haldir can do is awkwardly pat him on the back in return, aww!

** Made even better when you consider that dwarves and elves have ''never'' gotten along well. In ''Film/TheHobbit'' we see how judgmental Legolas was, and how much he's changed by the time ''The Two Towers'' rolls around.
*** Actually as The Silmarillion reveals, elves & dwarves did get very well in the distant past & the two races fought side by side against the greatest evil ever to walk Middle earth. But due to mistakes & errors of judgement made by both sides, their relationship soured. Which makes it even more heartwarming that in the hour of their collective greatest need, a budding friendship between an elf & a dwarf brings a hope of reconciliation once more.

* Sméagol's expression after Sam's rousing speech to Frodo near the end of The Two Towers. For a moment it seemed to make him remember something; perhaps his millennia-old friendship with Déagol, his old life, or that there was still some good in him too. Also a tear-jerker. Sméagol has been alone for millennia.

* The end of ''Return of the King'', when Frodo wakes up in Gondor...and Gandalf, the mentor he thought died and whose memory he has been mourning for the past two movies, is there for him.

* This one's my favorite,

* Aragorn and Arwen. Something about the badass, always-ragged, grim WarriorPoet and the beautiful, gentle elf girl just gets me. Especially the vision in ''The Two Towers''...
** For me, that vision always doubled as a TearJerker. It's just so beautiful.

* When Boromir's body has been placed in a boat to go over the Falls of Rauros, we cut to Aragorn strapping Boromir's vambraces (armour for the forearms) onto his own arms. It was Viggo Mortensen's idea for Aragorn to take them, both as a tribute to their fallen companion and to constantly remind himself of the promise he made to Boromir: to save Minas Tirith and their people. He wears them throughout the rest of the trilogy, [[spoiler: and is even buried in them over a century later, showing he ''never'' forgot his promise.]]

* Sam's speech at the end of The Two Towers; even Gollum was visibly affected by this speech, at least for a moment.

* This exchange at the end of ''The Two Towers'':

*** Peter Jackson has said that this is his favourite scene out of the entire trilogy.

* Bilbo's final line in ''The Return of the King'': "I think I'm ''quite'' ready for another adventure!" Made all the more touching when Elrond, who took care of Bilbo during his stay in Rivendell, escorts the wizened Hobbit onto the ship.

* The AwardBaitSong "Into The West" by Annie Lennox is a CMOH for AwesomeMusic, basically a song about adventurers/warriors who have gone through harrowing experiences and finally get to rest. It fits not only with the story and characters, but also in a meta example for the whole production crew; It's been an experience of truly epic proportions spanning several years of nonstop production, and they can all finally take a real rest and look back on experiences that brought them together. There's a reason they won an Oscar for this one.

* Aragorn and Arwen. Something about the badass, always-ragged, grim WarriorPoet and the beautiful, gentle elf girl just gets me. Especially the vision in The Two Towers...

* One from the cast commentary of either ''The Two Towers'' or ''Return of the King''. Miranda Otto, who played Éowyn, was recounting about how when she saw Liv Tyler, who played Arwen, she'd decided she wouldn't go up to her because she didn't think it would be right to just go up to one of "the big stars." Liv Tyler apparently didn't agree; she ran right up to Miranda Otto, gave her a big hug, and exclaimed (paraphrased) "There's another woman here; I'm so glad! We can hang out and stuff..."
* Sean Astin's short film [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhaI3HB7Hgc ''"The Long and Short of It"'']], which portrays a man of average height receiving assistance from a very tall man and a very short woman. [[SomeAnvilsNeedtobeDropped We've all got something that makes us special.]]

* And before all that, Aragorn and Boromir have a sort of subtler FriendshipMoment in Lothlorien. Boromir, in a shaking voice, is confessing he's almost crossed the DespairEventHorizon, that he "cannot see [hope]" and Aragorn just sits with him, concerned and patiently listening. Boromir talks about the pressure of his position, to do right by his father and "see the glory of Gondor restored" and then he speaks lovingly of his home, the White City, and asks Aragorn if he's seen it. Aragorn says he has, and Boromir says one day they'll go there together, and the people will take up the call that "the lords of Gondor have returned!"

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8gccd.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you... but I can carry ''you!]]

-->'''Gimli:''' "I never though I'd die fighting side by side with an elf."
-->'''Legolas:''' "How about side by side with a ''friend''?
-->'''Gimli:''' "Aye. I could do that."