Kenji Kamiyama

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows the characters Hera, voiced by Gaia Wise, left, and Wulf, voiced by Luke Pasqualino, in a scene from the animated film "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Critics got a sneak preview of an anime prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" at one of the world's top animation festivals in France.

"The War of the Rohirrim" film, due for release in April 2024, is set 250 years before the events of the main trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolkien.

It is being directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who worked on the landmark manga film "Akira" in 1988.