Known for Art
Grant Major (born 1955) is a production designer from New Zealand who is most famous for his work on The Lord of the Rings films. He won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Major's early exposure to production design began when he joined an art school in Auckland after graduating. Following this, he got a job as an assistant set designer at the local television station. Description above from the Wikipedia article Grant Major, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Born
January 1, 1955 (age 71)
Birthplace
Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand
Filmography
42 films, 3 shows
showing 29 of 30 films


A Minecraft Movie
2025 · 1h 41m · SE
Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.


The Power of the Dog
2021 · 2h 7m · AU
A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.


Mulan
2020 · 1h 55m · US
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential.


The Meg
2018 · 1h 53m · CN
A deep sea submersible pilot revisits his past fears in the Mariana Trench, and accidentally unleashes the seventy foot ancestor of the Great White Shark believed to be extinct.


X-Men: Apocalypse
2016 · 2h 24m · US
After the re-emergence of the world's first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.


Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
2016 · 1h 40m · CN
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.


The Dead Lands
2014 · 1h 48m · NZ
Hongi, a Maori chieftain’s teenage son, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa, Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden “Dead Lands” and forge an uneasy alliance with a mysterious warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.


Walking with Dinosaurs
2013 · 1h 27m · AU
In a time when dinosaurs rule the Earth, the smallest dinosaur of the herd, a playful Pachyrhinosaurus named Patchi, embarks on the biggest adventure of his life. As he tries to find his place in a spectacular world filled with fun-loving friends and a few dangerous foes, Patchi will discover the courage he needs to become the leader of the herd and a hero for the ages.


Beyond the Edge
2013 · 1h 33m · NZ
A 3D feature film about Sir Edmund Hillary's monumental and historical ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 - an event that stunned the world and defined a nation.


Emperor
2012 · 1h 45m · JP
As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.


Mr. Pip
2012 · 1h 56m · NZ
As a war rages on in the province of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, a young girl becomes transfixed by the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, which is being read at school by the only white man in the village.


Green Lantern
2011 · 1h 54m · US
For centuries, a small but powerful force of warriors called the Green Lantern Corps has sworn to keep intergalactic order. Each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the first human ever recruited.


The Vintner's Luck
2009 · 2h 1m · BE
A fantasy romance set in 19th century France. The film revolves around Sobran, a young peasant winemaker, and the three important figures in his life - his beautiful wife Celeste, baroness Aurora de Valday and an angel named Xas.


The Ruins
2008 · 1h 31m · DE
Americans Amy, Stacy, Jeff and Eric look for fun during a sunny holiday in Mexico, but they get much more than that after visiting an archaeological dig in the jungle.


Dead Letters
2006 · 14m · NZ
On the ‘home front’ in 1943, Ngarie and Gerald sort air graph letterforms destined for New Zealand soldiers abroad. A tiny act of heroism brings together this unlikely pair in an unconventional love story that cleverly blends fact with fiction.


King Kong
2005 · 3h 8m · US
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.


The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2003 · 3h 21m · NZ
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.


Whale Rider
2003 · 1h 41m · DE
A contemporary story of love, rejection, and triumph as a young Māori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.


The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2002 · 2h 59m · NZ
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.


The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001 · 2h 59m · NZ
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.


Aberration
1998 · 1h 34m · NZ
After stealing a fortune from the Russian mob, Alex Langdon tries to hide out in a remote cabin but discovers that the area is home to a dangerous species of mutant lizards that have developed a taste for human flesh.


Memory & Desire
1998 · 1h 29m · NZ
Sayo and Keiji have eloped to New Zealand to marry, away from the interference of Keiji's disapproving mother in Japan. On their honeymoon, they have the freedom to express their love away from her repressive influence. However, on what should be the happiest of days, Keiji is drowned and Sayo must, by custom, return to live with her cruel and selfish mother-in-law.


The Ugly
1997 · 1h 33m · NZ
A female psychologist wants to understand the minds of a confessed serial killer who spent the last five years in a mental hospital because of his state.
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart
1997 · 11m
A heart-broken women sends her most precious gift in a parcel to her ex-lover. It is delivered to the wrong man - a man whose life is devoid of love. The strange and unexpected gift leads him into a whole new world.


The Frighteners
1996 · 1h 50m · NZ
Once an architect, Frank Bannister now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the result of a car accident that killed his wife. But what he does not count on is more people dying in the small town where he lives. As he tries to piece together the supernatural mystery of these killings, he falls in love with the wife of one of the victims and deals with a crazy FBI agent.
A Game With No Rules
A Game With No Rules
1994 · 17m · NZ
For Kane Harris and Vera Smith, what starts as an easy task of murder becomes a tangled web of deception and betrayal. Their target, Kane's wife, is no easy victim.


Heavenly Creatures
1994 · 1h 49m · NZ
Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.


Jack Be Nimble
1993 · 1h 35m · NZ
Jack and Dora, abandoned by their parents as babies, are desperate to find each other after years of adoption. Jack's young life has been spent with a sadistic family. Dora, whose life has been somewhat better, has developed extra-sensory powers which tell her that Jack's in danger and drives her to search for him.


An Angel at My Table
1990 · 2h 38m · AU
Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, this production depicts the author at various stage of her life. Afflicted with mental and emotional issues, Frame grows up in an impoverished family and experiences numerous tragedies while still in her youth, including the deaths of two of her siblings. Portrayed as an adult by Kerry Fox, Frame finds acclaim for her writing while still in a mental institution, and her success helps her move on with her life.