Monstrous heroes

They are stunted, small and none too pretty - in fact they could both be related to Star Wars' green Jedi master, Yoda. But these inhuman midgets are taking the movie world by storm, starring in the two biggest blockbusters of the year.

These computer-generated creatures look similar and share crucial attributes, including English voices. Although they are artificial, some would say they out-act their human co-stars. And both have vital roles to play in their respective tales of magic and adventure.

In Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, Gollum, a sickly, smelly, withered, hobbitlike creature with malevolent green eyes and a nasty hidden agenda, has a key role in the fate of Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy the all-powerful "One Ring".

Lord Of The Rings producer Ian Osborne was so impressed by English actor Andy Serkis's portrayal that he wants him nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. "The performance is really driven by Andy. He deserves a nomination - and we are going to campaign for him to get one," he said. Serkis was on set in New Zealand with all the Lord Of The Rings cast to act the role of Gollum, and later he exactly repeated his performance wearing a motionsensor suit. Serkis's image was then masked out of every frame of film and replaced by the computer-generated Gollum. All this allowed animators to make his movements and expressions as lifelike as possible.

"We wanted to give Gollum human qualities, which is why the director wanted an actor to do it. It's important to allow the whole process of Gollum to evolve, to give him more depth," said Serkis.

Not to be outdone, Harry Potter director Chris Columbus has his own unlovely midget in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. Dobby, a mistreated elf, is also voiced by an English actor, Toby Jones - who has been appearing in the West End in The Play What I Wrote, directed by his Harry Potter co-star Kenneth Branagh.

Dobby is far more sympathetic than Gollum. Columbus said: "Dobby's had a really difficult life as a servant so he'd hardly be cute and cuddly. You have to fall in love with his inner character."

Experts though, remain unconvinced about him - especially compared to Gollum.

James Dyer of www.empireonline.co.uk said: "When I saw Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, I was pretty impressed with Dobby. But his role is a bit two dimensional. He has some plot significance at the beginning and then at the end.

"But Gollum is brilliantly realised and an integral part of the story. In a sense Gollum is the film's main character - and he is utterly, utterly convincing."

Eight things you need to know about the gruesome twosome

Who are they?

Gollum: Once called Smeagol, Gollum is a wretched, tortured soul. His life changed when he first saw the evil Ring - and immediately killed his cousin to have it for himself.