The Hobbit (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Directors:

Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writers:

J.R.R. Tolkien (novel)
Romeo Muller (writer)

Release Date:

27 November 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Fantasy | Family

Plot:

A homebody demi-human in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.

Plot Keywords:

Dragon | Quest | Middle Earth | Treasure | Hobbit

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Orson Bean	...	Bilbo Baggins (voice)
Richard Boone	...	Smaug (voice)
Hans Conried	...	Thorin (voice)
John Huston	...	Gandalf the Grey (voice)
Otto Preminger	...	Elvenking (voice)
Cyril Ritchard	...	Elrond (voice)
Brother Theodore	...	Gollum (voice) (as Theodore)
Paul Frees	...	Bombur / Troll #1 (voice)
Jack DeLeon	...	Other Dwarfs / Goblins (voice) (as Jack De Leon)
Don Messick	...	Balin / Troll #3 / Goblin / Lord of the Eagles (voice)
John Stephenson	...	Dori / Great Goblin / Bard (voice)

Runtime:

77 min | USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Trivia:

The first song sung by the dwarves at Bag End, "Chip the glasses, crack the plates, that's what Bilbo Baggins hates..." is adapted from the version written in the book. Tolkien included many songs in his books, although in verse form only.

Goofs:

Continuity: Bilbo tells the dwarves to "run back to the wood-elf clearing" while he fights a rearguard action against the Mirkwood spiders. However, the company has not yet met the wood-elves. When they reach the clearing, Bilbo notes that the wood-elves "had returned, armed for battle". This is the first time we see the wood-elves. There is a scene from the book which was clearly scripted but is missing from the animation, where the starving dwarves attempt to gate-crash a gathering of wood-elves in a clearing.

Quotes:

[as the Battle of Three - ultimately Five - Armies opens, the Men and Elves and Dwarves charge each other... all from different angles]
Men: Scurvy dwarves! Thieving dwarves! Kill them!
Elves: Kill the dwarves! Chop them up! Take their heads!
Dwarves: Kill the men! Kill the elves! Save the gold for ourselves!
Bilbo Baggins: [bringing up the dwarves' rear] Personally, I'd rather be back in Hobbitton.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Barrel Song

well..

This was what introduced me to the Lord of the Rings, back in '77, when I was in 6th grade, it got the kids in my class to reading the trilogy and etc. Personally, I was all up for watching this, in the fall of '77, then the local TV station ran something else(MULLIGANS' STEW?!?) in its place. We were crushed in my family. I DID buy the record/sound track instead and listened to it to Death. Loved it-the voices and artwork both.

Didn't actually See this til '85...though had caught parts here and there...my thinking then and now is the same--Rankin-Bass did a fine job with it. Yes its done by Japanese animators, and No it isn't outta Allen Lee or whomever else' kind of drawing. But they stuck some interesting spins on what elves, dwarves, Wizards, Dragons and Hobbits look like, along with trolls and whatever, personally I found it to be interesting.

And how can you knock the voices-I mean-John Huston? Hans Conried, Cyril Ritchard, Theodore Bikel, Richard Boone, Don Messick, Orson Bean-and last but not least-Otto Preminger. Some legends here guys, esp. Otto and JHuston. I loved it! Rankin-Bass did make it more for kids, definately, and took some cuts here and there-Beorn and the Arkenstone bye-bye, for example, and no one is claiming the animation is up to, say, 'Aladdin' standards, but on its own, it works fine.

*** outta ****, pretty good, actually.

And Where is Leonard Maltin's review? somehow he missed this one...