The Hobbit: 1977 Cartoon Review

 

     Before Peter Jackson brought The Hobbit or even the Lord of the Rings to life there was another adaptation that people may not have seen. It’s a cartoon animated film created by Rankin/Bass, and released by Warner Brothers in 1977. The creator of the film said that he didn’t want to add anything to the story, unlike Peter Jackson, but he did take some things away. I’m assuming this was done for the sake of brevity so that the movie would only last an hour and a half.  

     The character of Beorn is completely omitted and instead the Eagles take the company to the very edge of Mirkwood. The Arkenstone is also not mentioned in the film; instead Thorin and the company are in love with the mere idea of all the treasure that is in the mountain and also reclaiming their family honor. Another major change is that at the end of the story Gandalf reviles what the ring is to Bilbo. That he found the One Ring and that it is very dangerous and important. There are also very distinct visual changes, the most obvious being that the wood elves skin is green and they are of a smaller stature, closer to that of the dwarves. But even with these changes it is still very accurate to the books. The art style is very unique with caricature like animation of Gollum and a very bushy eyed Gandalf. The art is a major point of interest to me and I’m sure many others. Things like smoke and fire are very swirly and distinct looking.

                       

     This adaptation has a lot of songs, most of which were in the book. They include, That’s What Bilbo Baggins Hates, The Lonely Mountain Song, The Goblin Song, Fifteen Birds in Five Fur Trees, and several other original songs. These songs give the movie a very fairytale like feel which is also fun for kids which is the target age group.

     I saw this movie as a child and loved it. It’s always had a strong connection to the book for me and it’s still very enjoyable to watch. The dialog comes almost straight from the books which is a great addition. The film really brings the story to life and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to get a copy and give it a try!