The Hobbit (1977)

The Hobbit, released in 1977 is the animated film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel, produced by Rankin/Bass. This was a made for television movie, that was aired on the NBC network, and animated by Topcraft, which is forerunner of Studio Ghibli. The film featured the voices of Orson Bean as Bilbo, John Huston as Gandalf, and beautiful music by Glenn Scarborough. This is a beautifully animated film, that wonderfully brings to life the amazing characters of Tolkien's novel. The animation is a unique style, and very characteristic of the time that it was made. I have always loved the character designs and the animation style of this film. The voice acting is all very well done, the voices wonderfully cast, though multiple characters were played by a single actor, which for this worked really well. The wonderful voice of John Huston as Gandalf I feel fits the role perfectly. The original song performed by Glenn Scarborough perfectly sets the tone for the film. The film is dark and sticks to the feel of the original book, but also has a light hearted air to it as well making it family friendly. The story fairly follows the novel, but there are parts and characters left out, for what I assume to be time constraints, but even with those parts omitted it is one of the best adaptations of the book to date, because it also adds little to nothing to the original story, unlike the version that Peter Jackson released. Honestly though the animation definitely is dated, it still looks really good, and has this quality to it, this warm quality that is lacking in most modern animation. I can honestly find few faults with this film, I used to have it on VHS as a kid, and I am not speaking hyperbole when I say that I have seen this film over a hundred times, I would say that The Hobbit and Gleaming The Cube were probably the two movies in my youth that I watched more than any other films I have seen. I would sit and watch this film, rewind it and re-watch it, I was a bit obsessed, I at one time could quote large parts of this film, and I named the anarcho-punk band Ring Of Truth after a line that Gandalf speaks to Bilbo in this film, which is: "You're story has a ring of truth, yes it rings with truth." This film has always had a huge impact upon me, it helped me to fall in love with animated film as being something that transcends just being for children but something that adults could also enjoy. This film, coupled with the novel is also what spawned my deep love for the fantasy genre, which is one of my biggest loves. Would I recommend this film? Yes, I feel like this is a must see film that everyone of all ages should see. Like I said this is to date the best adaptation of the Hobbit, and I will continue re-watching this film no matter how old I get. This is a film that has a very special place in my heart. I highly encourage you to find yourself a copy of this amazing film and watch it.