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Ella
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on: August 06, 2013 06:31
Since I didn’t find anything about them and since I quite enjoyed them I made this thread.

The Hobbit (1977) was an animation movie based on the book by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.. There are two other Tolkien related animation. The Lord of the Rings (197 which tells the story of the FOTR and TTT is from a different director Ralph Bakshi. The Return of the King (1980) is from the same producers as the Hobbit.

It remembers my childhood. I used to watch these with my father and I think, as an animation student, they are quite impressive.

What you think of them?
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Lindarielwen
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on: August 06, 2013 07:27
I have all 3 of the animated versions and I did enjoy them. I discovered them after I had seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I thought they were quite interesting.

How lucky you are to have watched them with your father.
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Ella
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on: August 08, 2013 06:49
He was a big fan of Tolkien so he had almost everything! Bacl when I saw the animations I didn't understand what they were saying because there were no subtitles.
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Lindarielwen
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on: August 08, 2013 07:12
Oh dear! Well, you can get the general idea just by watching the movie. Even if you don't know what is being said.

I think it is wonderful that your father had an interest in Tolkien.
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findemaxam48
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on: August 12, 2013 03:41
I saw the animated versions after I watched the original movie. Although Im sure they were a blessing to Tolkien fans a long time ago, they were a little different cmpared to the films of today.The animation is impressive for that time period, though.

[Edited on 08/12/2013 by findemaxam48]
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Ella
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on: August 14, 2013 05:43
My father used to explain me what they were saying

They are really different but I think the essence of the books are there.
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Lindarielwen
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on: August 14, 2013 07:01
I agree with you, Ella. I think the animated versions follow the books quite well.
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findemaxam48
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on: August 20, 2013 02:02
Yes, they do follow the books way better. So if you like the books more, that may be the way to go.
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Gandolorin
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on: December 08, 2013 09:02
As I mentioned elsewhere, my first contact with JRRT was the Bakshi animated movie, which I saw in a small movie theater in Berlin (the original one, not New Hampshire or whatnot ) in 1983, reading the German translation of LotR very shortly thereafter. I may have read about the other two animations somewhere, but it did not stick in memory. Can they be bought as DVDs anywhere?

[Edited on 12/08/2013 by Gandolorin]
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tarcolan
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on: December 08, 2013 10:27
It is still available from various outlets and quite cheap too. If you want to get it from Amazon you can go to the COE store and use the link there, though it goes to the US site.

It's hardly worth critiquing the production now. It was the first attempt at a film version and has to be applauded for that alone. Bakshi regretted using so much rotoscoping but it certainly works for the Black Riders. PJ has said he wishes he had thought to make the horses' eyes glow red, but he did give a nod to Bakshi by having the hobbits hide beneath a tree root. It's worth seeing; some parts are really very good.
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Gandolorin
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on: December 08, 2013 10:40
tarcolan said:It is still available from various outlets and quite cheap too. If you want to get it from Amazon you can go to the COE store and use the link there, though it goes to the US site.

It's hardly worth critiquing the production now. It was the first attempt at a film version and has to be applauded for that alone. Bakshi regretted using so much rotoscoping but it certainly works for the Black Riders. PJ has said he wishes he had thought to make the horses' eyes glow red, but he did give a nod to Bakshi by having the hobbits hide beneath a tree root. It's worth seeing; some parts are really very good.


Thank you, tarcolan!
But you seem to be talking solely about the Bakshi movie? I was fortunate to get a hold of a DVD of it (probably a re-release stimulated by the hoopla surrounding the LotR).
So must I conclude that TH 1977 and RotK 1980 never made it to DVD status?
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starofdunedain
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on: December 08, 2013 01:07
The '77 Hobbit did indeed make dvd status as did the 1980 RotK. They're both available on Amazon at reasonable prices.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the%20hobbit%20animated&sprefix=the+hobbit+anim%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Athe%20hobbit%20animated
tarcolan
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on: December 09, 2013 11:25
'The Hobbit' is available through the COE shop so please use the link there if you decide to buy it. COE gets a small payment from Amazon that way. Every little helps. As for the ROTK animation - only for avid collectors I'd say, Have you seen the price?!! And it's region 1 NTSC. It also looks suspiciously like a Disney cartoon, the dwarfs straight from Snow White. Hi ho.
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Gandolorin
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on: December 09, 2013 02:54
starofdunedain said:The '77 Hobbit did indeed make dvd status as did the 1980 RotK. They're both available on Amazon at reasonable prices.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the%20hobbit%20animated&sprefix=the+hobbit+anim%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Athe%20hobbit%20animated


tarcolan said:'The Hobbit' is available through the COE shop so please use the link there if you decide to buy it. COE gets a small payment from Amazon that way. Every little helps. As for the ROTK animation - only for avid collectors I'd say, Have you seen the price?!! And it's region 1 NTSC. It also looks suspiciously like a Disney cartoon, the dwarfs straight from Snow White. Hi ho.


Thank you both for your help (I hope this works, have opened two tabs!) [four by now]
In starofdunedain's Amazon link there is something called “J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set”, with The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King, apparently a new release from 2001. Running time is 5:08 hrs., fits 1977 TH 1:17 hrs., Bakshi 1978 2:14 hrs., and RotK 1980 1:38 hrs.
To be had from $89.95 used to $370.00 new. Avid collectors? Nope, people who have too much time and money and hang about Sotheby’s and Christie’s a lot, count me out!
And there have been massively critical comments about the TH DVD – versus the VHS version as it seems: missing sound effects!
RotK 1980 does not get hammered quit quite as badly, seems to be an adequate conclusion to Bakshi, who never made it that far.
Comments on the $370.00 Christie’s crowd part of TH are much more favorable than for the standalone TH – but these people buy stuff from Picasso & co. for investment only, compared to some of them I have a PhD in art!
OK, I have survived all 4 theatrical + EE films that PJ has perpetrated on us (don’t know if this split personality I have had to develop to enjoy the films is REALLY a good idea *sigh*).
Stores first, then Amazon Germany; A UK may be able to deliver “to Europe” (go figure those limeys, this kraut can’t), have not found anything on A US’s site about overseas deliveries.
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starofdunedain
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on: December 09, 2013 04:30
There are individual dvds for 8 or 9 dollars each. Not just the whopping 89.99 collection set.
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