Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 3.0
Somewhat Simplified, but not bad.
I saw this movie for the first time as a pre-schooler, and loved it. Believe it or not, I actually saw this movie before I read the book. In retrospect, I realize that my mother introduced me to this movie to prepare me for the book, which she later read to me as a bedtime story. Anyway, I still like the movie, which now holds additional nostalgic value. In my opinion, this movie is a better adaptation than the other attempts to translate Tolkein's work into animation. Part of this is probably due to the fact that The Hobbit actually was a simpler book, and was made to please younger children, as well as older kids and adults. Even though the encounter with Beorn was left out, this movie is an excellent adaptation of the novel, covering all significant plot points, and making excellent use of Tolkein's songs and poetry in the soundtrack. I still think of the melodies in this film when I read the musical sections of the book. The vocal acting was done brilliantly, with Orson Bean making Bilbo simultaneously mild-mannered and courageous; John Huston giving Gandalf a vigourous personality and resonant voice to match; and Hans Conreid making Thorin suitably proud and surly. The animation, which some people call "dated" is perfectly adequate, is not so spectacular that it takes one's attention away from the story, and has a feel that I have never found outside of a Rankin-Bass film. In fact, it actually resembles a moving illustration. This film has survived the test of time, and remains an excellent way to get someone (child or adult) interested enough in Middle Earth to read the books, at which point they are firmly hooked.