Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 5.0
Deeper and Darker than Peter Jackson's work
PJ's stuff is impressive, but the humor is not Tolkien's, his hobbits are not so much "unlikely" heroes as just small young heroes (Frodo is 50 when he starts his thing), and PJ's sense of an age passing is melodrama city. This cartoon version of The Hobbit is great, although brief and could almost be considered a musical. The art and delivery of lines convey a more thorough sense of dread and despair, which makes any attempts at heroism (or arrogance) worth watching. It has withstood the test of time.