Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 3.0
Nice Children's Version
The Hobbit was originally written for kids so it seems right for the movie to be geared toward a young audience. (See the extras on the DVD for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings for proof.) There are some parts missing which can be expected with almost any film adaptation of a book. The movie still works.Overall, I felt this was a nice made-for-TV film from the same people who gave us Frosty The Snowman.The plot is fairly simple. Bilbo joins some dwarves to reclaim their treasure stolen by a dragon named Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo bumps into Gollum and gains The Ring. This does provide some background for the story of Lord of the Rings.I do find it interesting that it took 40 years for any movie version to be attempted. The book is from the 1930s.I don't really care for the folk-type music. One reviewer used "hippie" while discussing the music. I'm tempted to agree. I'd say it fits, and the music is appropriate. I feel this way because I ate at a vegetarian place in Houston, TX that had a name inspired by Hobbit culture and seemed to share some aspects of the "hippie" way of life. The books seem to agree with parts of the 1960s culture. I'm not knocking it. Although I don't care for the songs, they fit. I'm sure some people may disagree with this view.