Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 1.0
The movie is a 5-star, the DVD [is not good]!
Let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE fan of The Hobbit by Rankin/Bass. I own it on VHS and have watched it over 100 times. It ranks among my favorites of all time. That's the VHS version. Now let's talk about the DVD version. It [is not good]! Buy The Hobbit on VHS but avoid the DVD version. How can this be you ask? Let me answer that by quoting the letter I wrote to Warner Bros about the DVD:"Dear Sir or Madam:"I have been a huge fan of the Rankin/Bass production of "The Hobbit" since it was first shown on television in 1977. As soon as it was available on VHS, I bought it. I have watched it well over 100 times. I know every word of dialog and every bit of the music. It ranks among the very best animated films ever."So imagine my delight when I learned that it was available on DVD - finally!... I bought the DVD anyway (after a long wait and a lot of pondering) in hopes that perhaps the problems had been addressed in a newer version. Much to my dismay, the problems are even worse than the reviewer lead me to believe. It sounds to me like the original sound-effects track is completely missing. To compound such an egregious omission, new sound effects have been plopped in that do not remotely mesh with the original soundtrack."This is outlandish! This is not just incomprehensible but reprehensible! I cannot possibly express to you the degree of disappointment, nay anger, I feel over this. You cannot possibly have a valid reason for such foolishness. At the absolute least, you should have simply released an unchanged version of this excellent film on DVD with some attempt at enhancing the image and sound quality."I was eagerly awaiting the DVD release of "The Hobbit." I am incensed,...To sum up: I love the movie (5 stars). Get it on VHS (5 stars). Avoid the DVD version like the plague.