Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 2.0
A Classic Book Reduced to a Poorly Animated Kid's Cartoon
As a big fan of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic novel "The Hobbit," I was extremely disappointed after watching this animated version last night.Released as a television movie in 1978, this animated "cartoon" version of one of my favorite books fails in just about every way possible. From the completely uninspired, low budget TV animation, to the annoying soundtrack complete with horrible songs, this movie completely misses the fun and excitement of the book.Sadly, Tolkien's wonderful characters are all reduced to dull, unmemorable one dimensional cartoons, and even the voice talents of such people as John Huston, who is the voice of Gandalf, add little to the overall mediocre production.If you're looking for a nice "kiddy movie" to keep your very young children entertained for a few hours, than maybe this movie will be acceptable. But if you are a serious adult fan of "The Hobbit" I think you will be unimpressed and probably quite bored with this animated version.The Hobbit is a true classic, a wonderful fairy tale and a grand adventure! It was such a fun book to read as a kid, and again as an adult. I truly hope that one day this book gets the same "live action" film treatment that Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" has already received. It's long overdue that this story becomes the epic motion picture that so many fans have been hoping for.Mike