h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

At last some one has confirmed that the Hobbit was made into an animated film. I saw it when I was about 9(?) but haven't come across anything about it since. Even books that list nearly every film made don't mention it.

yes, there is a cartoon movie of the hobbit, I have a copy of it
if you need specs let me know

if its anything like the so-called animation of the lotr cartoon back in the 80's itll suck the big one

I haven't seen the actual Lord of the Rings animated movie, but I have seen the DVD cover. Judging by the cover and my memory of the Hobbit, you're right it did suck big time.

Hi Folks,

just for your info' there are at least two LOTR cartoon films in existance

one is very juvenile in appearance a bit more like Watership Down than anything else
the other made in 1981(or thereabouts) is a combination of actors and animation, a bit like the middle of Mary Poppins .
if you've ever seen this one you'll realise it ends at Helms Deep and the ride of the Rohan. However for some unbelievable reason (sarcasm) it was never completed

Jak

It was never completed because the comapny went bankrupt. i tried watching it the other day. it isn't as good as the film obviously because it was made about thirty years ago but it is a hell of a lot more faithful to the book and has better atmospehere in some places than the film e.g the conversation between frodo and gandalf and saruman who is actually damn creepy in the cartoon.

They just recently made a video game on the hobbit. I've never seen the cartoon but I think the characters are designed form it.

Concerning the cartoon i was told by some friends that if I ever came across it I should break it into many pieces and flush it down the toilette.

I had a game of the Hobit back in the 80s for a Spectrum. I don't think it actualy worked very well.

I recently viewed the Hobbit cartoon for the first time in nearly thirty years. I loved it as a kid, and it introduced me to the world of Tolkien. I have since become a major admirer of 'The Lord of the Rings'. In some respects it hasn't held up well because what may have been acceptable as a kid may be intolerable as an adult. The running time, for example. Produced to fill a ninety minute TV slot, it runs a mere seventy minutes without commercials. The narrative is slashed to the bone, and only the 'bullet points' are covered. The animation is fairly crude, and poor Bilbo ends up looking like a brownie or a hairy sprite, rather than the hobbit we've grown to love. There are, however, a few things to recomment it; The voice talents of John Huston and Daws Butler, for instance. Also, the film makes an attempt to utilize the songs from the book to advance the narrative. This is something not even the masterful Peter Jackson trilogy attempted. The results are mixed, and the saccharine warblings of the 1970's folk singer who voices them are painful to the ears. One success along these lines are some of the riddles of Gollum and Bilbo, which, instead of being spoken, are turned into dark minor-key songs. Well done. The final verdict must be left with the children for whom it was intended; my four year old adored it, and would watch it several times in succession. That says it all, I guess.

Thats because it was a great steaming heap of the proverbial!

This is a bit later than one expects from a posting. The animated movie was unique from the point of view of how it was made. Apparently, the actors used any type of prop at hand and acted the parts in normal clothing etc. There was no regard as to what was in the background as all of the frames,each one, was painted over .This gave the cartoon one special feature,smooth action, with a feel of real movement,not cartoon action.Nothing since has come close until digital came onto the big screen.It has been some time since I saw it but it is a part of film history.The story was close to the mark and yes the ending stunk. I waited years to see the recent live movies and they also have their faults.Movie makers are funny people and the only way to truely appreciate the books is to read them and maybe use the screen characters as visual stimulation.

The Rankin Bass cartoon is the only animated version of the Hobbit. It's not too bad but the imagery didn't suit my imagination. Despite some flaws the Ralph Bakshi animated Lord of the Rings was much better. The animation is a little jumpy, but the imagery (apart from a "native American" looking Aragorn) is fantastic. I liked the rotoscoping effects. The Ring-Wraiths are truly frightening. And the backgrounds range from realism to psychedelic. Rankin Bass then made the Return of the King after Saul Zaentz screwed Bakshi and pulled out. Zaentz has trouble getting on with anyone. He and New Line screwed Christopher Tolkien resulting in the current lawsuit by C.Tolkien (at least that is the reporting I heard, and I believe it after the treatment Bakshi got).