Rating: 
Summary: Close But No Cigar
Review: This movie is actualy ok compared to the animated Lord Of The Rings but it would have helped if they would have followed the story a little more
Rating: 
Summary: In a hole in the ground...
Review: THE HOBBIT was a grand adventure for many young readers. For many it was the first book they WANTED to finish. And so, a movie version was inevitable. But, to make a live-action film in the late 70s would have been next to impossibleso they went the animated route. This HOBBIT was created for television, very apparent when the film fades to black where commercial breaks would occur. The animation is of the standard Holiday cartoon variety, only slightly better than Saturday morning fare. In fact, it is filled with an apparent move-move-freeze style of animation that no longer would stand. the character designs are excellent, especially GOLLUM (or SMEAGLE) But, this is not about the animation, rather the story which is surprisingly faithful to its novel. Well, minus the 70s folk songs scattered throughout. With the live-action THE LORD OF THE RINGS now a reality, THE HOBBIT is a good prequel... Its shows how the Ring first fell into a BAGGINS hands...
Rating:
Summary: in a hole in the ground...
Review: i think the movie is really more of a '4' but as many reviewers have mentioned, WB changed/omitted parts of the original soundtrack. i cannot understand why they would do such a thing (it was really noticable because i had just watched my vhs version in anticipation of the dvd).i must admit that aside from bringing back fond memories from my youth, i thought the movie held on its own merits. the animation style is very distinctive and i felt the character designs were fairly appropriate. Bass/Rankin produced an animation that was more catered to the younger audience, but imho, worked -- it brought a fairly-tale like quality before the much more grim telling of the Lord of the Rings. the handpainted backgrounds were very nicely done that are far superior to many other comparable animations. the songs were ok, and remember Tolkien wrote poems in the book that would sound horrible if it were just said... i.e., when the Orcs/Wargs rode down singing/chanting: 'fifteen birds, in five fir trees...' this quirkly little poem added a certain style to Tolkien writing that i thought was appropriately ported to this animation. watch Ladyhawk if you really want to gripe about a soundtrack adversely affecting the movie. the voice acting in general was quite good but Huston was flawless -- and he was much, much better in the Return of the King and was particularly effective because the voice of Gandolf became the narrative of that animation. the Hobbit, as a book, i felt was much more whimsical than Tolkien's other works and i enjoy this interpretation (but read the book whenever you get the chance!) -- i just wish that they hadn't downgraded the soundtrack -- or they could have tone down the song just a wee bit and everyone would be happy ;)
Rating: 
Summary: the best fantasy film--so far
Review: I caught this when it was first run on television, in 1978 or 79. I was thirteen or fourteen, and literally by chance I switched on the tube just as this film--of which I had never heard--was beginning. I was enthralled, and when I discovered that the film was based on a book, well, you can guess the rest. Read, read, read. But as to this film. I still maintain it is the finest fantasy film ever made. The storyline, of course, is excellent even considering the elements in the book that are missing from the film. The animation is, well, about what you'd expect--better than modern cartoons, but nowhere near the level of a Disney (or, these days, Dreamworks) film. And the voices--with the exception of the elven king (as another reviewer noted--what's up with the elves here?)--are superb. For my money, John Huston's Gandalf cannot be topped. Huston's delivery has just the right amount of artificiality--rather like Shakespearean dialog--to seem both real yet somehow elevated. I can't comment on the DVD's technical screw-ups, as I have only the VHS, which I got years and years ago. From the sounds of things, I think I'll stick with it.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Simplified, but not bad.
Review: I saw this movie for the first time as a pre-schooler, and loved it. Believe it or not, I actually saw this movie before I read the book. In retrospect, I realize that my mother introduced me to this movie to prepare me for the book, which she later read to me as a bedtime story. Anyway, I still like the movie, which now holds additional nostalgic value. In my opinion, this movie is a better adaptation than the other attempts to translate Tolkein's work into animation. Part of this is probably due to the fact that The Hobbit actually was a simpler book, and was made to please younger children, as well as older kids and adults. Even though the encounter with Beorn was left out, this movie is an excellent adaptation of the novel, covering all significant plot points, and making excellent use of Tolkein's songs and poetry in the soundtrack. I still think of the melodies in this film when I read the musical sections of the book. The vocal acting was done brilliantly, with Orson Bean making Bilbo simultaneously mild-mannered and courageous; John Huston giving Gandalf a vigourous personality and resonant voice to match; and Hans Conreid making Thorin suitably proud and surly. The animation, which some people call "dated" is perfectly adequate, is not so spectacular that it takes one's attention away from the story, and has a feel that I have never found outside of a Rankin-Bass film. In fact, it actually resembles a moving illustration. This film has survived the test of time, and remains an excellent way to get someone (child or adult) interested enough in Middle Earth to read the books, at which point they are firmly hooked.
Rating: 
Summary: Great 70's animated adventure, terrible DVD.
Review: Warner Brothers again proves to us that when they don't care, THEY DON'T CARE. It isn't just a lack of extras, its a lack of...um...PART OF THE MOVIE. That's right! part of the audio track is gone. Those elvish blades that previously had their own sound effects are gone and many creatures that use to scream when they got killed (can you blame them?) now die without a whimper. This is a film I'd normally give a 4 or even a five star, but WB has pumped this thing out without even bothering to check the sound mix, or perhaps they have edited it in some manner incomprehensible to me. For whatever the reason, you'd almost be better buying the VHS as you'll have the complete soundtrack and it probably looks nearly as good. And let's not even discuss the terrible cover they've stuck on the film. All in all, WB should be ashamed by their overflowing apathy--especially since we'll probably never see another edition of this film without importing it (should it be released in another country.)
Rating:
Summary: Missing sounds... how annoying
Review: For the first time in my life, I wish I had a VHS copy even with the DVD released. I first noticed a problem when the first spider dies in the movie, and there is no vortex sound effect. Then the entire scene in Lake Town is... muted. The arrows are silenced, the dragon roars as a mouse, and the fire, it crackles as a loud annoyance. I wish I had read the reviews online prior to purchasing, now I am stuck with a poor quality DVD. I will be buying the VHS shortly.
Rating:
Summary: Great story...mediocre animation
Review: I love the whole Tolkien Ring Cycle, but it has never gotten the presentation on film it deserves. It is presented here as rather silly and without really great animation. I am still waiting for the really great film treatment it deserves. This may be adequate for children, but will leave the discerning adult yearnng for somethng better.
Rating:
Summary: That horrible warbling sound.
Review: Based on my all time favorite book as a kid (and admittedly one of my faves as an adult), I have fond memories of this flick. There has always been one small problem with the movie, a problem that my nephews noticed after their recent first watching: that god-awful music. It's just plain BAD. It starts off as a mild distraction, but it can be almost irritating enough to make the movie unwatchable at times. Overall, it's much better than the similarly cursed "Return of the King" but not even in the same league as the flawed but ambitious Bakshi project "Lord of the Rings." Modern kids, like my nephews, may find the animation dated and the music unbearable, but us old guys nursing fond childhood memories may still get something out of it.
Rating: 
Summary: the Opening of the Sage
Review: The Hobbit is an introduction to the world of the hobbit and a predecessor to the Ultimite fantasy novel, " the lord of the rings". While the hobbit seems more the story book novel and lord of the rings the comsumate epic, I found it quite enjoyable and entertaining. It is not necessary to read this book before Lord of the Rings but I would recommend it.
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