Rating: 
Summary: The underappreciated prequel to the trilogy!
Review: OK, Tolkien-fever has struck the world! So, of course, renewed interest in this 1978 revival of Tolkien's "The Hobbit" is natural. After reading the horrid reviews people have written about this harmless cartoon, I am taking a stand and defending its virtues.So it doesn't exactly include everything from the book. So the animation is not Pixar-quality. The movie includes the majority of the relevant points from the book and paints an entertaining tale of magic, sorcery, and the races of Middle Earth. In fact, after just recently reading "The Hobbit", I found this cartoon to accurately portray the images I had in my mind while reading its chapters. Bilbo Baggins is the most unlikely hero, playing the "burglar" designated by the wizard Gandalf to help the Dwarves reclaim the treasure that lies within the Lonely Mountain. During his travels, he meets Trolls, Elrond in Rivendell (a character which recurs in the LOTR trilogy), wicked spiders, elves, and much more. And, as a small part of the tale, he encounters Gollum and finds a most ordinary ring...a trinket that enables him to become invisible. Little does he know... In any case, unless Peter Jackson decides to make the LOTR prequel of "The Hobbit", this is the only one we've really got. And I have to say, it wasn't that bad. Read the book, though...it will make the movie more enjoyable and understandable. It's a children's story, and that's how you should view the story and this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely animation and nice voices.
Review: This movie is a really nice piece of work.Although it lacks one or two important parts from the book, it has never ceased to please me.The reason I think this is because it has a nice warm feeling to it.You could watch it anytime.Ever since I bought it I have watched it very often and never got bored.It is a nice animated feature about Bilbo the Hobbit, who goes on an adventure with a group of Dwarves and a powerful wizard named Gandalf the Grey.One thing I could find bad about it though, is that the interpretations of the graceful and beautiful Wood Elves of Mirkwood, make them look like evil Goblins.They are tall with scowls on their faces and have sharp fingers and toes and they dress in rags.And the Elven king has a spanish accent. And another thing,this fact did not bother me much, but Goblins are supposed to be short and skinny,and the Goblins in this are too short, and they are fat and huge-mouthed.All the other interpretations were very good, in particular Elrond, Bilbo, Gollum, and Gandalf.The spiders in Mirkwood are perfectly done.
Two other flaws being the absence of Beorn, the huge shape-shifter, and that Gandalf and Bard the guardsman have very American accents.
The animation in this is the lovely old style, done by the brilliant Rankin/Bass productions.
Overall, an excellent movie to have, and watch.
Also I recommend in animation; 'The Flight of Dragons' and
'The Return of the King'.
Rating:
Summary: Awaiting a Theatrical Release
Review: The Hobbit is a delightful cartoon epic based on J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 classic. For a film that was made in 1977, a time when the quality of animation was already in sharp decline, the artwork and scenes are quite superb. Though I would like to have seen more than just 78 minutes portrayed on the screen, this version, nonetheless, is a good series of highlights from the story, itself. Also noteworthy is that the transition from one scene to the next was done in such a way that the characters, both individually and as a group, were easy to identify and remember. If you are looking for good-quality entertainment for nearly all ages, The Hobbit is highly recommended. For the audiophiles out there, there is neither Dolby nor DTS stereo surround sound, for the release is presented only in mono. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: The DVD sound is TOTALLY unacceptable
Review: The DVD omits _all_ ambient noise in the movie, including Smaug's fire, his whooshing noise over the village, the arrows plinking, wolves howling, etc. It is very disturbing to those who are familiar with the video version, and if I could I would ask for my money back.
Rating: 
Summary: For the kids...
Review: This child-aimed adaptation of Tolkien's timeless classic runs short enough for enjoyment without really delving too far into the source literature. Of the animated adaptations, this one is the best, though it fails miserably in comparison with the new Peter Jackson films, possibly because it's a 70s low budget cartoon. But there is just the right amount of story and likable characters that little things like pointless songs and often cheap animation can be ignored. The film's best sequence is the scene which Bilbo encounters Gollum. The representation of Gollum is surprisingly spooky considering the rest of the film is a happy little cartoon. I'd recommend it to children who like fantasy. Anyone older than 12 will have a hard time enjoying it.
Rating:
Summary: Good as a kid's introduction to Tolkein
Review: I saw this on television when I was a child, and it led me to read The Hobbit and later, The Lord of the Rings. Is this a great children's adaptation of a beloved book? In a word, yes. This version of the Hobbit keeps the flavor of the book.. lighter and more humorous than LOTR. I can still sing some of the songs from this version, most notably "The Misty Mountains" I must say, this film was also my first experience with death (The scene where Thorin dies is actually quite touching) and you may want to be prepared for an emotional reaction or questions about death and dying from your children after watching this with them (I had a reaction when I was younger, as did my oldest niece upon seeing it last year) Is it a worthy ADULT adaptation? Not really.. but a good introduction for older kids to literary fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: It had potential, but...
Review: I was already a Tolkien vet by the time I actually sat down and saw this movie. To say that I didn't like it would not be entirely true. Even today I fish it out and watch it from time to time. Unfortunately, you almost have to not have read the books to really enjoy it. Either that or you have to be younger than...let's say my age (twenty-two). This is because the film is very short. It's also animated, but there are lots of animated films and TV shows you can enjoy no matter what, so that's not my main gripe. There are a few problems I found with this movie. First, the actors. Yeah, they were good, but they just didn't sit right in my mind. Bilbo, for instance (played by Orson Bean), always seemed to me like he'd have an Irish accent or something. Gandalf always struck me as a British guy, while I always pictured the dwarves as Scottsman. Even their name sounds scottish, ya know, Dwarf.
Actually, the thing that really gripes me is the fact that there were quite a lot of key scenes that were not included in the movie I.E. the company's meeting with Beorn and Bombur's little swim in the enchanted stream. The soundtrack was Ok as well, but not the best. The best part of that aspect of the film was that the singers for the songs did a good job. My favorites were Bilbo's song (this was actually at the end of the book), the Goblins' song and the song of the people of Esgaroth. Even with its flaws though, it's still worth a few hours of your time now and then. Just don't expect anything too grand.
Rating:
Summary: Still great!!
Review: I just got this on DVD to share with my son. I still love it. I was always scared of Gollem when I was little. Wonderful cartoon!!
Rating:
Summary: fond memory
Review: I first saw this movie on TV in 1978. It introduced me to the Hobbit and led me to read the book and all the Tolkein series. Orson Bean does a fine job as plump, placid Bilbo who would've spent his whole life in the Shire if he hadn't met some dwaves and a wizard. Gollum is still scary and repulsive after all these years. Yes, the film leaves some things out but this is a children's movie afterall. This is a good way to introduce your kids to Tolkein.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful movie, flawed DVD
Review: While the picture quality excells, several audio tracks are inexplicably missing. I even dug out my VHS copy and compared the two, and sure enough, there are several places in which there are missing sound effects! I can't explain it, but someone must have accidentally tossed an audio track in the bin as they remastered the sound. This DVD doesn't give me reason enough to get rid of my old VHS copy. Your best bet would be to comb online auctions or browse pawn shops for an original video release.
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