Rating: 
Summary: GREAT EVEN IF IT IS ANIMATED.........
Review: THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO START LOOKING AT TOLKIEN'S WORKS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUNGER SET. I THINK CHILDREN SHOULD READ
TOLKIEN'S WORKS AS SOON AS THEY CAN READ WELL AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE READING. THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET THEM INTERESTED IN THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF TOLKIEN.
Rating: 
Summary: Very faithful; surprisingly good...
Review: It may be unnecessary to note Rankin and Bass'HOBBIT does not approach,in my estimate, the astounding virtuosity of Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of"The Lord of the Rings". Nevertheless, "their" HOBBIT is very faithful to the story as well as techincally adept. Some viewers may judge minimalist drawing/inkings of characters and settings, framed by beautiful water color background/matte work, actually more effective and appealing than Bakshi's "Apocalypse Now!" rotoscope-driven epic.
John Houston's voice/superb characterization of GANDALF,the wizard, brings mythological "gravitas" to this prelude QUEST
to subsequent, grander quest of Frodo and his Fellowship. But THE HOBBIT is no mere prequel.Bilbo Baggins, well characterized by Orson Bean, is initiated by Gandalf as "burgler" to a band of dwarves commissioned to slay a legendary dragon named SMAUG the MAGNIFICENT. Smaug is essayed with bodaciouslly magnificent
relish by Richard Boone. Remaining characters(played by,among others,Cyrl Ritchard and Otto Preminger) comprise a battle-array of humans,creatures,and monsters whose aura of magic would not disappoint their visonary creator,Tolkien.Director Peter Jackson has done a magnificent job of bringing THE RING to the screen with full panoply of state-of-the-art fx; myth and great acting.THE HOBBIT...in deceptive simplicity of "primitive" art...is no slouch,however. It is THE STORY of how THE RING OF POWER came to be POSSESSED by THE HOBBIT nation/race. Directors Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass have done a fine job of rendering this saga,THERE and BACK Again. They and their artistic cohort have done a surprisingly good show of bringing renowned legend to life keeping it fun, exciting and "true"...
Rating: 
Summary: Despicable. Absolutely dispicable.
Review: This ridiculously unfaithful adaption of Tolkein's delightful masterpiece is not even enjoyable when kept separate from the book. The wonderful features of Tolkein's Middle-Earth are done no justice in this loathesome and pathetic excuse for an anime (Japanese style) TV movie. For instance, the worst change, in my opinion, is the change of the Wood-Elves. According to Tolkein, the Wood-Elves are graceful, peaceful, and quite beautiful, although they are somewhat prejudiced against the Dwarves. This sad film shows the Wood-Elves as ugly and war-hungry goblin-like creatures who walk with their bottoms sticking out. For your own sake, stay away from this demented film at all costs, or you will find that the film is so horrible that you will not live to regret your decision.
Rating:
Summary: In a hole in the ground, lived a hobbit....
Review: What is with [everyone] saying bad things about this movie? It's not flawless by a long shot, but its for children, J.R.R. Tolkien WROTE The Hobbit for his children and I don't see why this movie shouldn't be for children either. Some Adults even like it.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit that doesn't like to be on adventures ("adventures makes one late for dinner") but he's going to be on a adventure anyway.
John Houston makes an excellent Gandalf, who is a wizard that goes on the adventure with 13 dwarves and 1 hoobit to save treausure from the dragon Smaug. During his adventures, Bilbo finds a ring that makes him invisible. He keeps the ring and puts it on his Mantle back at his home.
This is a prequel to the far more darker "Lord of the Rings"
Rating:
Summary: The Hobbit
Review: The Rankin-Bass adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" is, for the most part, quite superb (unlike their later attempt at "The Return of the King," which is hit and miss). This animated tale captures the spirit of the book from beginning to ending, and provides some very detailed (if at times jerky) animation. Tolkien's songs are adapted beautifully, and each and every tune is remarkably catchy (except for the out-of-place retro folk tunes not derived from Tolkien). To top it all off, the final confrontation with Smaug is indeed climactic, and the ending is suitably bittersweet. It is not flawless, however. There are a few too many American accents floating around in this Middle-Earth despite the novel's very British origins. Some characters have a tendency to chew the animated scenery (such as Bard, and even Bilbo himself). The Elves depicted here are squat, ugly, and speak with strange Austrian accents, and are very much unlike the Elves of Tolkien's works, which are tall, beautiful, and fair-spoken. Alas, the character of Beorn does not make an appearance either, though the film itself is very short, and had plenty of time to include him. All in all, "The Hobbit" is true to its source material, and that is the best compliment that any book-to-film adaptation can be paid - especially one that is based upon one of the most magical tales of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Great show bad sound
Review: I love the show, always have. Saw it when I was in elementary school many years ago on reel-to-reel. I also own the original tape I bought from a rental store that was getting rid of it. The picture quality of the DVD is awesome but the sound is bad. In many scenes, like when Bilbo fights the spiders or when he confronts Smog, certain background sounds are missing. In the VHS version as Bilbo stabs a spider there is a magic-like sound accompanying the swirl of light as the spider dies. But in the DVD there is only the swirl of light. Also, when Smog is diving on Lake Town his flame is suppose to have a sound as it hits. The only sound there is a light crackle in the backgorund. When the Eagles dive there is no sound on the DVD either but there is on the VHS. I guess I'm just saying, the sound transfer to DVD was messed up by whoever did it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie for Kids and Adults Alike!
Review: This is a very good animated movie, with quality animation and clever songs. In fact, the songs are one of the best parts, and they're quite catchy. This is a basic telling of The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One thing to note, this movie's sequel is NOT the animated Lord of the Rings, it is "Return of the King." The directors and animators who did this movie and "Return of the King" never made the movie to fill the gap between the two.
Rating:
Summary: Great version of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit.
Review: Bilbo Baggins ( voiced by " Orson Bean") is a Hobbit that goes on a simple quest with Gandolf ( John Huston) and a bunch of Dwarfs that must find Gold from the evil Dragon " Smaug". A highly entertaining and all-around fun yet excellent Rankin-Bass
film which is one of the best they did with " Return of the King", " The Last Unicorn", and " Flight of Dragons". Also recommend: Lord of the Rings ( 1978), Return of the King,
and Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: A nostalgic movie for everyone
Review: The Hobbit opened up a part of my mind which has been forgotten and helped me understand things more clearly such as peace tranquility and harmony. Also, the music, songs, cast, voices and stories are amazing. I particularly like the "15 birds in 5 fir trees" song. Also the animation is really good. The art is amazing, especially Gollum. The movie is goood for all ages young and old. Anybody reading this review should buy the movie.
Rating:
Summary: I thought it was scary!
Review: I remember having my little "Hobbit" read-along book and record player when I was a little girl. I still recall all the nightmares I had with Gollum chasing me through my dreams. Seeing the little book turned into the full-length movie was still frightening to me 20 years later! I Just finished reading J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" for the first time. My husband asked me to read it, claiming it as his favorite book of all time. It was good, but at the age of 26, I did find it a tad tedious. I do however, understand why it has so many devoted followers. The cartoon version of "The Hobbit" is old. It was produced in 1978. I really liked the animation. It had a very enchanting, dark, "foreign" quality to it. There are many lines taken verbatum from the book, but you can't expect the movie to live up to the printed edition. It doesn't come close..but I must say I still thought the scene with Gollum was most horrifying. I hope someday to overcome my fear of the slimy little monster. Would this be a great edition to a Tolkien fan's collection? It would make a good gift. Do I recommend this to young children? I'm not sure...the characters are pretty frightening and the whole movie has a real gritty aura to it. I think it would be more appropriate for a child that has already read the book/series and understands it's concept. I mean, after 20 years, I watched the movie cringing and holding on to my couch pillow as a shield. I give it three stars for a very different kind of cartoon flick-one with a beautiful dark and rainy day atmosphere.
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