The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Director:

Ralph Bakshi

Writers:

Chris Conkling (screenplay) and
Peter S. Beagle (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Come to Middle-earth, a world beyond the furthest reaches of your imagination.

Plot:

The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Ring | Hobbit | Journey | Middle Earth | Warrior

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Christopher Guard	...	Frodo (voice)
William Squire	...	Gandalf (voice)
Michael Scholes	...	Sam (voice)
John Hurt	...	Aragorn (voice)
Simon Chandler	...	Merry (voice)
Dominic Guard	...	Pippin (voice)
Norman Bird	...	Bilbo (voice)
Michael Graham Cox	...	Boromir (voice) (as Michael Graham-Cox)
Anthony Daniels	...	Legolas (voice)
David Buck	...	Gimli (voice)
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Gollum (voice)
Fraser Kerr	...	Saruman (voice)
Philip Stone	...	Theoden (voice)
Michael Deacon	...	Wormtongue (voice)
André Morell	...	Elrond (voice) (as Andre Morell)
Alan Tilvern	...	Innkeeper (voice)
Annette Crosbie	...	Galadriel (voice)
John Westbrook	...	Treebeard (voice)
John A. Neris	...	Gandalf
Sharon Baird	...	Frodo
Michael Lee Gogin
Paul Gale
Patrick Sullivan Burke
Billy Barty	...	Bilbo / Sam
Donn Whyte
Trey Wilson
Albert Ash		(as Albert Cirimele)
Patty Maloney
Jeri Lea Ray
Felix Silla
Mike Clifford
Larry Larsen
Art Hern
David Dotson
Tommy Madden
Gary Jensen
Aesop Aquarian
Santy Josol
Stan Barrett
John L.		(as John L)
Herbie Braha		(as Herb Braha)
Sam Laws
Hank Calia
Terry Leonard
Frank Delfino
Peter Looney
Russ Ernest		(as Russ Earnest)
Dennis Madalone
Louie Elias
Robert 'Big Buck' Maffei		(as Buck Maffei)
Edoardo Faieta		(as Eddy Fay)
Jerry Maren
Carmen Filpi
Harry Monty
Ruth Gay
Frank Morson
Leonard P. Geer		(as Lenny Gear)
Walter Robles		(as Walt Robles)
Harriet Gibson		(as Harriett Gibson)
Mic Rodgers
Bob Haney
Angelo Rossitto
Chuck Hayward
Peter Risch		(as Pete Risch)
Eddie Hice		(as Eddy Hice)
Jack Verbois
Loren Janes
Greg Walker		(as Gregg Walker)

Directed by
Ralph Bakshi

Writing credits
Chris Conkling		(screenplay) and
Peter S. Beagle		(screenplay)
J.R.R. Tolkien		(novels "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers")

Produced by
Saul Zaentz	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Timothy Galfas		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Donald W. Ernst
Peter Kirby

Art Direction by
Phil Carroll		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Patricia Messina	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Denise O'Dell	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Sparey	....	assistant director

Art Department
Tom Jung	....	poster artist (uncredited)
Tom Jung	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stephen Katz	....	consultant: Dolby
Carl Lewis	....	assistant sound editor (as Cari Lewis)
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Mumford	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dan Sharp	....	assistant sound editor (as Daniel Sharp)
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cathy McKelvey	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
John Post	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Curt Schulkey	....	adr editor (uncredited)
Curt Schulkey	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
James W. Riley	....	visual effects producer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Bray	....	still photographer

Animation Department
Marcia Adams	....	landscape painter
Christopher D. Andrews	....	animation effects (as Christopher Andrews)
Craig Armstrong	....	key animator
Dale Baer	....	key animator
Dale Baer	....	layout artist
Brenda Banks	....	key animator
Carl Bell	....	key animator
Nino Carbe	....	animation effects
Mary Jane Cole	....	ink and paint special effects
Jesus Cortes	....	key animator
Janet Cummings	....	color modeler
Janet Cummings	....	ink and paint supervisor
Retta Davidson	....	assistant animator
James A. Davis	....	key animator
Lillian Evans	....	key animator
Dotti Foell	....	animation checker
Frank Gonzales	....	key animator
Steven E. Gordon	....	key animator (as Steven Gordon)
Stan Green	....	animation effects
Edgar Gutierrez	....	cel reproductions
Vince Gutierrez	....	ink and paint supervisor
Lee Guttman	....	ink and paint supervisor
Ann Hamilton	....	ink and paint special effects
Kevin Hanna	....	layout artist
Edwin B. Hirth III	....	landscape painter
Mentor Huebner	....	layout artist
Charlotte Huffine	....	assistant animator
Barry E. Jackson	....	landscape painter (as Barry Jackson)
Sam Jaimes	....	animator
David Jonas	....	layout artist
Sean Joyce	....	key animator
Lisa Kahatriya	....	ink and paint supervisor (as Lisa Kshatriya)
Chrystal Klabunde	....	key animator (as Chrystal Russell)
Rob LaDuca	....	assistant animator (as Rob La Duca)
Terry Lennon	....	assistant animator (as Terrence Lennon)
Ed Newmann	....	assistant animator (as Edward Newmann)
Linda Pearce	....	ink and paint special effects
Manuel Perez	....	animator (as Manny Perez)
Daniel Pia	....	animation production supervisor
Michael G. Ploog	....	layout artist (as Mike Ploog)
Carol Kieffer Police	....	landscape painter (as Carol Kieffer)
Lou Police	....	background assistant
Sally Reymond	....	ink and paint supervisor
Nelda Ridley	....	ink and paint supervisor
Lenord Robinson	....	key animator
Joe Roman	....	animator
Phil Roman	....	animator
Emalene Seutter	....	ink and paint special effects (as Emaline Seutter)
Paul Smith	....	key animator
Irven Spence	....	key animator
J. Michael Spooner	....	background assistant
Karin Stover	....	ink and paint special effects
Martin Taras	....	animator
Barry Temple	....	assistant animator
Ruth Tompson	....	ink and paint supervisor
Hank Tucker	....	key animator
Ira Turek	....	background assistant
John Vita	....	landscape painter (as Johnnie Vita)
Ed Wexler	....	key animator (as Edward Wexler)
Bruce Woodside	....	key animator
Louise Zingarelli	....	layout artist
Micki Zurcher	....	ink and paint supervisor
Kristine Brown	....	final checker (uncredited)
Daryl Carstensen	....	xerox checker (uncredited)
Davis Doi	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Brad Frost	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Edward Goral	....	inbetween artist (uncredited)
Ray Harris	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Larry Leker	....	animator (uncredited)
Madlyn O'Neill	....	paint technician (uncredited)
Gary Randall	....	animator (uncredited)
Richard Raynis	....	background illustrator (uncredited)
Rusty Stoll	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Tom Tataranowicz	....	animator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
William Barbe	....	special costume designer and constructor
Lynne Betner	....	special costume designer and constructor
Hollis Trainer	....	costume supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Tom Hooper	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Ralph Ferraro	....	orchestrator
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Leonard Rosenman	....	conductor

Other crew
Mark Bakshi	....	production staff
Leah Bernstein	....	assistant to director
Lynne Betner	....	assistant to director
Martin Cohen	....	production staff
Christine Danzo	....	production staff (as Christine L. Danzo)
Nancy Eichler	....	assistant to producer
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Jacquelyn Herst	....	production staff
Jacqueline Roettcher	....	studio production supervisor
Cathy Rose	....	production staff
Michael Takamoto	....	production staff
Robert K. Feldmann	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Fantasy Films

Distributors

• United Artists (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists Pictures (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Pictures Finland (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Films (1994) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1994) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2001) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (TV)
• Connoisseur Video (????) (UK) (VHS)
• Connossieur Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (???) (USA) (VHS)
• HBO/Cannon Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Lumiere Pictures (1993) (USA) (video)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Weintraub Entertainment Group (????) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Symmetricon (special kaleidoscopic effect)

Other Companies

• Nick Vasu  animation camera (as Nick Vasu, Inc.)
• R&B EFX  animation camera (as R & B EFX & Animation)
• Hogan-Lee Images  animation camera
• Sam Shaw Enterprises  sound effects
• Optical House, The  optical effects
• Image Transform  post-production facilities
• Dolby Stereo  recorded in
• Panavision  lenses and Panaflex cameras
• Deluxe  color

Also Known As:

"J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Sindarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 (1980) | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12/9 (1988) | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Belmonte, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

Fantasy Films

Trivia:

At two hours and twelve minutes, this is the longest feature-length animated film made up to that time. Only Disney's Fantasia (1940) (in its uncut, original roadshow release) was nearly as long.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Frodo and Sam are rowing down the river, they are facing each other and rowing in opposite directions, so the boat is just moving back and forth.

Quotes:

[a crow abruptly caws and takes off into the sky]
Frodo Baggins:Because of Gollum! Oh, Gandalf... what am I to do? What a pity that Bilbo didn't kill that vile creature when he had the chance.
Gandalf:Yes, it was pity. Pity and mercy.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Marinara" (2004)

Soundtrack:

MITHRANDIR

Underrated adaptation

As an animated film from 1978, this is pretty good--generally well above the standard of the days when Disney hadn't done anything good in years (and Tolkien cared little for Disney anyway). It gets major points for innovative and careful camera work, applying cinematic techniques with relative success. The much-maligned rotoscoping actually works pretty well, especially with the Ringwraiths, and the opening narration. However, it is so drastically overused--possibly as a money-saving technique--that it detracts from the overall effect. The same technique that makes wraiths spooky and otherworldly doesn't fare so well in the Prancing Pony.

As for the adaptation of the story, it's actually quite good. We lose little bits here and there, minor details such as the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, the Gaffer and the Sackville-Bagginses. We compress a few characters, such as revising Legolas as one of Elrond's household and an old friend of Aragorn's, but that's a rather wise decision for film. In books you have room to include the references to the larger world of the Elves and Middle-Earth's vast history. In film, you trade that for visuals and sound that convey the same elements in a different way. Nothing critical is truly lost here, and although I have minor quibbles about some of the changes, I'm generally pretty happy with it.

If only the dratted writers had managed to remember Saruman's name--he's frequently referred to as Aruman, a decision probably made to make him more distinct from similarly-named Sauron; it took me a second viewing before I was certain I hadn't misheard it. It's also annoying that Boromir is a bloody stage viking, and irritable from the start. However, Gandalf is excellent, and most of the rest of the voicework is excellent. If only John Hurt weren't too old to play Aragorn; I love his voice.

Of course, with the film ending at the midpoint of the story, there's a vast disappointment built in. What makes it far, far worse is the altogether miserable job done by the Rankin & Bass crew on the sequel. That they were permitted to do Return of the King after butchering The Hobbit remains a huge mystery; they seem more interested in bad songs than in proper storytelling. For all its faults, this film's heart is solidly in place and it tries very hard to accomplish a nearly impossible task. I can only hope that the upcoming series of films keeps as true to its vision...