The Hobbit (1977)

A homebody hobbit in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.

Directors:

Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writers:

J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Romeo Muller (adapted for the screen by)

Stars:

Orson Bean, John Huston, Brother Theodore

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Orson Bean	...	Bilbo Baggins (voice)
Richard Boone	...	Smaug (voice)
Hans Conried	...	Thorin Oakenshield (voice)
John Huston	...	Gandalf The Grey (voice)
Otto Preminger	...	The Elvenking (voice)
Cyril Ritchard	...	Elrond (voice)
Brother Theodore	...	Gollum (voice) (as Theodore)
Paul Frees	...	Bombur / Bill Huggins - Troll Leader (voice)
Jack DeLeon	...	Dwalin / Fíli / Kíli / Óin / Glóin / Ori / Nori / Bifur / Bofur / Bert - Troll #2 / Goblin / Orc / Spiders / Wood Elves / Lake People (voice) (as Jack De Leon)
Don Messick	...	Balin / Tom - Troll #3 / Grinnah - The Goblin / Goblin / Orc / Gwaihir - Lord of the Eagles (voice)
John Stephenson	...	Dori / Bard / Great Goblin (voice)
Glenn Yarbrough	...	The Balladeer (voice)

Storyline

Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit was just minding his own business, when his occasional visitor Gandalf the Wizard drops in one evening . One by one, a whole group of dwarves drop in, and before he knows it, Bilbo has joined their quest to reclaim their kingdom, taken from them by an evil dragon named Smaug. The only problem is that Gandalf has told the dwarves that Bilbo is an expert burglar, but he isn't....

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | butterfly | chorus | cheer | baritone | 

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Taglines:

Based on the original version of the Hobbit.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hobbit

Filming Locations:

Topcraft studios, Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Video Enterprises, Rankin/Bass Productions, Topcraft

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dwarves' map and runes upon it are an exact copy of the version included in the book, although the phrase indicated as written in the moon runes is incorrect. When Elrond holds the map of Lonely Mountain up to the moon and reads; "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun will shine upon the keyhole," the runes shown actually read; "Five feet high the door, and three may walk abreast," the part of the map that was already visible, hence Gandalf's comment about the door being too small for Smaug to notice it.

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Goofs

When Bilbo finds the ring it's shown with an elaborate design on it. In the book the ring was plain and unadorned. Although when you put it in the fire, writing in the Black Speech appears.

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Quotes

Gandalf the Grey: Bilbo Baggins?
Bilbo Baggins: Uh, yes.
Gandalf the Grey: I am looking to hire a burglar.
Bilbo Baggins: Burglar. I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place.
Gandalf the Grey: You mean you do not wish to share a grand adventure?
Bilbo Baggins: Dear me, no. We, Hobbits, are plain quiet folk. Adventures make one late for dinner
Gandalf the Grey: [Lighting and thunder strikes] Enough. I am Gandalf. And Gandalf means ME.

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Alternate Versions

The 2001 DVD release by Warner Brothers omited a number of sound effects from the origianl Sony VHS release. The sound when characters die; when Sting attacks the Spiders in Mirkwood; Smaug's screams as he attacks Lake Town; the flapping of the Thrush's wings in all scenes; when the arrows bounce off of Smaug and when the Black Arrow pierces Smaug's belly; and the howling of the Wargs during the Battle of Five Armies.

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Connections

Referenced in Atop the Fourth Wall: The Hobbit #1 (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Goblin Song
Performed by Thurl Ravenscroft
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lyrics adapted by Jules Bass
Music by Maury Laws

User Reviews

It's not bad.

It's certainly not what PJ could do with the Hobbit, but it certainly is nice. I think it captures the overall story pretty well. In fact, the only real complaint that I have is that sometimes the artistry lacked. OK, so they made everyone but Bard have fat or thin faces with either beaks, rocks, or boulders for noses. But other than that, it's quite enjoyable. Oh, and I was a little disappointed that they didn't have Beorn. But, I stopped crying after the first ten minutes when I realized they skipped him (ha ha).

There are some nice songs in it that kind of help the story along. The Riddles in the Dark part was pretty good too (although, I think they took the description in the Lord of the Rings of Gollum looking like a starved frog a little too far).

While it is a children's cartoon, adults can enjoy this too. If you happen to see it on the shelf of a store, pick it up. You might be surprised by what's in it.