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, Theodore Gottlieb

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)
Theodore Gottlieb	...	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 second song sung by the dwarfs at Bag End, "Far o'er the misty mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away ere break of day, To seek the pale enchanted gold," is a direct quote of the first verse of the book version (which has ten verses).

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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

[as Bilbo escapes Erebor]
Dori: We should have gone with him!
Thorin: To be roasted alive?
Dwarves: [Bilbo comes out] It's the burglar.
Dori: Free cheers for good old Bilbo.
Bilbo Baggins: Thank you. But I'd appreciate a more pragmatic salute. In other words... EXTINGUISH ME!

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, an illustration of Bilbo residing in his house is shown as the background.

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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 King of the Nerds: Angry Nerds (2014)

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Soundtracks

That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates
Performed by Hans Conried, Don Messick, and John Stephenson
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lyrics adapted by Jules Bass
Music by Maury Laws

User Reviews

Great for small children.

First - it's a wonderful introduction to full scale Fantasy, for anyone. But, for small children it's truly a gift. This is the Gateway for reading that most parents would die for. Children that watch this cry for more because it's usually the first thing in their lives that is not so dumbed down that they realize they've been had.

Second - for all those that love a quality story, this is the Grand-daddy of them all for modern times. Sure the story is told from a more artistic viewpoint than the Book is, but that just adds to the enjoyment. * read the Book.

Third - Since the current (wonderful) movies are coming out, this provides a foundation that makes them even more enjoyable.

Finally - Even in this animated version, one can tell why J.R.R. Tolkien is celebrated as one of the finest writers of the 20th century. These books provided the foundation of nearly all quality Fantasy/Sc-Fi books and movies for the last 75 years and will continue to inspire writers and moviemakers for a long long time to come.