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The Lord of the Rings

  • 1978
  • PG
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,448
987
Christopher Guard and William Squire in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Blu-Ray Combo Pack trailer
Play trailer1:20
19 Videos
83 Photos
AnimationAdventureFantasy

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

  • Director
    • Ralph Bakshi
  • Writers
    • Chris Conkling
    • Peter S. Beagle
    • J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Stars
    • Christopher Guard
    • William Squire
    • Michael Scholes
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    35K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,448
    987
    • Director
      • Ralph Bakshi
    • Writers
      • Chris Conkling
      • Peter S. Beagle
      • J.R.R. Tolkien
    • Stars
      • Christopher Guard
      • William Squire
      • Michael Scholes
    • 350User reviews
    • 75Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Videos19

    The Lord of the Rings
    Trailer 1:20
    Watch The Lord of the Rings
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Is It Safe?
    Clip 1:34
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Is It Safe?
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Skill With A Blade
    Clip 1:14
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Skill With A Blade
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: We're Not Alone
    Clip 0:45
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: We're Not Alone
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: We Have To Get Out Of Here
    Clip 0:48
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: We Have To Get Out Of Here
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: There Is Still Hope
    Clip 0:55
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: There Is Still Hope
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Are You Frightened?
    Clip 0:44
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Are You Frightened?
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Ten Thousand Strong
    Clip 0:42
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Ten Thousand Strong
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Maybe We Should Go Home
    Clip 0:58
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Maybe We Should Go Home
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Give The Ring To Frodo
    Clip 1:22
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Give The Ring To Frodo
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: What Business In The Riddermark
    Clip 1:26
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: What Business In The Riddermark
    The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Encouraging Thought
    Clip 0:44
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Encouraging Thought

    Photos83

    Peter Woodthorpe in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Ralph Bakshi in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Anthony Daniels in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Michael Deacon and Philip Stone in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Simon Chandler in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Anthony Daniels, John Hurt, David Buck, Simon Chandler, Michael Graham Cox, Christopher Guard, Dominic Guard, Michael Scholes, William Squire, and Peter Woodthorpe in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Simon Chandler, Michael Graham Cox, and Dominic Guard in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    David Buck in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Norman Bird in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Christopher Guard in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Christopher Guard in The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    Christopher Guard, Michael Scholes, and Peter Woodthorpe in The Lord of the Rings (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christopher Guard
    • Frodo
    • (voice)
    William Squire
    William Squire
    • Gandalf
    • (voice)
    Michael Scholes
    • Sam
    • (voice)
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • Aragorn
    • (voice)
    Simon Chandler
    Simon Chandler
    • Merry
    • (voice)
    Dominic Guard
    Dominic Guard
    • Pippin
    • (voice)
    Norman Bird
    Norman Bird
    • Bilbo
    • (voice)
    Michael Graham Cox
    Michael Graham Cox
    • Boromir
    • (voice)
    • (as Michael Graham-Cox)
    Anthony Daniels
    Anthony Daniels
    • Legolas
    • (voice)
    David Buck
    David Buck
    • Gimli
    • (voice)
    Peter Woodthorpe
    Peter Woodthorpe
    • Gollum
    • (voice)
    Fraser Kerr
    • Saruman
    • (voice)
    Philip Stone
    Philip Stone
    • Theoden
    • (voice)
    Michael Deacon
    • Wormtongue
    • (voice)
    André Morell
    André Morell
    • Elrond
    • (voice)
    • (as Andre Morell)
    Alan Tilvern
    Alan Tilvern
    • Innkeeper
    • (voice)
    Annette Crosbie
    Annette Crosbie
    • Galadriel
    • (voice)
    John Westbrook
    • Treebeard
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Ralph Bakshi
    • Writers
      • Chris Conkling
      • Peter S. Beagle
      • J.R.R. Tolkien
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed with live actors in black-and-white and rotoscoped, each animation cel drawn over a film frame of an actor. This was the first entirely rotoscoped animated feature.
    • Goofs
      The name of the wizard of Isengard fluctuates between "Saruman" and "Aruman" throughout the movie.
    • Quotes

      [after Gandalf opens the door to Moria]

      Legolas: So all you had to do was say friend... and enter.

      Gilmi: Those were happier times...

    • Alternate versions
      The version screened on British TV in the 1980s contains more music than the recently-released VHS and DVD version.
    • Connections
      Edited from Alexander Nevsky (1938)
    • Soundtracks
      MITHRANDIR
      Music by Leonard Rosenman

      Words by Mark Fleischer

    User reviews350

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    fascinating but limited
    It's J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books 'The Fellowship of the Rings' and 'The Two Towers'. Hobbit Frodo Baggins must guard the one most powerful ring against powerful dark forces with the help of Gandalf, Samwise and others.

    Ralph Bakshi directed Wizard. Using the same rotoscoping of live-action footage, it has that fascinating 70s animation style. It's actually very effective for the material especially since the needed special effects haven't been perfected yet. The style is definitely a very interesting vision and gives an adult sensibility in the animation. However there are limitations with the compressed nature of the film and it also doesn't help that this movie never got the needed sequel. It ends in an unsatisfying cliffhanger. It's a fascinating cinematic oddity but not much more.
    helpful•9
    0
    • SnoopyStyle
    • Mar 15, 2015

    Top picks

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    FAQ14

    • Why does the film only cover half of the story?
    • Why wasn't it indicated that this would be the first part of the story?
    • Who is Aruman?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 15, 1978 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Spain
    • Official site
      • RalphBakshi.com
    • Languages
      • English
      • Sindarin
    • Also known as
      • J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
    • Filming locations
      • Belmonte, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain(Exterior)
    • Production companies
      • Fantasy Films
      • Bakshi Productions
      • Saul Zaentz Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $30,471,420
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $626,649
      • Nov 19, 1978
    • Gross worldwide
      • $30,471,420
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • 70 mm 6-Track
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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