Doctor Ryan Presents: The Hobbit (1977)

By: DoctorRyan

With all the hype surrounding the all new Hobbit movies, I thought it might be a good idea to remember this classic animated movie from 1977. Developed by Rankin/Bass productions it might not be this big Hollywood epic like the motion pictures out now, but it has its own calming retro style too it. I found myself enjoying it quite a lot.

Following the events in the book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the story of a small halfling called a Hobbit. Hobbits are peace loving country folk, who keep to themselves and never, ever go on adventures. However, when you live in a world full of dragons, wizards, and monsters, adventures find you even if you aren't looking for them. And so we are introduced to Bilbo Baggins, our unlikely hero.

Guy's got a pretty good gig going for him. He's a bachelor living it up in his hometown of The Shire, the place I told my wife I want to go to when I retire. Rolling green hills, crisp clean air, I can already smell the grass and the pipe smoke flowing in the air. So as our little friend enjoys his pipe on his front porch, out of the ether comes a wizard that will change the young hobbit's life forever.

Seriously you have to watch this movie. Even though it has the violence toned down to almost nothing for the younger audience, it still has this sense of wonder and exploration. You will be enthralled watch as Bilbo changes from aloof bachelor man to wandering, spiritual adventurer. The music for this movie is one reason why I think it was so compelling. The theme for this movie is a bard's song if I ever heard one. Seriously, listen:

Looking for more from DoctorRyan?

READ 113117 TIMES

echidna64 Posted on May 20, 2014 at 03:56 PM

Much like Vaporman, this has been the definitive Hobbit movie for me as well. I greatly prefer their version of Gollum, Bilbo, Gandalf, Smaug, Elrond, etc. essentially the whole lot.

And yes, the music is a big part of the film and it sets the mood throughout (which is usually tense).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPkqjc23yqs

The animation is gorgeous, my only gripe is the kaleidoscope effect they use to show death (you know it when you see it) and the battle of the five armies is lazily dots and scribbles fighting each other.

Other than that the Hobbit is awesome! No other medium has captured the tone and narrative structure so perfectly. This is the version that I will be showing my kids.

Vaporman87 Posted on May 20, 2014 at 04:46 AM

This film was all I ever knew of The Hobbit for decades. I knew of no book. Just this movie. And it always left a big impression on me. The style and animation was so well done, beyond what Rankin/Bass had done in the past. The voice acting, especially for Gandalf, was just superb. For me, that voice will always be Gandalf's. Not that of old man Magneto. And the music... it was haunting. I'll never forget the sound of some of those songs for as long as I live.

Glover - A Trial and Error Platformer

When Super Mario 64 launched with the Nintendo 64, it paved the way for 3D platformers in the mid to late 1990s. Bringing together elements of prior M...

I Was A Preteen Video Store Clerk for My Dad's Shop

Originally, I was going to make a list of the top 500 reasons we went out of business after 5 fruitful years renting VHS tapes and Nintendo games in W...

Why I Love Classic Sonic

Video game character franchises have always had a good and bad track record with staying relevant out of popularity. A franchise like Bubsy could...

Super Mario Land 2: A Bigger Sequel

When it comes to sequels, whether in movies or video games, they may leave you with the opinion that they performed better than their predecessors, or...

TMNT III: A Farce of a Finale

There comes a time in our childhoods when we were thrilled to want to watch a movie, only for it to not meet our expectations.... in a bad way. When T...

MOST RECENT RETRORATING FEATURED OFFICIAL

Go to page: