Review of The Hobbit (1977) by Jason M — 06 Nov 2016
This anime version of The Hobbit demonstrates J.R.R. Tolkien's children's book can be adapted for screen with a modest run time, rather than stretched into three tedious films. John Huston's narration and voice acting as Gandalf can almost trick you into thinking you're watching a good film.
The movie has a late '70s charm and catchy tunes, but it is also overly campy at times--I don't remember Bilbo making so many wisecracks in the book--and there are some mistakes in the details that make me think the writers didn't give an F.
(The changes in Peter Jackson's films were calculated and still stemmed from a love of the mythology.) The Japanese animation uses some shortcuts, and no one would mistake this for an early Disney film.
(Fun fact: The Japanese studio that animated The Hobbit, Topcraft, would later morph into Studio Ghibli under visionary animator/director Hayao Miyazaki, who deserves his favorable comparison to Walt Disney.
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This review of The Hobbit (1977) was written by Jason M on 06 Nov 2016.
The Hobbit has generally received positive reviews.
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