Review of The Hobbit (1977) by Kendra J — 12 Jan 2010

Only three stars? What the heck. This made-for-tv adaptation of The Hobbit was a staple during my early childhood years. It's a fairly faithful retelling of Tolkien's original story with a few shortcuts taken here and there. The animation is classic Japanese/Rankin Bass, stylized but pretty in it's own way. The voice-over work is top notch, with the highly recognizable voices of Don Messick and Paul Frees filling in for many of the lesser characters. To this day I cannot think of Gandalf without hearing John Huston in my head, or Gollum without hearing Brother Theodore's gravelly voice (a much better voice for the character than Andy Serkis in my humble opinion). Many people seem to find the songs featured throughout the film to be irritating, but I find them pleasant and memorable and will find myself humming them occasionally in the shower.

This is one of those films that many people say terrified them as a child, but I just loved it and thrived on the fantasy and slight creepiness of it all. I think this film stands up well after all these years and should be a must-see for fans of Tolkien.