Product Details
- Starring: Orson Bean, Richard Boone, Hans Conried, John Huston, Otto Preminger
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- Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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- Binding: VHS Tape
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- Director: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Ralph Bakshi
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- EAN: 0085392630035
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- Format: Animated, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
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- Label: Warner Home Video
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- Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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- Number of Items: 3
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- Product Group: Video
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- Publisher: Warner Home Video
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- Release Date: 2001-11-06
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- Studio: Warner Home Video
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- Theatrical Release Date: 1977-11-27
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- Title: J.R.R. Tolkien Giftset (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King)
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- UPC: 085392630035
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Avg Customer Rating: 
Product Description: The Hobbit
The J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy classic set in Middle-earth was adapted into this excellent 1978 animated feature first broadcast on television. Codirectors Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., working from a script by Romeo Muller, are faithful to Tolkien's story and for that alone they get big points. The vocal cast can't be improved upon: Orson Bean is perfect as Bilbo Baggins, the timorous hobbit who grows brave on his adventure with the wizard Gandalf (John Huston). Otto Preminger is the voice of Elvenking, Richard Boone is Smaug, Hans Conried is Thorin, and Brother Theodore is very effective as the weird Gollum. Terrific for kids and adults alike. --Tom Keogh The Lord of the Rings
Although it was ultimately overshadowed by Peter Jackson's live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic is not without charms of its own. A target of derision from intolerant fans, this ambitious 1978 production is nevertheless a respectably loyal attempt to animate the first half of Tolkien's trilogy, beginning with the hobbit Frodo's inheritance of the One Ring of power from Bilbo Baggins, and ending with the wizard Gandalf's triumph over the evil army of Orcs. While the dialogue is literate and superbly voiced by a prestigious cast (including John Hurt as Aragorn), Leonard Roseman's accomplished score effectively matches the ominous atmosphere that Bakshi's animation creates and sustains. Bakshi's lamentable decision to combine traditional cel animation with "rotoscoped" (i.e., meticulously traced) live-action footage is jarringly distracting and aesthetically disastrous, but when judged by its narrative content, this Lord of the Rings deserves more credit than it typically receives. --Jeff Shannon The Return of the King
The creative team behind 1978's impressive animation feature based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit returns with this 1980 entry drawn from Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's good work all around, and not at all the kind of feature-length cartoon that reduces good books to treacle. Orson Bean returns as the voice of Bilbo Baggins as well as that of the trilogy's hero, Frodo. John Huston is commanding again as the voice of the wizard Gandalf, and also in the vocal cast are William Conrad, Paul Frees, and Roddy McDowall. --Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews
Classic trilogy
Great condition. After the live action movies, these cartoons may seem very different, but the story is still good. They are very easy to get into and enjoy.
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Entertaining anf true to the books
These are entertaining movies that remain fairly true to the books. The animation is a little odd, especially in the Lord of the Rings where the orks seem to be real people. If you liked these as a kid and the 70s you will still like them now.
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Great pack for the price!
I used to have all these on VHS, but I decided it was time to upgrade them to DVD. However, there seems to be a problem with the formatting or something with the DVD because the sound is VERY low and the picture has black lines on the right and left side for some reason instead of being widescreen.
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If you're really bored...
This is a lackluster rendition of the Hobbit and LOTR if ever there was one. The only reason I purchased it was because I had just finished The Hobbit and wanted to see how it was adapted to film. I may have enjoyed the movie had I been 8 and not 35. Oh well. Hopefully there will be a Peter Jackson movie some day.
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A solid Attempt
Now, of course, this animated flick is not going to blow you away. What it will do is entertain. I have always loved this movie due to the simple fact that it was first time I encountered anything Lord of The Rings. While I was extremely young when my family rented it from the Library, it left an impression. In fact, this movie set the tone for my eventual love for Lord of The Rings. Now, the animation is not the best, but I really just like how dark it is as opposed to the cornier counterparts, "The Hobbit", and "The Return of the King." My biggest frustration is that the people responsible for this production did not complete the series. It would have done better justice to the dark theme of entire literary work, The Lord of The Rings. All of this aside, I think that this film is an excellent addition to any fan's collection. Don't expect to be overwhelmed, but do expect a fun time.
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