Rankin and Bass won the animators battle to finish the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings with their version of the Return of the King. But their original working title: Frodo : Hobbit 2, was much more appropriate as they failed to leave behind their cartoonish, sing-song children’s entertainment despite more adult-oriented content. For Ralph Bakshi fans this was very disappointing, for Tolkien fans…until Jackson’s epic movies, it would have to do.

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This Return of the King animation begins at Bag End. Home of the infamous Bilbo Baggins, where he notices that his nephew has returned from a long absence missing his ring finger. With the help of a lute player the story progresses, recounting the events that led to the destruction of the evil ring and the beginning of the age of men.

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Watching the epic films that Jackson made more recently, I found that Elija Wood’s portrayal of Frodo reflected the vision that Rankin-Bass had given us, in this Return of the King, rather than what Tolkien wrote. Maybe it was the fact that a 17 year old was cast to play a 50 year old hobbit, and that reeks of childlike. I can’t be sure. But juxtaposed against Sean Austin’s perfect portrayal of Samwise, Frodo’s faithful sidekick, Wood’s knowledge of the character seems to stem entirely from this Rankin-Bass Return of the King, rather than Tolkien’s novels, which Austin obviously read.

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This Return of the King ends a rather disjointed animated trilogy beginning with the Hobbit. But if you are a true fan of the story or either a fan of Rankin-Bass or Bakshi, you should watch all three to appreciate what is, as well as what could have been. And while you are taking it all in for the umpteenth time, ask yourself who read the epic novel and who just watched the films. Can you tell? What is your favorite adaptation, or are you a diehard book enthusiast?

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By now the world is familiar with the Hobbit because of the live action trilogy films. But before the special effects and New Zealand built Hobbiton, all we had was JRR Tolkien’s 1937 novel, and then this delightful cartoon, by Rankin and Bass. Rankin and Bass were known for all their children’s holiday specials throughout the 70s. So unsurprisingly this version of the Hobbit, (like the original novel), is directed at a juvenile audience.

The 1977 cartoon version is 90 minutes long.

Keeping in mind that the Hobbit, in it’s 1977 version, is an hour and a half cartoon. This was made for the attention spans of children (and ADHD sufferers alike). As such, it is nothing like the recent 3 part extended cinematic series. This animated version of the Hobbit keeps the spirit of the novel intact, and it serves it’s purpose to introduce the imagination of JRR Tolkien to a generation of would-be readers. Because if you’re not a reader, picking up the 200 page the Hobbit book is a daunting task. And unless you are an avid reader, the challenging Lord of the Rings, is no place to start until you have a hunger for the world Tolkien recounts. Because the Lord of the Rings, for which the Hobbit is a prequel; is a true trilogy, in which Tolkien even invented languages.

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The animation of the Hobbit was good for its time, but it lacks the vibrancy typical in modern highly technological cartoon offerings. Still, it is also less affronting to the senses. This is a definite must watch if you have kids in grade school. Or maybe for your own curiosity, if you have never seen it before. Rankin and Bass don’t disappoint, and a condensed version of the Hobbit is much easier to absorb in one go that any other current offering. Enjoy!

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