The Lord of the Rings 1978 Animated Movie Remastered Deluxe Edition

I remember back in the 80s and 90s when my dad tried to get a copy of this movie on VHS. The bygone era when the closest we got the JRR Tolkien treatment was the animated movies. This one had to be my favorite to watch, especially with my father. Getting this to put on my shelf and watch with my own kids definitely brings back memories. Plays smooth and while the animation style is dated and not the most popular, this movie which covers the Fellowship and the Two Towers is what really got me into Lord of the Rings when I was a child. Read more

They said it was impossible to film, but J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy has at last come to Hollywood. Yet, long before anyone had heard the name Peter Jackson, animation legend Ralph Bakshi decided to make a film version of the first two books in the saga condensed into one. A second installment, covering the events of "The Return of the King" quite literally never made it off the drawing board. Since pretty much everyone and his grandma on earth knows the story by now, I won't recount it here. This film is also a landmark in animation history, as well, due to the fact it was done entirely in rotoscope, a technique for superimposing animation over live-action models, thereby giving the characters more realistic movement. Yes, it looks bizarre today, but this was considered state-of-the-art back in 1978. Furthermore, this film was a huge influence on Peter Jackson's film trilogy in terms of story and writing. There are also some noticeable differences in some of the main characters. Aragorn, for instance, is more aggressive in this version, and Frodo is a more active participant in the fight scenes at Weathertop and in the Mines of Moria. All told, this hidden gem is definitely worth seeing, although I wouldn't recommend it for kids, as it has some pretty graphic bloodletting in the fight scenes. Read more

First let me say it's easy to argue that Peter Jackson did for J.R.R. Tolkien what the Italian genius Franco Zeffirelli did for Shakespeare such as in Mel Gibson's "Hamlet." (Fascinating images, great music, and careful attention to the intentions of the writer.) However, IT IS NOT FAIR TO COMPARE THIS LATE 70s MOVIE TO PETER JACKSON'S EVENTUAL MASTERPIECE THAT WOULD COME OVER 20 YEARS LATER WITH MORE MONEY AND MORE TECHNOLOGY. I'd rather not go through a plot synopsis. Mainly because if you're on this site, you are probably already familiar with the story. I'll just say it starts off some time after "The Hobbit" and covers material from "Fellowship of the Ring" to "The Two Towers." The animation is good as well as interesting and unique. In some ways I kind of like the animation with less computer resources. John Hurt really was a convincing Aragorn. Anthony Daniels is probably branded as C3PO from "Star Wars." But I like him better here as Legolas. One thing I have to say about this film is that it is less Hollywoodish. By that I mean, there is a much lesser body count of Orcs. But the fewer body counts are actually underlined more. (We see blood during the fighting.) And I found Boromir's death in this animated film even more disturbing than in the eventual Peter Jackson film. Another thing I like about this film is that Peter Jackson seemed to go out of his way to make the Orcs ugly and repulsive. In this film, the orcs are more dark and sinister. And interestingly enough, they are more fascinating than repulsive. We almost have a dark liking for them. The one complaint I have is that the film ends a little too quickly in that we don't get to see Saruman's comeuppance at the hands (or should I say the branches) of the Ents. But all in all, it's a good express version of "Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" that made the most of what resources were available in the late 70s. The animation and music are well done. And for the most part, the movie has a nice flow. My advice is to give this a fair chance without comparing it to a masterpiece that would come over 20 years later. Read more