The Lord of the Rings (1978)

I enjoyed Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings" (1978) more than Peter Jackson's somewhat faulty 2001 version. Both films are so faithful in their own way to Tolkien's vision that one could go through them both, vigorously comparing actor with actor, and scene for scene. However, all in all, I thought the Ralph Bakshi product, thanks to his storyboard, actors and artists, more than held their own against Jackson's over-hyped re-make. Both films are available in really excellent10/10 DVD versions, the Ralph Bakshi delight from Warner Brothers, the somewhat less entertaining Peter Jackson effort from New Line.

Jacksons LOTR is very similar to this animated effort. It begins with a well paced narrative , explaining the story and the animation is quite good, but not Disney quality. When the first Horseman arrives it really is creepy and frightening, and the Prancing Pony sequence is also chilling. Sadly , as the film moves on , the quality of the animation drops and towards the end, the director is racing through the story and the animation almost completely disappears. Obviously the makers had good intentions but bit off more than he could chew...or draw, and probably ran out of money. I believe Jackson did see this film in his youth and was determined to do the story justice, which he did beyond the call of duty. Worth watching , but will leave the viewer disappointed . Gollum as usual, stole the show!

I love Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings! It open JRR Tolkien for me,who I love very, very much! Most people who hate this film did not grow up in 70's with little Tolkien except these Great Things! The Hildebrandt Brothers great Artwork, and The HOBBIT 1977 TV Movie and the Led Zepplins great song! Because of Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings I started to collect animated Cels! I have a great Cel of Frodo looking through the Ring offering it to Galadriel! I also have animation art from Disney ,Hanna-Barbara,and Heavy Metal Cels (Taarna, Barbarien Leader Cels) I have over 200 cels! People who hate this film must hate Tolkien and the fine art of Animation! This is 23 years BEFORE Peter Jackson Version ,which he used this as some guidance! Like my N.C. Licence Plate FRODOLIV!!!!!

This movie is not directly a sequel to the Rankin/Bass 1977 TV movie The Hobbit but among fans, including myself, it is the second film in the series (it's just not officially the sequel).I was about 6 years old when I saw this TV movie. I can still recall being excited and engrossed in the story. It is a captivating film although it is by no means perfect. I can still enjoy this classic today. There is no comedy in this flick even though it is a cartoon - it really is a mature film that adults can enjoy.Watching the film all these years later: the animation is gorgeously dark and vivid & the storytelling is superb! The is a delicious mixture of animated  live action  along with the actual hand-drawn animation - well done! No wonder this film stood out in my childhood memories!This is well worth watching if you are a fan of the books, Peter Jackson's film series or the old TV movie The Hobbit.9.5/10