The Hobbit

TV Movie
1977
TV-PG
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,264

Dark Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Adventure Animation Family Fantasy Musical

A homebody hobbit in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.A homebody hobbit in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.A homebody hobbit in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Romeo Muller
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,264

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Romeo Muller
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations

Photos121

114

Top cast13

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Orson Bean

Bilbo Baggins
(voice)

John Huston

Gandalf The Grey
(voice)

Theodore Gottlieb

Gollum
(voice)
(as Theodore)

Cyril Ritchard

Elrond
(voice)

Richard Boone

Smaug
(voice)

Hans Conried

Thorin Oakenshield
(voice)

Otto Preminger

The Elvenking
(voice)

Paul Frees

Bombur
(voice)
…

Jack DeLeon

Dwalin
(voice)
(as Jack De Leon)
…

Don Messick

Balin
(voice)
…

John Stephenson

Dori
(voice)
…

Glenn Yarbrough

The Balladeer
(voice)

Thurl Ravenscroft

Goblin
(voice)
(uncredited)
…

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Romeo Muller
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The only original song lyrics in the movie are those to "The Greatest Adventure" and other sections where that melody is used. All others are directly from the book as written by J.R.R. Tolkien or adaptations of what he wrote in verse form.

Goofs
Bilbo tells the dwarves to "run back to the wood-elf clearing" while he fights a rearguard action against the Mirkwood spiders. However, the company has not yet met the wood-elves. When they reach the clearing, Bilbo notes that the wood-elves "had returned, armed for battle". This is the first time we see the wood-elves. There is a scene from the book which was clearly scripted but is missing from the animation, where the starving dwarves attempt to gate-crash a gathering of wood-elves in a clearing.

Quotes
Thorin: May the hair on his toes never fall out!

Crazy credits
The opening credits list the actor's voices, however Theodore Gottlieb's name is listed as just "Theodore" but no surname.

Alternate versions
The 2001 DVD release by Warner Brothers omited a number of sound effects from the origianl Sony VHS release. The sound when characters die; when Sting attacks the Spiders in Mirkwood; Smaug's screams as he attacks Lake Town; the flapping of the Thrush's wings in all scenes; when the arrows bounce off of Smaug and when the Black Arrow pierces Smaug's belly; and the howling of the Wargs during the Battle of Five Armies.

Connections
Featured in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Top 10 Scariest Animated Monsters (2009)

Soundtracks
The Greatest Adventure
Composed and Performed by Glenn Yarbrough

User reviews163

Review

Featured review

8/10

Good adaption, although compact

'The Hobbit' in its animated shape is what we have to go with until Peter Jackson finishes the LotR prequel (hey, it's bound to happen...), but it doesn't mean all one should do is wait for that occasion. Watch the Rankin-Bass classic!

Rankin-Bass are behind the huge 80's successes 'Thundercats', 'Silverhawks' etc and also shine here with their interpretation of Tolkien's masterpiece. 'The Hobbit' is in this shape more of a family/children's movie than the new Lord of the Rings movies, and its runtime of only 78 minutes makes it feel a little stressed through since the scenes aren't given much time each. But nevertheless, it features good animation, solid voicework and music that is FAR MORE fantasy-like than the more majestic approach in Peter Jackson's movies. See this movie with your children!

Only backdraft I have to say is the runtime. 8/10