The Old Tolkien Animated Movies Are Delightfully Weird

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As a lifelong fan of Middle Earth, I must confess that these animated adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s masterpieces have left me with a bittersweet nostalgia tinged with a touch of melancholy. Having grown up watching these cartoons, I can’t help but feel a sense of fondness for them, despite their obvious flaws.

As the season approaches, many of us revisit cherished customs. Overindulging in eggnog is a common practice. Spending quality time with loved ones is essential, but if you’re like us, you might find yourself binge-watching all three extended editions of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings in a single day and slipping into a trance reminiscent of a Hobbit. You know the sensation – it’s midnight and you’re witnessing Saruman being stabbed by Wormtongue. And just as the long winter evenings set in, there’s an exciting new animated Lord of the Rings film on the way. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, is hitting cinemas this weekend.

This animated movie narrates the tale of Helm Hammerhand, Rohan’s ninth king, and his daughter Hera, as they valiantly safeguard their people and land from the ferocious hordes of the Dunland Wildmen – the same menacing characters Saruman enlists. We at TopMob found it captivating; check out our review for more insights! However, this movie is not the first to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s world and creations to life on screen.

From 1977 to 1980, three distinct animated adaptations approximately covered both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, these aren’t considered as a true trilogy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u002du002dZTOdxN38

The Hobbit (1977)

For NBC, the 78-minute film of “The Hobbit” was directed by Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass, known for creating those classic Christmas specials like Rudolph, Frosty, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. This adaptation is quite faithful to the original story, as intended. In the movie, Bilbo is seen preparing to use his steampunk pipe just as Gandalf appears faster than the Flash, unexpectedly joining him for a smoke. As usual, Gandalf delivers his introduction and before Bilbo realizes it, he’s been enlisted as burglar number one, embarking on an adventure with the dwarves who have all undergone a transformation in the Jackson films.

Oh, by the way, let’s not forget about the music! As it’s a Rankin/Bass production, you can bet there’s music involved. The soundtrack boasts ten songs penned by J.R.R. Tolkien himself, and many of them are sung by Thurl Ravenscroft – yes, that Tony the Tiger voice! Contrary to what his name might suggest, he isn’t a warlock but a talented singer in this case.

Even if you’re not a musical fan, “Down Down to Goblin Town” is a jam.

According to Rankin, the entire movie’s visual style and layout are so enchanting and imaginative that it seems as if you’re flipping through a storybook’s pages in real life, with a significant contribution from the style of English illustrator Arthur Rackham.

We can discuss the impressive ensemble of actors lending their voices as well. It’s a veritable gathering of stars from the ’70s era. Orson Bean, known for his role in Being John Malkovich, takes on Bilbo. Hans Conreid, who previously voiced Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan, brings Thorin Oakenshield to life. Renowned director Otto Preminger, best recognized by me for his performance as the second Mr. Freeze, assumes the role of the Elvenking.

At Late Night with David Letterman, the frequent guest and co-star of The Burbs, an unusual German comedian named Brother Theodore, renowned for his stand-up tragedies, portrayed the scariest Gollum ever seen. On the other hand, Gandalf was a celebrated filmmaker, John Huston.

A significant aspect is that the animation was crafted by the Japanese studio Topcraft, which eventually transformed into Studio Ghibli under Hayao Miyazaki’s leadership. It’s simply a blast! The creature designs are all terrific, from goblins and spiders to trolls and Smaug, as well as the wood elves that resemble eerie little spirits. All in all, it’s an amazing spectacle.

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

“The Rankin-Bass Hobbit movie is like sipping a comforting cup of tea, but the upcoming film is like having a cup of tea that’s been subtly spiked with a mild psychedelic substance.

The 1978 animated movie titled “The Lord of the Rings,” directed by Ralph Bakshi, can be described as a captivating yet chaotic portrayal. It boasts an abundance of stunning animation, artistry, and visual storytelling. However, its primary drawback could lie in its excessive adherence to the original narrative. The film maintains a steady pace with numerous scenes of traveling, which it faithfully replicates from the source material.

The screenplay for a “Lord of the Rings” movie was initially commissioned by United Artists in 1969 and John Boorman was brought on to write it. However, after a year, his script was considered too costly. Given John Boorman’s style, one can easily envision how he would have approached “Lord of the Rings”. Just take a look at his movie “Zardoz” for an idea.

I discovered that Boorman’s script, unfortunately, didn’t make it past the studio. My guess is that it was due to his ambition of crafting all three tales into a singular movie. A notion that I, as a fan, found nothing short of madness.

In 1975, Bakshi successfully persuaded United Artists to create The Lord of the Rings in either two or three animated films. Moreover, he managed to get their agreement to stay as faithful as possible to the books, employing Tolkien’s actual dialogues and scenes.

Ralph Bakshi – Rotoscope Pioneer

To better understand the 1978 film and its animation style, we need to talk about Ralph Bakshi. 

Ralph Bakshi, a notable animator and director of both American and Palestinian descent, initially gained recognition by directing various animated shorts such as “James Hound,” “Deputy Dog,” and “Rocket Robinhood.” However, he is widely acclaimed for pioneering the genre of adult animation with movies like “Fritz the Cat,” “Cool World,” “Heavy Traffic,” “Coonskin,” “Fire & Ice,” “Wizards,” and “American Pop.

Many of Bakshi’s movies, such as the epic saga, “Lord of the Rings,” employ a technique known as rotoscoping in their animation. This method has been used for years in animated films by utilizing real-life actors as references. For instance, there are countless reels of Disney footage featuring actors performing scenes for movies like “Snow White” and “Alice in Wonderland.

Rotoscoping is a technique where artists use real-life footage as a reference and animate characters on top of it. You’ve probably seen this method in various cartoons or movies like the old _He-Man_ series, _A Scanner Darkly_, _Heavy Metal_, and _Waltz with Bashir_. Occasionally, Disney has even employed rotoscoping when animating their own films.

In my gaming world, I’ve dived right into the epic saga that is “The Lord of the Rings.” This adaptation doesn’t disappoint, packing all the iconic moments a fan could hope for. My beloved Fellowship members are present – Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Frodo, Elrond, Théoden, and even Boromir, sporting a cool Viking aesthetic. Now, I can hear you wondering, “Is the death scene as heart-wrenching as in the Jackson films?” Let me tell you, it’s even more devastating this time around.

Additionally, Aragorn is depicted with a high-slit dress or mini-shorts of some sort. It’s not the most problematic character design, though. Gollum resembles Batboy in this version, and Sam is given an unfair portrayal. He looks like a caricature from WWII anti-chimney sweep propaganda. It’s quite disrespectful, indeed. To add insult to injury, he is even bullied by Gandalf.

Very Ambitious, Very Weird

Without mincing words, Bakshi’s version of Lord of the Rings was certainly ambitious, yet constrained by a budget of merely four million dollars. The rotoscoping of the orcs at the beginning appeared cool and eerie, but as the story progressed, the limitations became apparent. It seemed like there were just too many chimpanzee masks on actors riding horses in the field.

In Bakshi’s movie, the actors may not be as well-known as those in the earlier Hobbit film, but it features John Hurt, who would later play in Alien, as Aragorn, and Anthony Daniels, fresh from Star Wars, as Legolas.

As a gamer, I found one major issue with the movie was that the ring never got smashed. Due to time limitations and an extensive post-production phase, the film was forced to conclude prematurely, leaving us hanging as the Riders of Rohan and Gandalf appeared just in time to defend Helm’s Deep.

Initially, United Artists had intended to release the film as “The Lord of the Rings Part I,” as part of a planned trilogy. However, due to financial constraints (four million-dollar budgets), this plan was later altered to produce only two films instead.

As per Bakshi, once he completed the movie, the executives informed him they intended to debut the film without explicitly mentioning it was a setup for a sequel. The executives chose this approach because they believed the audience wouldn’t be willing to pay for only half of a movie. Meanwhile, the first part of Wicked has raked in over $460 million globally.

The movie performed quite satisfactorily, earning approximately 33 million dollars, making another installment a viable option. However, following harsh viewer feedback, negative criticism from critics, and disagreements with the producers, Bakshi chose to step down from directing the follow-up film.

Never mind your worry, no one is worried! In fact, we managed to conclude the trilogy only two years after that. Literally speaking.

The Return of the King (1980)

The animation studio Rankin-Bass produced a version of ‘The Hobbit’, which earned a Peabody Award. Although its reception varied from positive to lukewarm, talks for a sequel had begun before Bakshi’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ premiered. Naturally, since a Hobbit film sequel would be, the third act of ‘The Return of the King’ seems most fitting.

Essentially, the 1980 animated movie known as “The Return of the King” is more like an extended musical presentation. The storyline unfolds post the return of Sam and Frodo to their homeland, the Shire, where they are seen celebrating Bilbo’s remarkable 129th birthday.

In the tale, Bilbo discovers that his valuable ring has vanished, together with Frodo’s digit, and Sam and Frodo recount their adventure of casting the ring into Mount Doom, primarily from Sam’s point of view, which is portrayed by Roddy McDowell. When Roddy isn’t speaking, the movie receives additional assistance in storytelling from the Minstrel of Gondor.

When I describe it as a lengthy music video, I mean that most of the movie’s details are conveyed via voiceovers over the visual animation, which seems like a method to minimize production expenses. Additionally, when there’s no dialogue explaining events, the Minstrel of Gondor fills the void with an abundance of music.

Besides McDowell, the film maintains some connection to the preceding Hobbit film, as Huston reprises his role as Gandalf, Brother Theodore returns as Gollum, and Orson Bean joins the cast, doubling for both Bilbo and Frodo. Interestingly, Casey Kasem, famously known as Shaggy and the voice behind heartfelt dog dedications, provides the voice for Merry, which feels a bit unusual.

Essentially, imagine if “The Return of the King” was solely focused on an extended final battle. While Peter Jackson’s movie does include this aspect, it has significantly less singing and features more appearances from Legolas and Gimli. The key characters are missing in this hypothetical film, but there is a Denethor without any tomatoes, and viewers get to witness the Mouth of Sauron, as well as an amusingly sinister portrayal of the Witch King.

In contrast to its 1977 predecessor, which faced criticism for turning Tolkien’s work into a children’s cartoon, the 1980 version of The Return of the King exhibited more violent scenes compared to the earlier depiction. This includes Gollum’s death in lava, Frodo’s finger being bitten off, and Eowyn killing the Witch King. These elements certainly give a different atmosphere compared to The Hobbit.

It of course ends with Frodo, Gandalf, Elrond, and Bilbo sailing away to the Grey Havens on a Bros Only Cruise while Sam, Merry, and Pippin watch from the shore. And yes, music plays over this whole thing too. 

As a gamer putting forth my thoughts, I’d say The Return of the King left me feeling rather neutral in response. A major point of contention seems to be its attempt to cater to both young viewers with animated sequences and stay true to the narrative of the third book in a trilogy, which some believe it failed to do convincingly, especially considering the foundation laid by its predecessors. And let’s not forget the music – it just didn’t resonate with many folks.

Ultimately, despite their flaws, the animated depictions within the “Lord of the Rings” world hold significant charm and artistic value. Admittedly, certain ones may appear overly lengthy or lack polish in specific areas. However, aren’t there few films that can boast a song as captivating as “Goblin Town?

As a passionate enthusiast, I, (Your Name), am thrilled to share that Kyle Anderson, who graciously holds the Senior Editor position at TopMob, is the mastermind behind our weekly pop culture exploration podcast, Laser Focus. If you’re curious about his insightful film and TV reviews, they can be found right here. To keep up with his latest takes on the silver screen and beyond, don’t forget to follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd!

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2024-12-13 02:33