J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King)

J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King)
by Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Ralph Bakshi

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Movie Reviews of J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King)

Movie Review: These are geared for pre-teens--this isn't Orson Welles!!!
Summary: 5 Stars

To begin, grown-ups should read books for grown ups. Read the books, and don't drink below the horses. These animated films are designed for younger demographics; so don't expect Shakespeare or Joseph Conrad. But do expect a whittled down retelling of the Tolkein classics. Face it, the films cannot convey the full flavor of the books--Tom Bombadil probably will never be portrayed in any "Lord of the Rings" adaptation. These books are thick, like "Dune," so they do not adapt to the "short attention-span" theater.

Secondly, the films should serve as a segue way into the books. You are given a two-hour adaptation of the long and thick book, which serves as a roadmap while you are reading. But our curiosity should not stop with the films.

The Hobbit is a good adaptation of the book, although it is designed for pre-teens, about 6-10 years old, and is punctuated by narrative singing. The animation is very stylized, and the Hobbits resemble those red-hated dwarves that were so popular in the early `80's. You get a feel for the story.

Admittedly, "The Lord of the Rings" stops abruptly, and it would have been helpful if the same animation companies would have done both films, due to continuity reasons. Frankly, I prefer the style to "The Lord of the Rings," since it was geared to a teen-age demographic, and is not as cutesy as "The Hobbit" and "Return of the King." The ring-wraiths still chill me, and the orcs really do scare the spit out of you. The orcs and wraiths in the other films remind me of Gargamel from the Smurf. You realize he is the bad guy, but he seems more like a vicious Archie Bunker.

The style reminds me of jazzed up Filmation (He-Man, Star Trek: The Animated Series), but they inter-spliced real actors in with the animation, so the film has an eerie feel about it. Especially the wring-wraiths. I am surprised that this film didn't give me a nightmare!

And this film had the better Gollum!

As mentioned, "Return of the King" does not pick-up exactly where "Lord of the Rings" left off, but thre is enough narration to cover the gaps. This was originally a TV broadcast, and not a movie, so you see a lot of commercial gaps, and allusions to "The Hobbit." Face it, TV reaches more people than the cinema, so more people are familiar with the animated Hobbit special than the film. The film focuses mainly on Sam at the expense of the other Hobbits (yes, I have read the books), but I wonder if the was a better way to edit the stories better, giving more time to the other members of the fellowship.

This film also contains the classic song "Where there's a whip, there's a way."

I recommend these films for children, or anyone who cant wait until 2003 for the boxed set to come out. The films provide a good sampling and feel for the story, but it should be remembered that there is no excuse for failing to read the books!

Summary of J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King)