The Lord of the Rings

MPAA Rating

Theatrical Release Date

Nov 14, 1978

Genre(s)

Animation
7-9 Years
10-12 Years
Adapted from Books
Family Films
Daring Rescues
Heroic Missions
Sword & Sorcery
Fantasy Adventures
Lord of the Rings
Ralph Bakshi
Kids & Family

Rating (Stars)

Description

Although it was ultimately overshadowed by Peter Jackson's live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic is not without charms of its own. A target of derision from intolerant fans, this ambitious production is nevertheless a respectably loyal attempt to animate the first half of Tolkien's trilogy, beginning with the hobbit Frodo's inheritance of "the One Ring" of power from Bilbo Baggins, and ending with the wizard Gandalf's triumph over the evil army of orcs. While the dialogue is literate and superbly voiced by a prestigious cast (including John Hurt as Aragorn), Leonard Rosenman's accomplished score effectively matches the ominous atmosphere that Bakshi's animation creates and sustains. Bakshi's lamentable decision to combine traditional cel animation with "rotoscoped" (i.e., meticulously traced) live-action footage is jarringly distracting and aesthetically disastrous, but when judged by its narrative content, this Lord of the Rings deserves more credit than it typically receives. --Jeff Shannon

Director

Ralph Bakshi

Stars

Christopher Guard
William Squire
Michael Scholes
John Hurt
Simon Chandler

Running Time

134 minutes

Original Price

$12.98

Current Value

$2.23

DVD Features

Anamorphic
Animated
Closed-captioned
Color
DVD-Video
Widescreen
NTSC
1.85:1