Long before The Lord of the Rings films, before The Hobbit flicks, there was 1977's animated The Hobbit. the story of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the wizard, and the band of dwarves as they journey to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. I watched it today with the children.
The Hobbit follows the book closely, though at 75 minutes, it rushes through everything. The background paintings were excellent; the other art was okay. Plot development was nonexistent, and you could tell this was made in the '70s by the approach (including a recurring musical theme with a moral). My kids wanted to watch it because they're not yet allowed to see the live-action film (and they've been resisting my attempts to read the book to them). On the whole, it was decent, and apparently it did influence Peter Jackson's approach to the tale decades later.
Rating: B-
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