Rankin Bass was a really nice animation studio, most people know them for their christmas specials, but they did normal 2D pretty nicely. The last work they ever put out was Thundercats.
Agreed! Their 2D animation had a very distinct style to it too. I didn't realize that a good chunk of 2D animation I admired growing up was from them until I was older.
In this case, Rankin Bass outsourced it to a 70s Japanese anime studio called Topcraft. They weren't that famous on their own, but after they dissolved, most of their staff went on to form the core teams at Ghibli and Gainax.
Most of Rankin Bass's productions were outsourced to Japanese animation studios - even their old stop-motion specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Or... the first season of The Smurfs was the last thing. :) Much like ThunderCats was MOSTLY done by TopCraft, as the 'main studio', not all of it was done by them, heh.
I’m not sure if the paper crumple filter was there to ward off the copyright demons but I honestly think it enhances the experience. It’s like watching the book illustrations come to life.
Doubly appropriate, considering how much of an influence the illustrations of Arthur Rackham had during the production of this one. (Some of the pre-production concept art leaned into his fantasy illustration style even _harder)_
I had to make sure, but this movie was animated by Topcraft, which is the same company that animated The Last Unicorn. That movie is one of my childhood favorites and is one I hope Saber covers, some day. Especially since Topcraft is the studio that evolved into Studio Ghibli.
I remember being pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the tune of the Lemmiwinks vs. Wikileaks song from South Park was a parody of Down Down to Goblin Town, so I then had to check out the original
I grew up on this movie in the 1980's. Few fun facts is the bass singer singing "Down down to goblin town" is Thurl Ravenscroft, the original voice of Tony the Tiger "They're Grrrreat!" and singer of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" for Disney's Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room. Thorin's voice is Hans Conried -- also the voice of Disney's original animated Captain Hook in Peter Pan. Gandalf is John Huston and Bilbo is Orson Bean! And Glenn Yarborough is the tenor singing "The Greatest Adventure." It's hard to overstate the amount of sheer TALENT that went into this production. This cartoon will always have a very special place in my heart for having some of my favorite voice actors and singers of all time in it.
Yeah I've always liked this version more, it just grasps the whimsical adventurous nature of what The Hobbit is supposed to be rather than a forced Epic to connect to LOTR.
I agreed! I mean, its a pity that certain things got cut, but I actually prefer this version of Hobbit more. Especially since Bilbo is the main character, and his spotlight isn't divided between him, Thorin and Gandalf like in the Jackson films.
Born in 81, of course I grew up with ANY Rankin/Bass animated movie. In fact when the live-action version of this movie was announced, my reaction was, "Why? We already have the animated one and that story is too short for 3 movies." The book is very small compared to The Lord of the Rings and was intended for kids. Having seen 2 of the 3 live action movies (my family wanted to see them), I still prefer this version, despite the good things the live action version did. Also for those who don't know this, all of Rankin/Bass's animated movies were made by Topcraft Studios, a Japanese studio that would eventually go on to be a part of Studio Ghibli. You can certainly see the beginnings here, especially in the backgrounds.
12:47 - This is why in all live-action Tolkien adaptations the wargs are depicted as hideous monsters instead of the normal wolves Tolkien describes them as: because normal wolves look cute and we would feel sorry for them when they are killed by the heroes.
5:55 Oh boy... that bit with the trolls turning to stone under dawn's first light, and Gandalf is like "Excellent!" I'm immediately thinking of that one bit from Zelda CDi... Wizard: YOU'VE KILLED MEEEEEEE!! *melts* Zelda: Good. 😊
Fun fact, the animation studio on this was Topcraft, who was kind of the predecessor studio to Studio Ghibli. They worked on the Nausicaa movie and Studio Ghibli was formed mostly by former Topcraft employees. I also have a personal theory that the Moblins from Zelda are based on the goblins in this movie. You can really see it in the Zelda 1 sprites
I grew up having watched this movie as a four and five year old. When I was in the fourth grade I had forgotten about it, but seeing The Hobbit on the school library bookshelf, I felt a deep-seated sense that there was something wonderful and mysterious within the pages. I read it cover to cover that week and my life was forever changed. It helped that my mom and dad both loved Tolkien since they were young so I could nerd out about the stories with them. I read all the Tolkien that has ever been published as a teen. And it all started with this underrated old gem that is easy to mock but full of joy if you are willing to put aside your cynicism.
When I was in Jr. High, I read the book and it changed my fucking life. My first introduction to fandom, fantasy, and adventure stories, this will always have a special place in my heart. We watched this movie immediately after and then the live action when it came out. GOLLUM IS THE WORST THING I'VE EVER SEEN OH MY FUCKING GOD
Yoooooo I had this on VHS as a kid, it was one of my favorite movies ever, and my first introduction to LOTR. Hot take but Smaug in the Hobbit 1977 is way cooler than modern wyvern Smaug. He's got characteristics that the trolls, spiders, and goblins have and it ties him to the world visually as an adversary.
One of my favorite movies growing up! It was a constant cycle of "The Hobbit," "The Last Unicorn," and "Flight of Dragons." On that note... PLEASE do Flight of Dragons. James Earl Jones and John Ritter _so good_
Flight of Dragons is actually my fav out of the Rankin/Bass animated movies, even though I adore all of them (and still think The Last Unicorn has the best depiction of my fav animal).
I have a deep fondness for this movie; when I was a child, a local library played this, and it ignited my interest in fantasy (and by extension, history, folklore, and mythology). I'm currently a Shakespearean actor and my gaming group's Dungeon Master. Anyway, great video! Very amusing commentary.
I grew up on this movie cause my dad loved it and always played it for me. I love the live actions ones but the depictions in this are how my mind always interprets the book when I reread it
The visuals for this movie were an integral part of my introduction to Tolkien even though I didn't see the movie itself until years later. When my mom wanted to read "The Hobbit" to me when I was 6, the only copy our local library had available was a battered "special edition" version that was richly illustrated with stills from the movie.
When I was a kid my parents showed me this, flight of dragons, last unicorn…. They wonder why I play dnd now. Also this had the best Smaug speech, sorry doctor strange, but.
_South Park_ loves putting in obscure-as-hell references to things. Remember "fighting the frizzies"? That was referencing a _commercial_ that appeared in one of the home tapings of the _Star Wars Holiday Special_ that was circulated among superfans. It hadn't been leaked to the internet yet at the time that episode was made, so Parker and Stone were referencing something that only people who had a physical copy would recognize.
It's more book accurate. The Ring warped him but also "adapted" him to his environment (a dark subterranean lake) and made him a black, spidery, frog like creature with webbed feet and bulbous luminous eyes. Not a crackhead cave-hobbit.
Great to see this adaptation getting some love! Too bad Rankin-Bass was not able (allowed) to do the first 2 volume of LotR to go along with "Return of the King". (Yes, I know Bakshi did those, but having all in a consistent style and tone would have been great.)
Didnt realize until I listened to your review that Gollum has the same voice actor as the hunchback carnival henchment from Last Unicorn. That guy has a great voice.
While it's not particularly smooth, I find the animation in this rather impressive. There are so many details on those character models and a lot of unexpected angles used to frame the shots. It's very unique. This had a reputation as being cheap back in the day, and while the Bakshi LOTR looks better, it's not that much better
this is The Hobbit i grew up with, then Return of the King which was also done by Rankin/Bass, i still love them even after the masterpieces that was LOTR.
Mi have very old core memories of this movie from when my brain was first being able to retain memory that make this watch such a wrird experience for me.
Oh man...the old Rankin-Bass Hobbit animated movie takes me back. I actually haven't seen Smiling Friends yet, so I genuinely just remember this film and remember it fondly.
there was a soundtrack released for this movie with even more songs, I really liked the one they had for Mirkwood. How can you kill a spider that can't catch anybody
Oh this is a fantastic movie. The spider scene scared the hell out of me as a kid, but I still loved it even then. And I still listen to all the songs ❤ there's also a fan edit that replaced some of the lost sound effects from the vhs version the dvd lost.
I dunno if I should ask you to watch a superior Rankin Bass movie next, or an even more baffling animated take on LOTR, So it's either The Last Unicorn, A Flight of Dragons, or a night with Raloh Bakshi & a bottle of whisky.
This is still one of my favorite movies, I grew up with this film. Way better than the live action movies and Smaug is actually a dragon and not a f*cking wyvern!
Hey SaberSparks?! Can you do a review on the movie Galavants? It’s a movie I grew up with and it’s a weird one. I still enjoy it in a way as I’m 21 now. It’s on RUclips for free (someone uploaded it on their channel with great quality). If you could, can you get the old gang to review it as well? Like Hirosachi, Palio, AC Racebest, Matt and Tom?
I was able to watch this when age appropriate off TV. Was always a favorite, Was always disappointed that they skipped straight to Return of the King tho. My favorite part is when Bilbo climbs the tree in Mirkwood Forest and is surrounded by trees as far as you can see. Image has stayed with me my whole life and I still think of it esp in Minecraft if you find yourself in a particularly dense forest (esp Dark oak)
A widescreen version huh, watching on my phone so I am not sure how the converters made the change, but this movie was made for TV and is supposed to be 4:3. Still better than nothing.
I am a champion of the Peter Jackson version as solid and enjoyable 8/10 movies that still do a great job in spite of some studio interference. That said, I think THIS is the perfect introduction to Tolkien's world for people too young for the books or other movies.
![[4K] Watch SpaceX Catch A Starship Rocket From Space!!! #IFT5](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pIKI7y3DTXk/mqdefault.jpg)
The smiling friends thumbnail is genius lmao
“When your heart wants lifting, think of pleasant things.”
“Breakfast, smoking, night gardening, and cake.”
Bilbo is so based
And second breakfast
@@GrosvnerMcaffrey And Elevensies
5:48 :
Trolls : "You... killed meeeeeee"
Gandalf : "GOOD!"
Rankin Bass was a really nice animation studio, most people know them for their christmas specials, but they did normal 2D pretty nicely. The last work they ever put out was Thundercats.
Agreed! Their 2D animation had a very distinct style to it too. I didn't realize that a good chunk of 2D animation I admired growing up was from them until I was older.
On TV it was The Comic Strip.
In this case, Rankin Bass outsourced it to a 70s Japanese anime studio called Topcraft. They weren't that famous on their own, but after they dissolved, most of their staff went on to form the core teams at Ghibli and Gainax.
Most of Rankin Bass's productions were outsourced to Japanese animation studios - even their old stop-motion specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Or... the first season of The Smurfs was the last thing. :) Much like ThunderCats was MOSTLY done by TopCraft, as the 'main studio', not all of it was done by them, heh.
I’m not sure if the paper crumple filter was there to ward off the copyright demons but I honestly think it enhances the experience. It’s like watching the book illustrations come to life.
It was playing while they looked up other stuff too, so yep, copyright defense
I thought it was a part of the movie until he paused it.
Doubly appropriate, considering how much of an influence the illustrations of Arthur Rackham had during the production of this one. (Some of the pre-production concept art leaned into his fantasy illustration style even _harder)_
I had to make sure, but this movie was animated by Topcraft, which is the same company that animated The Last Unicorn. That movie is one of my childhood favorites and is one I hope Saber covers, some day. Especially since Topcraft is the studio that evolved into Studio Ghibli.
It also animated another classic, _The Flight of Dragons_ . 🥰
I have no idea why the songs in this particular film slap so hard, but I'm so glad they do
I remember being pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the tune of the Lemmiwinks vs. Wikileaks song from South Park was a parody of Down Down to Goblin Town, so I then had to check out the original
I grew up on this movie in the 1980's. Few fun facts is the bass singer singing "Down down to goblin town" is Thurl Ravenscroft, the original voice of Tony the Tiger "They're Grrrreat!" and singer of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" for Disney's Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room. Thorin's voice is Hans Conried -- also the voice of Disney's original animated Captain Hook in Peter Pan. Gandalf is John Huston and Bilbo is Orson Bean! And Glenn Yarborough is the tenor singing "The Greatest Adventure." It's hard to overstate the amount of sheer TALENT that went into this production. This cartoon will always have a very special place in my heart for having some of my favorite voice actors and singers of all time in it.
The Rankin/Bass varient is one of my favorite versions of "The Hobbit!" Orson Bean's performance as Bilbo was ever so marvelous!
Yeah I've always liked this version more, it just grasps the whimsical adventurous nature of what The Hobbit is supposed to be rather than a forced Epic to connect to LOTR.
I agreed! I mean, its a pity that certain things got cut, but I actually prefer this version of Hobbit more. Especially since Bilbo is the main character, and his spotlight isn't divided between him, Thorin and Gandalf like in the Jackson films.
Nah The Peter Jackson movies are way better. The only thing I like about this are the songs
Born in 81, of course I grew up with ANY Rankin/Bass animated movie. In fact when the live-action version of this movie was announced, my reaction was, "Why? We already have the animated one and that story is too short for 3 movies." The book is very small compared to The Lord of the Rings and was intended for kids. Having seen 2 of the 3 live action movies (my family wanted to see them), I still prefer this version, despite the good things the live action version did.
Also for those who don't know this, all of Rankin/Bass's animated movies were made by Topcraft Studios, a Japanese studio that would eventually go on to be a part of Studio Ghibli. You can certainly see the beginnings here, especially in the backgrounds.
Gollum's "WE HATES IT FOREVER!!!" is infinitely better in this version than the live version.
12:47 - This is why in all live-action Tolkien adaptations the wargs are depicted as hideous monsters instead of the normal wolves Tolkien describes them as: because normal wolves look cute and we would feel sorry for them when they are killed by the heroes.
I used to be afraid of this movie when I was little, but not anymore. Nowadays, I appreciate it for its animation, music, narration, and story. 😊
Dude, this is great. My first nightmare was Gollum from this movie
4:57 Awwww, you guys are too much.
Glenn Yarborough had the voice of an angel.❤
I love this movie! Right from childhood.
Yeah me too
This was my favorite thing as a kid! My dad raised me on LotR and I was absolutely obsessed with the animated The Hobbit and The Return of the King
We’re going down to goblin town with this one
5:55 Oh boy... that bit with the trolls turning to stone under dawn's first light, and Gandalf is like "Excellent!"
I'm immediately thinking of that one bit from Zelda CDi...
Wizard: YOU'VE KILLED MEEEEEEE!! *melts*
Zelda: Good. 😊
Fun fact, the animation studio on this was Topcraft, who was kind of the predecessor studio to Studio Ghibli. They worked on the Nausicaa movie and Studio Ghibli was formed mostly by former Topcraft employees.
I also have a personal theory that the Moblins from Zelda are based on the goblins in this movie. You can really see it in the Zelda 1 sprites
I love this movie with all my heart, and I will forever stand by this pronounciation of Smaug.
the dvd release took away most of the sound effects from the original/vhs and added ones that never appeared.
Sonic fans after an actually good game comes out be like "You don't see us cringing now!"
I grew up having watched this movie as a four and five year old. When I was in the fourth grade I had forgotten about it, but seeing The Hobbit on the school library bookshelf, I felt a deep-seated sense that there was something wonderful and mysterious within the pages. I read it cover to cover that week and my life was forever changed. It helped that my mom and dad both loved Tolkien since they were young so I could nerd out about the stories with them. I read all the Tolkien that has ever been published as a teen. And it all started with this underrated old gem that is easy to mock but full of joy if you are willing to put aside your cynicism.
When I was in Jr. High, I read the book and it changed my fucking life. My first introduction to fandom, fantasy, and adventure stories, this will always have a special place in my heart. We watched this movie immediately after and then the live action when it came out.
GOLLUM IS THE WORST THING I'VE EVER SEEN OH MY FUCKING GOD
One of my most favorite movies, and one I was absolutely overjoyed to share with my kids when they were young. It will always be a classic.
You guys should consider watching "The Last Unicorn" if it's not on your list already.
Smaug looks like a mix between foxy and catnap
I love Smaug.
I’m expecting that creepy Dino user to comment here and bother me about my comment lol
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
Yoooooo I had this on VHS as a kid, it was one of my favorite movies ever, and my first introduction to LOTR. Hot take but Smaug in the Hobbit 1977 is way cooler than modern wyvern Smaug. He's got characteristics that the trolls, spiders, and goblins have and it ties him to the world visually as an adversary.
One of my favorite movies growing up! It was a constant cycle of "The Hobbit," "The Last Unicorn," and "Flight of Dragons." On that note... PLEASE do Flight of Dragons. James Earl Jones and John Ritter _so good_
Flight of Dragons is actually my fav out of the Rankin/Bass animated movies, even though I adore all of them (and still think The Last Unicorn has the best depiction of my fav animal).
YES YES YES! The Flight of Dragons (and the last unicorn) were my favorites as a kid! Please Do!🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️🥰
I have a deep fondness for this movie; when I was a child, a local library played this, and it ignited my interest in fantasy (and by extension, history, folklore, and mythology). I'm currently a Shakespearean actor and my gaming group's Dungeon Master. Anyway, great video! Very amusing commentary.
I grew up on this movie cause my dad loved it and always played it for me. I love the live actions ones but the depictions in this are how my mind always interprets the book when I reread it
The visuals for this movie were an integral part of my introduction to Tolkien even though I didn't see the movie itself until years later. When my mom wanted to read "The Hobbit" to me when I was 6, the only copy our local library had available was a battered "special edition" version that was richly illustrated with stills from the movie.
I'm glad ya'll enjoyed it because lately I've only seen people making fun of it.
I'm wondering, have you ever covered The Last Unicorn?
Such a good movie. I grew up with this Rankin and Bass classic.
When I was a kid my parents showed me this, flight of dragons, last unicorn…. They wonder why I play dnd now. Also this had the best Smaug speech, sorry doctor strange, but.
God I still love this movie. Bless the animators who drew this and Thundercats. Plus the music in this is very reminiscent of Thundercats.
"This breeze is strangely warm for autumn."
This was my sister and I’s first exposure to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with Return of the King animated film.
_South Park_ loves putting in obscure-as-hell references to things. Remember "fighting the frizzies"? That was referencing a _commercial_ that appeared in one of the home tapings of the _Star Wars Holiday Special_ that was circulated among superfans. It hadn't been leaked to the internet yet at the time that episode was made, so Parker and Stone were referencing something that only people who had a physical copy would recognize.
I like how gollum is just a frog in the animated hobbit
It's more book accurate. The Ring warped him but also "adapted" him to his environment (a dark subterranean lake) and made him a black, spidery, frog like creature with webbed feet and bulbous luminous eyes.
Not a crackhead cave-hobbit.
Great to see this adaptation getting some love! Too bad Rankin-Bass was not able (allowed) to do the first 2 volume of LotR to go along with "Return of the King". (Yes, I know Bakshi did those, but having all in a consistent style and tone would have been great.)
Holy shit this was THE version of the hobbit I grew up with. I genuinely love this movie.
the smiling friends styled versions of your avatars is a cool choice of thumbnail
Didnt realize until I listened to your review that Gollum has the same voice actor as the hunchback carnival henchment from Last Unicorn. That guy has a great voice.
i grew up with this when i was a kid in the early 80's. this is a timeless classic
I wasn't even born in the same century as this and yet it was a part of my childhood I cherish dearly, from my father's childhood to mine
While it's not particularly smooth, I find the animation in this rather impressive. There are so many details on those character models and a lot of unexpected angles used to frame the shots. It's very unique. This had a reputation as being cheap back in the day, and while the Bakshi LOTR looks better, it's not that much better
this is The Hobbit i grew up with, then Return of the King which was also done by Rankin/Bass, i still love them even after the masterpieces that was LOTR.
Re-watching this version makes me realize Tom Kenny would make a great Smeagol voice
I saw this in elementary school. Such a old animated film.
Mi have very old core memories of this movie from when my brain was first being able to retain memory that make this watch such a wrird experience for me.
I watch Rankin Bass' The Hobbit and it brings back childhood memories
Oh my gosh, I loved the waxinator YTP trilogy based on this. It's so hilarious
I already watched this, and just put it on again because I openly laughed out loud at the thumbnail. Hahaha!
Oh man...the old Rankin-Bass Hobbit animated movie takes me back.
I actually haven't seen Smiling Friends yet, so I genuinely just remember this film and remember it fondly.
Haven't seen this in years, it is very good IMO.
😎👍
6:58 holy shit I never knew they did a follow up to that! I saw the first Lemmiwinks adventure when it first aired. My buds and I laughed so hard!🤣🤣🤣
The thing I like this movie is that it gives a pre-Jackson take on Middle Earth and an alternate style for the art.
there was a soundtrack released for this movie with even more songs, I really liked the one they had for Mirkwood. How can you kill a spider that can't catch anybody
Fantastic. New sub here. ✅
Noticed you have NIMH 2, but not the 1st one?😂
Fun fact, one of the studios that animated this film was a Japanese studio named "Topcraft". So, technically, this movie is at least part anime.
Wargs aren't like regualr wolves, friend of Saberspark. They're intelligent, and wicked-hearted, and I believe also spawns of Morgoth.
That thumbnail is perfect.
Where there's a whip, there's a way
"You don't see us cringing now, Bilbo the Based!"
The Rankin Bass Hobbit was my favorite a little kid.
I have this movie at home and still love it.
When I was a kid my parents showed me this, flight of dragons, last unicorn…. They wonder why I play dnd now
Oh this is a fantastic movie. The spider scene scared the hell out of me as a kid, but I still loved it even then. And I still listen to all the songs ❤ there's also a fan edit that replaced some of the lost sound effects from the vhs version the dvd lost.
I dunno if I should ask you to watch a superior Rankin Bass movie next, or an even more baffling animated take on LOTR, So it's either The Last Unicorn, A Flight of Dragons, or a night with Raloh Bakshi & a bottle of whisky.
I grew up watching the animated hobbit and have never seen smiling friends. So i guess i need to at least watch this episode😂
Fun fact: The voice actor for Thorin in this movie is the one and only Captain Hook from Disney's Peter Pan.
This is still one of my favorite movies, I grew up with this film. Way better than the live action movies and Smaug is actually a dragon and not a f*cking wyvern!
Now watch the version of return of the King like this
I loved the Rankin bass hobbit movie. I also the return of the king as well.
When your showing off the bear/strong-man power lifter bod you have to your significant other 10:49-10:59
this is still one of my favorite movies of all time! I wanna start using burgle as a verb more
I knew I recognized that design when I watched that episode of smiling friends.
The lemmywinx song from south park was also a reference to this movies campy songs
Hey SaberSparks?! Can you do a review on the movie Galavants? It’s a movie I grew up with and it’s a weird one. I still enjoy it in a way as I’m 21 now. It’s on RUclips for free (someone uploaded it on their channel with great quality). If you could, can you get the old gang to review it as well? Like Hirosachi, Palio, AC Racebest, Matt and Tom?
Please Let's Watch Eleanor's Secret [2009] next
I hope you schedule Review and Let's Watch on film as upcoming video!
I was able to watch this when age appropriate off TV. Was always a favorite, Was always disappointed that they skipped straight to Return of the King tho. My favorite part is when Bilbo climbs the tree in Mirkwood Forest and is surrounded by trees as far as you can see. Image has stayed with me my whole life and I still think of it esp in Minecraft if you find yourself in a particularly dense forest (esp Dark oak)
I think all that thumbnail was missing was Mip doing that gross pointing finger pose 😂
A widescreen version huh, watching on my phone so I am not sure how the converters made the change, but this movie was made for TV and is supposed to be 4:3. Still better than nothing.
this movie has the best Gollum design
I remember when I used to own this on VHS, ahh those were simpler times
I am a champion of the Peter Jackson version as solid and enjoyable 8/10 movies that still do a great job in spite of some studio interference. That said, I think THIS is the perfect introduction to Tolkien's world for people too young for the books or other movies.
Wow, I forgot about this. I was only in preschool when this was on tv.
fun fact this was made by basically proto Ghibli. it was animated by top craft witch after going under became Ghiblii.
i literally just finished smiling friends s1 and the thumbnail for this is peak
Gollum gave me nightmares for the longest time as a kid
I found the movie to be very Hobbit-forming. No, I'm not sorry for that joke.
I watched this as a kid in the 80s I knew nothing about the books and when the films In the 2000s hit man I said ohhhhhh let me rewatch that
Need more of that dancing cat-girl WAIFU.
The sword from the Smiling Friends was from Dragon Quest.
I hope you love this movie because i've seen it a few times. I love this movie myself.