The Hobbit
Short description
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, this animated adventure follows Bilbo Baggins, a contented hobbit of the Shire who is drawn away from his comfortable home by the wizard Gandalf and a company of thirteen dwarves. The dwarves intend to reclaim their ancestral treasure from the dragon Smaug, who guards it beneath the Lonely Mountain, and Gandalf has named Bilbo the expedition's burglar, a role the hobbit never sought. Their journey carries them far from the Shire toward the distant mountain and its hoarded gold.
Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. directed the film, released in 1977 and running 77 minutes. It sits seventh in Bass's directing credits and sixth in Rankin's, arriving after several holiday television specials and before later fantasy adaptations including The Return of the King and The Last Unicorn. Romeo Muller wrote the screenplay, and the voice cast includes Orson Bean as Bilbo, John Huston as Gandalf, Hans Conried as Thorin, Richard Boone as Smaug, Theodore Gottlieb as Gollum and Otto Preminger as the Elvenking. It was produced by Topcraft and Rankin/Bass Productions on a budget of 3 million dollars.
On IMDb the film holds 6.7 out of 10 from around 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it holds 6.6 from 382 votes. A critics' rating of 6 out of 10 from 18 reviews places it close to the audience scores, indicating broadly comparable reception across viewers and reviewers.
What's left behind the scenes
- In the book, Bilbo lost consciousness after being hit on the head with a stone when he saw the arrival of the eagles during the Battle of Five Armies. In the film, he simply put on the ring and quietly sat through the whole battle where no one accidentally stumbled upon him, and then lied that he got hit on the head and lost consciousness.
- The cartoon is based on the novella by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" (1937).
- The first song of the dwarves in Bag End, "Break the glasses and plates, because that’s exactly what Bilbo Baggins hates," is taken from the book. Tolkien wrote many songs in his books, but only in verse form.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
