In the lands of Middle Earth, a Hobbit called Frodo Baggins sets off from his home in the peaceful Shire on a quest to destroy the powerful magic ring he has inherited from his uncle. Along the way he encounters friends and enemies, and many dangers...
No, it's not that one. This is Ralph Bakshi's brave attempt at adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's classic, mythical trilogy for the big screen in animated form. Or at least half of it, because the money ran out and the project was unfortunately never completed. This first half is all that remains.
The animation uses the rotoscope process familiar from many of Bakshi's other cartoons. This at least gives the characters realistic movement, but some of them, like the orcs or the Black Riders, are hardly animated at all, and the project's relatively low budget does show.
The character design itself is satisfactory enough, with the Hobbits being mop-headed and cutesy, and Gandalf being appropriately sagely. However, Aragorn seems to have a broken nose, Bilbo puts me in mind of Roy Kinnear and the Balrog looks a bit odd, frankly. The voice actors are generally pretty good, especially Peter Woodthorpe as Gollum.
The theme of friendship during hardship is nicely put across, and the backgrounds are attractively painted, although some of the images and special effects may remind you that the 1970's was the era of prog rock. In fact, Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop" would have fit in well with Leonard Rosenman's catchy soundtrack.
The Tolkien purists may not like this, and it does seem like a headlong rush through the books at times. Plus the lack of an ending isn't much help. But for what it is, this version holds a special place in some fans' hearts, even if it has now been completely eclipsed by Peter Jackson's blockbusters. Obviously it's too late for Bakshi to finish his film now, but he could always have a go at adapting the Harvard Lampoon's spoof Bored of the Rings. Just a suggestion.
American animator of edgy, often adult-oriented cartoons. He spent a few years directing shorts for TV before branching out on his own with the R. Crumb adaptation Fritz the Cat. He continued in this frank approach for Heavy Traffic and the controversial Coonskin, and then switched to fantasy with The Lord of the Rings, Wizards and Fire and Ice. American Pop and Hey Good Lookin' also had fans, and he returned to TV to revive Mighty Mouse in the 1980s.
When the 1990s comeback Cool World was a flop, Bakshi's directing work wound down, and he now concentrates on his paintings.
Although not well received by critics, the film was produced for $8 million and brought in $40 million! Not bad for a film that everyone now seems to be conveniently forgetting. It's just a shame Bakshi didn't finish the story... why?
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