The Hobbit (1977)

Lord of the Rings Series Episode 1

It took forty years for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga to reach screens. Despite the mass popularity of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books, only a short feature had been realized. Finally, in 1977, the animation studio Rankin/Bass brought the story of Bilbo Baggins to TV audiences everywhere with their animated adaptation of The Hobbit. Now, Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob watch and review this NBC prime-time special as the first volume in a trilogy of animated Middle-earth films. Make a donation to Now Playing Podcast and you can hear it now!