The Lord of the Rings

Movie

1978

2h 12m

English

Adventure, Animation, Fantasy

User Score:

6.4

Critic Score:

Watch on HBO (Via Hulu)

The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle-earth.

Play Trailer

The Lord of the Rings

Movie

1978

2h 12m

English

Adventure, Animation, Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watch on HBO (Via Hulu)

The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle-earth.

WATCHMODE

6.4

IMDB

CRITIC SCORE

Where to watch

Available in 1 other country.

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Cast

Frodo (voice)

Gandalf (voice)

Sam (voice)

Aragorn (voice)

Merry (voice)

Pippin (voice)

Boromir (voice)

Legolas (voice)

Gimli (voice)

Bilbo (voice)

Gollum (voice)

Saruman (voice)

Theoden (voice)

Elrond (voice)

Galadriel (voice)

Wormtongue (voice)

Treebeard (voice)

Innkeeper (voice)

Character Actor (voice)

Jerry Maren

Character Actor (voice)

Chuck Hayward

Character Actor (voice)

Mic Rodgers

Character Actor (voice)

Mel Smith

Character Actor (voice)

Peter Risch

Character Actor (voice)

Directed By: Ralph Bakshi

Written By: J. R. R. Tolkien (Novel), Peter S. Beagle (Screenplay), + 1 more

Featured Comments/Tips

heckraiser says...

9 months ago

I like Bakshi’s strange style, but this suffers from not being a flushed out version deserving of Tolkien’s magnificent work. As a kid, I liked it, but as an adult I simply can’t get past the near incessant singing. I’m not a big fan of Tolkien’s written songs either, but it’s unnecessary irritating filler for what could’ve been more of the storytelling.

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alopix says...

one year ago

I expected so much more. Being a huge fans of the books as well as the Peter Jackson adaptations, this was rather a disappointment. Especially given that there’s no sequel to finish the story. The rotoscoping was rather impressive though seemed weird given that so much of it was technically live-action.

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buddhalou says...

6 years ago

Fan of Bakshi's style? You'll appreciate this version. If you're looking for the superior telling of Tolkien's story, though... this ain't it. Personally, I'm down with both Bakshi's and Jackson's versions, but that's because I grew up on Bakshi's films and appreciate his animation style. While this version is highly condensed and an incomplete telling of the story, I think it still does an admirable job of remaining faithful to the books.

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jarvis-8243417 says...

4 years ago

Ralph Bakshi adapts J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as an animated feature film. Co-scripted by Peter S. Beagle, only about half of the three novels are actually covered; from the forming of a fellowship to help Frodo Baggins destroy the Ring of Power to the siege at Helm’s Deep. And this leads to a rather awkward non-conclusion in which the story ends abruptly. The animation is also quite poor, combining rotoscoping with cel drawn animation; creating a bizarre style that’s incredible distracting. Additionally, the coloring is extremely dark and drab, using a lot of browns and grays. Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings is an interesting attempt to bring Tolkien’s work to the big screen, but it ultimately doesn’t work.

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