The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Directed by

Ralph Bakshi

Genre

fantasy film, adventure film, sword and sorcery film

Country

United Kingdom, United States, Spain

Runtime

2h 12m

Rated

PG

Rating

6.6 of 10 from 1,060 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A fellowship of hobbits, men, an elf, a dwarf, and a wizard sets out to destroy a powerful ring created by an evil lord. This animated film uses a rotoscoping technique that blends live-action and animation. The story ends without a complete resolution.

epicfantasticaladventurousdarknostalgicunfinishedexperimentalvisually unique

What happens

The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 animated epic fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi from a screenplay by Chris Conkling and Peter S. Beagle. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien, adapting from the volumes The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Set in Middle-earth, the film follows a group of fantasy races—Hobbits, Men, an Elf, a Dwarf and a wizard—who form a fellowship to destroy a magical ring made by the Dark Lord Sauron, the titular main antagonist. Bakshi encountered Tolkien's writing early in his career. He had made several attempts to produce The Lord of the Rings as an animated film before producer Saul Zaentz and distributor United Artists provided funding. The film is notable for its extensive use of rotoscoping, a technique in which scenes are first shot in live-action, then traced onto animation cels. It uses a hybrid of traditional cel animation and rotoscoped live-action footage. The Lord of the Rings was released in the United States on November 15, 1978, and in the United Kingdom on July 5, 1979. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, and hostility from disappointed viewers who felt that it was incomplete, it was a financial success. There was no official sequel to cover the remainder of the story. However, the film has retained a cult following and was a major inspiration for New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the story. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• The Return of the King (1980)
• Khraniteli (1991)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
• Hobbit (1977)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)