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Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Sholes, John Hurt, Simon Chandler ... see more see more... , Dominic Guard , Norman Bird , Michael Graham Cox , Anthony Daniels , David Buck , Peter Woodthorpe , Alan Tilvern , Orlando Bloom , Michael Scholes , André Morell

Controversial animator Ralph Bakshi's literal adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, is brought to the screen in a reverent, stilted way, with Bakshi forsaking ... read more read more...his sharp-edged animated looniness for a rotoscoped dullness. Although the film's title encompasses the entire Tolkien trilogy, this longish Bakshi feature, in fact, covers only the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, and the first half of the second, The Two Towers. Given the complexity of the original story line, this unfortunately means that only those intimately familiar with the books will be able to understand what is happening in the movie. In brief, however, an evil sorcerer from a previous era created a magical ring which enables its users to call upon its tremendous powers to rule the world, but it inevitably warps them to evil. It was believed lost, but during a resurgence of magical evil in the world, Bilbo, a simple, plain-spoken hobbit, recovers it from its hiding place. The forces of good give his nephew Frodo the choice to bear the awful burden of the ring to a place where it may be destroyed. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Flixster Users

74% liked it

448,792 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

20 critics

PG, 2 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: Ralph Bakshi

Release Date: November 15, 1978

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DVD Release Date: September 11, 2001

Stats: 16,948 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (16,948)

  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    Hated it, bored me!
  • ajv2688
    January 5, 2011
    ajv2688
    Bakshi's version of Lord of the Rings, which is of course animated, is good, I enjoyed it, sometimes there are fantasy elements that can only be brought to life in the animated form. The movie follows very close to the book, and the characters look just as I expected them to. I... read more enjoyed this version.
  • phubbs1
    May 25, 2010
    phubbs1
    Now this is much better than the live action movies. Its done with rotoscoping and looks great. Very dark, brooding and alittle eerie, especially the orges and the landscapes. It really looks sooo good, the animation is also good for the time and combines some live action in ther... read moree too which sounds odd but does work. The voice work is another main winner here, it makes the whole thing rise above your expectations and lift it out of the realms of a 'cartoon', every character is perfect and adds realism to the film, Hurt offering that real classic touch.

    This is how the Lord of the Rings should have been.
  • EightThirty
    March 12, 2010
    EightThirty
    11/03/2010 (DVD)

    A brave attempt but it didn't do it for me. It was probably legendary at its released date and I must say, there were some pretty interesting animation ideas that sort of surprised me knowing how pretty old this flick is.

    Its funny when we say "No offense" jus... read moret before we offend someone, well, "no offense" to those who gave more than 2 stars but it bored the crap out of me, but I'm glad it tickled your bum. (Remember "No offense")

    It must be because I saw "Peter Jackson's" version, and as a result I find it hard to enjoy it and appreciate its true value. (Let's blame Peter!)

    Anyway, check it out if you still desire.
  • FilmFanatik
    February 17, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    It's not the best adaptation of the story, but it does bear that unmistakable Bakshi mark of quality. I enjoy it mostly for that reason.
  • ythelastman89
    January 6, 2010
    ythelastman89
    An extremely bizarre and chaotic version of Lord Of The Rings. It would make absolutely no sense to someone who isn't familiar with the series and has some of the most odd interpretations of characters/settings. The only thing that I actually liked about this movie was the blend ... read moreof animation next to live action, it is incredibly interesting to look at.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    I really liked it as a kid! What was the name of that little furry animal and who was it supposed to be again?
  • fb619846742
    July 2, 2007
    fb619846742
    Not bad, but not fantastic
  • YosemiteSamFan
    June 22, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    The 1978 Ralph Bakshi animated version of "The Lord of the Rings" is a snooze-fest that ends up putting me to sleep almost every time.

    The plotting is good for covering "The Fellowship of the Ring", but then it gets muddled as it delves into "The Two Towers" events. I got sooo... read more confused with what was going on.

    The rotoscoped animation offered realistic movement, but sketchy and inconsistent details. Sometimes the cels used backgrounds of colored lights to convey the magical effects in some scenes.

    The Leonard Rosenman musical score was epic, dramatic and an up-beat military march.

    It bothered the heck out of me they did not make another movie to finish the story! Instead, we got the cheapass made-for-TV "Return of the King" with its tacky songs and oafish animation.
  • garyX
    February 19, 2007
    garyX
    Muddled and overly ambitious attempt to animate Tolkien's novel; it's penchant for "cheating" and just including sections of live action that's been rotoscoped looks a mess and the fact that it just abruptly ends in the middle of the story makes it feel like a bit of a waste of t... read moreime, really.

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Critic Reviews

Sandie Angulo Chen
August 3, 2010
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media

Animated adventure too dated and dark for younger kids. Full Review

Rob Vaux
April 13, 2010
Rob Vaux, Sci-Fi Movie Page

The live action version trumps it in every conceivable way; there simply is no comparison. And yet Middle Earth is still better off for its presence. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
April 11, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

... dark and fantastical with a mature approach rare in animated films of its day, and Bakshi's rotoscope process creates an unusually fluid and expressive style. Full Review

Philip Martin
April 11, 2010
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

... in retrospect it feels like an elegant, appropriately sized adaptation - with some beautiful animation work. Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus
January 30, 2004
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide

At its best, Bakshi's visualization of Tolkien's world can be startlingly effective… Tolkien fans will appreciate what Bakshi managed to get right. Full Review

Eric Lurio
November 7, 2003
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette

It is here we see Bakshi "jump the shark..."

Glenn Gaslin
November 24, 2001
Glenn Gaslin, Slate

A showcase for inspired imagery and sheer strangeness, a near-miss magnum opus from another era, before the cult of Tolkien went Hollywood. Full Review

John J. Puccio
September 12, 2001
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...a noble effort, original in concept if disappointing in execution.

Christopher Null
August 5, 2001
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

The hobbits all look like Joey Lawrence -- what's up with that? Full Review

Matt Ford
April 17, 2001
Matt Ford, BBC

An atmospheric fairytale romp across the landscapes of Tolkien's imagination. Full Review

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    • Aragorn: And who are they going to trust? A fat innkeeper who only remembers his name because people shout it at him all day?
    • Gandalf: Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time! Be quiet!
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The Lord of the Rings Trivia

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  • Out of the three Lord of the Rings movies, which one can you see a vehicle accidently driving around in the background?  Answer »
  • In which Lord of the Rings movie were Frodo & Sam introduced to Gollum?  Answer »
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