A great adaptation for a 78 minute cartoon. The script received a Peabody award and the picture itself was nominated for a hugo award. It is usually regarded as the most acclaimed of Rankin/Bass non Christmas cartoons.
Orson Bean is wonderful in the title role and his interaction with the dwarves is a highlight. The battle scenes could be improved, this is the only area where the film's sequel Return of the king is superior. The score and the backgrounds are rightly praised for there quality, and lift the film towards classic status. Overall a great starter film for anyone interested in tolkien.
The studio's regular producer Romeo Muller worked on a script, which is faithful to Tolkien's story; far more than Jackson's series. Besides Bean there is a great voice cast the wizard Gandalf, voiced by John Huston. Otto Preminger is the voice of the Elven king of Mirkwood, Richard Boone is Smaug, Hans Conreid is Thorin. Conreid as usual is outstanding and remains one of the best performance of a Dwarf ever,
The landscapes are so rich and so unlike anything that was being created by the mainstream animators of the day. When you look at some of the cutaways, you can actually get lost in the details.
Sure the folk music gets a bit old, yet some of the songs are surprisingly uplifting at points. There isn't too much violence in the battle scenes, mainly because there is a focus on Family friendly entertainment. But, it is a interesting character study on friendship and courage.
I highly recommend it.
