The Lord of the Rings

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The Lord of the Rings

PG

1978

2h 11m

Fantasy

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

49%

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45 Reviews

64%

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250,000+ Ratings

This animated film by Ralph Bakshi presents the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's renowned fantasy tale. The wise old wizard, Gandalf (William Squire), entrusts the young hobbit, Frodo (Christopher Guard), with a magical ring. Soon dark forces are after Frodo, so he must leave his peaceful home and travel to the ominous Mount Doom, where the ring must be destroyed. Accompanied by a trio of hobbit friends, Frodo is also aided by the mysterious Aragorn (John Hurt) and other heroic allies.

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Critics Consensus

Ralph Bakshi's valiant attempt at rendering Tolkein's magnum opus in rotoscope never lives up to the grandeur of its source material, with a compressed running time that flattens the sweeping story and experimental animation that is more bizarre than magical.

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Paul Gray

TIME Magazine

Lacking a firm center in Frodo's story, the film plays itself out as a bewildering parade of elves, dwarves, ores, trolls and talking trees.

Mar 26, 2019

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William Thomas

Empire Magazine

What most people remember is the mix of the live-action tracing within the traditional animation and just how effectively creepy it managed to be, but for the time this did a pretty good job of adapting the dense novels.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 3, 2012

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

It looked terrible then and it still does: cartoon characters move differently from live actors, and the attempt to duplicate natural movement ends in stylistic incoherence.

Dec 3, 2012

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John Lapsley

The Sun-Herald (Australia)

Bakshi's 2.5 hour animation epic has been drowned by its inability to breathe any real identity into the Hobbits, Orcs, Wizards, and Elves, that Tolkien created. The result is an ordeal for the backside.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 16, 2023

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Sheer tedium from start to finish.

Rated: D

Dec 1, 2022

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Alan Murdoch

Starburst

If it achieves nother more than causing those unfamiliar with the worlds of Tolkien to actually read the original books then it has not been a pointless exercise.

Jul 22, 2022

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Audience Member

Underrated and Overhated and I think it’s better than the Peter Jackson films because this film does almost everything right with the source material and it doesn’t have any filler lines WHOO!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/22/25

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Emma F

While the movie isn’t as popular as Peter Jackson’s, Bakshi’s animation is mind-blowing!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/13/25

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Leprechaun K

A good effort retelling of the classic using rotoscoping animation. Bakshi took American animation to new heights but it also ended with him. This is no Fire and Ice but is still an enjoyable watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

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Bobby B

It might be nostalgia, but I enjoyed it. I liked the orcs and I thought that the orcs style so cool and unique- until the other characters randomly went into that style. But yeah, still fun.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

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alan g

A good story but the animation seems off. Almost like stop motion. The drawings a very "flat", almost lifeless. Characters have "goofy faces".

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/25

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matthias s

Finally gave the *The Lord of the Rings* animated film a shot, and wow, it’s such a unique experience. As a Tolkien fan who adores the live-action films and the universe overall, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but that nostalgic animated style hooked me immediately. The accuracy to the book blew me away, especially how dark and eerie it feels—it really nails the tone. The voice acting? Phenomenal. And the rotoscoping technique? Loved it; it adds such a cool, almost haunting vibe. That said, the character designs didn’t sit well with me—some felt way off. But my biggest gripe? It ends right in the middle of the story, which is so frustrating! If it had wrapped things up better, I’d have bumped it to 3.5 stars. Still, this is clearly the blueprint for Peter Jackson’s trilogy, and I’m so glad I watched it. Definitely worth it for fans!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/06/25

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Ralph Bakshi

Director

Christopher Guard

Frodo

William Squire

Gandalf

Michael Scholes

Sam

John Hurt

Aragorn

Simon Chandler

Merry

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Synopsis

This animated film by Ralph Bakshi presents the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's renowned fantasy tale. The wise old wizard, Gandalf (William Squire), entrusts the young hobbit, Frodo (Christopher Guard), with a magical ring. Soon dark forces are after Frodo, so he must leave his peaceful home and travel to the ominous Mount Doom, where the ring must be destroyed. Accompanied by a trio of hobbit friends, Frodo is also aided by the mysterious Aragorn (John Hurt) and other heroic allies.

Director: Ralph Bakshi
Screenwriter: Chris Conkling, Peter S. Beagle
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2014
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Surround

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