Review: The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Did you know there was a cartoon version of the Lord of the Rings? This rendition of the epic covers the Fellowship of the Ring and the first half of the Two Towers. It has an…interesting combination of cartoon animation and stylized live action which lends itself to being the cult classic it is.

Did you know this little gem even existed? Have you even seen it? If you have, give Lord of the Rings a star rating and leave a comment below on how you think this compares to the newer rendition!

Viewer Rating: The Lord of the Rings

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My Thoughts on The Lord of the Rings

PG | 2h 12 mins | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy | November 15, 1978

Did I Like It?

My overall feeling towards the show.

The only reason why I have wanted to watch this is because I’ve owned the cartoon version of The Hobbit, which I really enjoy, and I wanted to see how they followed that up with The Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, they dropped the ball on this one. I did enjoy the background artwork and it was funny to see the random switches between cartoon and live action. At the same time though, I saw a lot of really interesting parallels between this film and the newer versions everyone is familiar with.

Napability?

How easily could I sleep through this.

If you asked my wife, she would say this was 100% napable. I, on the other hand, wouldn’t turn this movie on if I had any intention to nap. I’d worry it would give me nightmares or at least very bizarre dreams.

What’s It Worth?

How much effort/money would I put towards this show.

If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings or you appreciate a cult classic, then I would recommend you rent this at some point just to say you’ve seen it. I would never consider owning this or even renting it more than once.

How Often Would I Watch It?

The frequency that I would watch this.

I doubt I will ever watch this film again. I’m satisfied that I can say I’ve seen it, but that’s as far as I’ll go. It’s worth a single viewing to cross it off the list and then never go near it again.

Any “I’m Out!” Moments?

Moments where I mentally or physically check out of the show.

I was able to physically make it through the movie, but mentally I’d check out every time they switched to their stylized live action. It was either completely unnecessary or just so ridiculous it made me laugh. I would also check out whenever I found their rendition of specific characters laughable. I’ve included some of the notable examples alongside their more familiar counterparts below.