Rankin-Bass's The Hobbit
This lovely grey season invariably brings to my mind the creative efforts of one animation studio that has fallen away from society: the great, and yet humble, Rankin-Bass Productions. It was a daring and pioneering studio with tremendous vision, and one that left memories in all those who viewed their work. Compared to those of larger, more renowned studios such as Disney, Rankin-Bass's productions look plainer and cheaper, but there is an unmistakable spirit, a charming atmosphere and a full heart in them.
Even so, most people hate their version of The Hobbit.
I do not share this opinion. I still recall with warmth and fondness the years when the television networks aired The Hobbit without fail in November. I still recall those soft lute ballads, those gorgeous watercolor backgrounds, and the deep, rich voices of John Huston and Hans Conried engaging my child's senses. Sure, it's a cartoon that takes liberties with J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless story, diluting some of its more horrific scenes and themes of passage, but I still associate it with the thick, reflective nature of the holy season, and I think it's an excellent venue for introducing people to The Lord of the Rings, what most assume to be a ponderous text.
There are people who make the mistake of saying that The Hobbit is an adolescent fantasy dreamed up and admired by antisocial Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts. It's an understandable misunderstanding, as most folks of the age of The Hobbit's popularity had never before heard of Tolkien, who published his stories in the early 40s and 50s. The fact is, however, that Gary Gygax developed the D&D tabletop role-playing game as a way to relive hobbitty adventures. To plunge Tolkien fans, who were sad so see the stories of Frodo and Sam cease, right into the hiking boots of those hobbits, dwarves, and elves, and allow them to live out their own fantasies in Middle-Earth. Though some of its creature names and lore were changed for copyright purposes, Dungeons & Dragons is really no more than a detailed, imagination-fueled Tolkien simulator.
Such was the lure of the untamed and mystical world Tolkien devised. Rankin-Bass saw this, and decided to take on the tale of Bilbo Baggins and how he uses wits and determination to overcome tremendous dangers and bring peace to his society. The cartoon is only ninety minutes long, so many of the episodes described in the book are expectedly truncated, but others, thankfully the more memorable ones, are lavished with attention and treated royally.
What impresses me most about The Hobbit is its striking artistic style, which depicts its characters not as baby-faced, wide-eyed cherubs, but as aged, callused, wrinkled creatures, full of thought and desire. The wondrous voice acting adds to this. John Huston gives Gandalf the kindness which is the badge of experience and wisdom, while Hans Conried brings just the right amounts of pomp, pride, and power to the dwarf prince Thorin. There is still a gee-whiz quality in Orson Bean's Bilbo, but I think this helps to relate him to younger viewers, and it works for the rest of us because the hobbit is indeed a fifty-year old man who has lived a hopelessly sheltered life. Later in the movie, when Bilbo is confronted with his companions' unshakable greed, he takes on a disillusionment and disappointment that is immediately appealing and cheer-worthy.
The most haunting performance, however, is provided by Brother Theodore, who plays that pitiful prisoner of the One Ring, Gollum.
Tolkien fans never tire of berating the Rankin-Bass depiction of Gollum, who was described in The Lord of the Rings as having once been a hobbit, and who, in this cartoon, looks less like one of Bilbo's kin and more like an amphibious beast. Gollum is drawn as a being indigenous to deep, wet caverns, and he speaks and moves in a slow, meandering style. While this conflicts with how the character was described in The Lord of the Rings, to readers who've only enjoyed its predecessor, the Rankin-Bass Gollum probably won't seem too distracting. I like to remember that Tolkien rarely describes how his characters look in detail, and aside from Bilbo and Gandalf, most of the faces of Middle-Earth are left clear for the reader to construct. This version of The Hobbit is Rankin-Bass's, and thus it is only one interpretation of another man's words. Let's be a little fair to it, all right? The Riddles in the Dark chapter is one of most important in the book, and it is given its due time in the cartoon. Gollum's expressions are speech here are genuinely scary, and his raspy, echoing delivery of Tolkien's riddles always gives me chills.
The best part of the Hobbit, and this is my opinion as both a reader and a writer, is the terrific twist that occurs once the story's main quest is ended, and the many factions encountered by Bilbo converge for a massive battle. Sadly, it seems that Rankin-Bass lacked the budget or the permission to fully realize this battle, but there is still some surprising violence shown. The theme isn't lost, either, and my favorite scene of them all, in which Thorin redeems himself to Bilbo, is extraordinary, and darkly relevant in these depressing, deadly times.
I think people need to go easier on this particular vision of The Hobbit. It's a child of the 60s, when music was soft and loving, and not loud and self-serving, when people took pride in mankind's courage and generosity, and weren't constantly presented with its vices and indifference. It's also when cartoon specials really were special. If you think that The Hobbit is for nerds, or that its message is buried behind a mythology you lack the patience to penetrate, I think that Rankin-Bass's version is the door you should open.
Even so, most people hate their version of The Hobbit.
I do not share this opinion. I still recall with warmth and fondness the years when the television networks aired The Hobbit without fail in November. I still recall those soft lute ballads, those gorgeous watercolor backgrounds, and the deep, rich voices of John Huston and Hans Conried engaging my child's senses. Sure, it's a cartoon that takes liberties with J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless story, diluting some of its more horrific scenes and themes of passage, but I still associate it with the thick, reflective nature of the holy season, and I think it's an excellent venue for introducing people to The Lord of the Rings, what most assume to be a ponderous text.
There are people who make the mistake of saying that The Hobbit is an adolescent fantasy dreamed up and admired by antisocial Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts. It's an understandable misunderstanding, as most folks of the age of The Hobbit's popularity had never before heard of Tolkien, who published his stories in the early 40s and 50s. The fact is, however, that Gary Gygax developed the D&D tabletop role-playing game as a way to relive hobbitty adventures. To plunge Tolkien fans, who were sad so see the stories of Frodo and Sam cease, right into the hiking boots of those hobbits, dwarves, and elves, and allow them to live out their own fantasies in Middle-Earth. Though some of its creature names and lore were changed for copyright purposes, Dungeons & Dragons is really no more than a detailed, imagination-fueled Tolkien simulator.Such was the lure of the untamed and mystical world Tolkien devised. Rankin-Bass saw this, and decided to take on the tale of Bilbo Baggins and how he uses wits and determination to overcome tremendous dangers and bring peace to his society. The cartoon is only ninety minutes long, so many of the episodes described in the book are expectedly truncated, but others, thankfully the more memorable ones, are lavished with attention and treated royally.
What impresses me most about The Hobbit is its striking artistic style, which depicts its characters not as baby-faced, wide-eyed cherubs, but as aged, callused, wrinkled creatures, full of thought and desire. The wondrous voice acting adds to this. John Huston gives Gandalf the kindness which is the badge of experience and wisdom, while Hans Conried brings just the right amounts of pomp, pride, and power to the dwarf prince Thorin. There is still a gee-whiz quality in Orson Bean's Bilbo, but I think this helps to relate him to younger viewers, and it works for the rest of us because the hobbit is indeed a fifty-year old man who has lived a hopelessly sheltered life. Later in the movie, when Bilbo is confronted with his companions' unshakable greed, he takes on a disillusionment and disappointment that is immediately appealing and cheer-worthy.The most haunting performance, however, is provided by Brother Theodore, who plays that pitiful prisoner of the One Ring, Gollum.
Tolkien fans never tire of berating the Rankin-Bass depiction of Gollum, who was described in The Lord of the Rings as having once been a hobbit, and who, in this cartoon, looks less like one of Bilbo's kin and more like an amphibious beast. Gollum is drawn as a being indigenous to deep, wet caverns, and he speaks and moves in a slow, meandering style. While this conflicts with how the character was described in The Lord of the Rings, to readers who've only enjoyed its predecessor, the Rankin-Bass Gollum probably won't seem too distracting. I like to remember that Tolkien rarely describes how his characters look in detail, and aside from Bilbo and Gandalf, most of the faces of Middle-Earth are left clear for the reader to construct. This version of The Hobbit is Rankin-Bass's, and thus it is only one interpretation of another man's words. Let's be a little fair to it, all right? The Riddles in the Dark chapter is one of most important in the book, and it is given its due time in the cartoon. Gollum's expressions are speech here are genuinely scary, and his raspy, echoing delivery of Tolkien's riddles always gives me chills.
The best part of the Hobbit, and this is my opinion as both a reader and a writer, is the terrific twist that occurs once the story's main quest is ended, and the many factions encountered by Bilbo converge for a massive battle. Sadly, it seems that Rankin-Bass lacked the budget or the permission to fully realize this battle, but there is still some surprising violence shown. The theme isn't lost, either, and my favorite scene of them all, in which Thorin redeems himself to Bilbo, is extraordinary, and darkly relevant in these depressing, deadly times.I think people need to go easier on this particular vision of The Hobbit. It's a child of the 60s, when music was soft and loving, and not loud and self-serving, when people took pride in mankind's courage and generosity, and weren't constantly presented with its vices and indifference. It's also when cartoon specials really were special. If you think that The Hobbit is for nerds, or that its message is buried behind a mythology you lack the patience to penetrate, I think that Rankin-Bass's version is the door you should open.
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