We’re not talking about the new The Hobbit, but the 1977 animated musical television special. The special was created by Rankin/Bass, a studio known for their holiday specials and animated by Topcraft Studio. Topcraft later became Studio Ghibli. For some back knowledge, Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animated film studio in Tokyo, Japan. They’re best known for its anime feature films. You might be familiar with some of their critically acclaimed movies like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Castle in the Sky.
Now, the 1977 The Hobbit was adapted from the original book The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien with some of its lyrics adapted from the book. NBC was the first to broadcast it on November 27, 1977.
The film got pretty positive reviews and was even put up for some awards. There were some negative critiques about the adaptation issues. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 67 percent giving it a better percentage than Lord Of The Rings which only received a 50 percent review.