With the third and final Peter Jackson The Hobbit movie just around the corner, Warner Bros is finally releasing remastered deluxe editions of the Rankin-Bass animated The Hobbit and The Return of the King on DVD on 7/22.
The Hobbit was released on DVD in 1997 and The Return of the King never got a proper DVD release, so this release is great news for Lord of the Rings or Rankin-Bass fans. This also marks the first time that the films have been remastered. It’s a bit unfortunate that, with all the effort being put into remastering these titles, that WB didn’t just release them on Blu-ray. But then again, these two films were never the most popular or highly regarded, so it probably thought it wasn’t worth the extra cost.
The packaging on these films are nice (however, some fans dislike the fact that the covers’ characters look nothing that those in the actual films) and matches that of Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings, which was released on DVD a few years ago. It makes these three Lord of the Rings’ films seem like a cohesive set, even though they really have nothing to do with each other. Either way, it would be nice to see these three films bundled together at some point.
The Hobbit Deluxe Edition
This movie was the first film that Rankin and Bass, two directors most commonly known for their Christmas stop-motion animated films, adapted from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series. It’s the fan favorite among the two. Previous home media releases left out some sound effects, but unfortunately these have not been fixed in this remastered version. The bonus features (listed below) are a bit disappointing as most are just trailers and short of other WB properties.
Synopsis:
The place is Middle Earth. The time is long ago, when humans shared their days with elves, wizards, goblins, dragons, heroes…and hobbits. Bilbo Baggins is a hero and a hobbit, a roundish, peaceable homebody going on a dangerous quest – even though adventures make hobbits late for dinner!
In this enchanting adaptation of the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bilbo the hobbit is asked to recover a fabulous treasure stolen from friendly dwarfs. All he must do is brave dark forests, towering mountains, hobbit-eating trolls, huge spiders, a fiery dragon and more. Fun and amazement await – so join the quest!
Special Features
- J.R.R. Tolkien Facts & Trivia
- Cast & Crew credits
- From the Vault: 3 WB classic cartoons – Knight-mare Hare, Knighty Knight Bugs, and Rabbit Hood
- Trailers: Tom and Jerry & The Lost Dragon, LEGO: Legends of Chima, LEGO: Hobbit, Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Run Time: 78 minutes
The Return of the King Deluxe Edition
This film is regarded as the unofficial sequel to Bakshi’s animated The Lord of the Rings, since it picks up where Bakshi’s film left off. However, Rankin and Bass hold that they always planned on skipping The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers and doing The Return of the King as a follow up to their first film. The special features on this disk are much those on The Hobbit, nothing really relevant or insightful about The Return of the King.
Synopsis:
Frodo the Hobbit, the remarkable hero of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, battles more evil forces plaguing Middle Earth in The Return of the King.
The Magic Ring of The Hobbit has now become the Ring of Doom – and to restore peace it must be destroyed in the raging fires in which it was made. Chosen for the task, Frodo and faithful servant Samwise face grave perils – the worst of which is the ring’s terrible power to possess its wearer. Will Frodo give in to the madness of the ring….or will he fulfill his quest?
Special Features
- J.R.R. Tolkien Facts & Trivia
- Cast & Crew Credits
- From the Vault: WB cartoon shorts – Good Knight Droppy and Jerry Hood & His Merry Meeses
- Trailers: LEGO: Hobbit, Tom and Jerry & the Lost Dragon, LEGO: Legends of Chima, Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Run Time: 98 minutes
Giveaway
Courtesy of Warner Home Video, we have 5 copies of both The Hobbit and The Return of the King to giveaway to our readers! Entering is simple:
- Like us on Facebook.
- Comment on this blog post saying what is your favorite scene from either of these two films.
You can earn additional entries by tweeting about this giveaway (one entry per day) and following the Rotoscopers on Twitter.
Contest rules: Contest open to US residents only and runs until 7/31 at 11:59PM. Winners will be contacted via email and must provide a valid US mailing address (no P.O. boxes, please). Good luck!
Purchase
The Hobbit Deluxe Edition: Amazon
The Return of the King Deluxe Edition: Amazon
