How do you go about transforming a 300-page legendary work of literature
into an animated feature less than an hour and a half long? Not very
easily. But the creators of this movie made a go of it, and the result
was not bad...not bad at all. The animation captured the beauty of the
landscapes described so eloquently by Tolkien, and the characters were
depicted quite admirably. The actors who provided the voices for Bilbo,
Gandalf, the dwarves, and the other characters brought them to life. The
musical score is enchanting, and it is entrancing to actually hear the
songs which were written in the text.
Unfortunately, there was
much that this movie left to be desired. For instance, Beorn the
shape-shifter was left out of the story altogether, as was any mention
of the coveted Arkenstone. The introduction of the dwarves to Bilbo,
which took up a great deal of time in the book and provided quite a few
laughs, was shortened to nearly nothing at all. Many critical sequences
in the story received the same treatment. Still, given the time
constraints of an animated movie for children, this could hardly be
avoided.
This movie retains the spirit of the book, even
though it leaves out many critical details. It is a good movie for
children to watch to introduce them to the wonderful world of Middle
Earth. But it should not be a substitute. If you really want to get the
full appreciation of "The Hobbit", read the book.
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