Fifteen years after it was originally released on Blu-ray, the 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is getting a reprint. Director Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings is being re-released via a Remastered Deluxe Edition Blu-ray in 1080p resolution. The movie, based on the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien books, was directed by Bakshi, with the screenplay coming from Chris Conkling and Peter S. Beagle.
The Blu-ray is available for pre-order on Amazon for $22.49 and will be officially released on June 24. The reprint will also include an interview series with Bakshi in which he discusses the making of the film. Before this reprinting, the animated The Lord of the Rings was only available on Blu-ray via a region-free imported edition. The movie is also available on DVD in a remastered deluxe edition for only $5 on Amazon.
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What Does the Blu-Ray Include?
The Remastered Deluxe Edition of the iconic animated film debuted on Blu-ray back in 2010, but has been out of print in the U.S. for several years. The Blu-ray features:
- 1080p HD resolution
- 16 x 9 aspect ratio (1.85:1)
- Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 Surround Sound
- Dolby Digital English 5.1
- French 1.0 / Spanish 2.0
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
The remaster also features an interview series with Bakshi called “Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for The Lord of the Rings.”
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The Animated Movie’s Mixed Reception
Released in theaters in 1978, the animated Lord of the Rings earned more than $32 million worldwide, which was nearly eight times the film’s budget. However, reviews for the film are mixed, and the movie currently sits at a 49% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Reviewer Paul Grey of Time Magazine stated on Rotten Tomatoes that the film was “lacking a firm center in Frodo’s story,” and “plays itself out as a bewildering parade of elves, dwarves, ores, trolls and talking trees.” However, Bernard Drew, via Rotten Tomatoes, praised Bakshi’s interpretation of the source material, saying, “Bakshi proves once again that he is a master of his chosen medium.”
The movie was also criticized by some fans because the movie only covered The Fellowship of the Ring and just a portion of The Two Towers, completely leaving out The Return of the King. However, over the years, the movie has gained somewhat of a cult status.
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
|
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
IMDb Rating |
|
49% |
64% |
6.2/10 |
A Familiar Star Wars Actor Voices Legolas in the Animated Film
The animated Lord of the Rings featured voice performances by Christopher Guard as Frodo, William Squire as Galdalf, Michael Scholes as Samwise, John Hurt (V for Vendetta) as Aragorn, Simon Chandler as Pippin, Norman Bird as Bilbo, Michael Grey Cox as Boromir, David Buck as Gimli, Peter Woodthorpe as Gollum, and Star Wars trilogy actor Anthony Daniels as Legolas.
The Lord of the Rings animated film is available for preorder on Amazon.
Source: Amazon
The Lord of the Rings
- Release Date
-
November 15, 1978
- Runtime
-
132 minutes
- Director
-
Ralph Bakshi
