This is the first cinematic adaptation of The Hobbit. Okay, put "cinematic" in quotes, because the actual film consists of nothing but static illustrations with voice over narration. Granted, the illustrations are charming in their own way, but still.
As an adaptation of the book, this is pitiful. Most of the dwarfs whom Bilbo accompanies are replaced by a princess character with whom the hobbit falls in love. Everything is condensed into eleven brief minutes, certainly not enough time to flesh the story out.
And yet, I would not say this is a total waste. It has the charm of a children's night time story and is not nearly as laborious to sit through as the recent Hobbit films, which suffer from an overabundance of run time altogether. This short movie is worthwhile for Tolkein fans and the curious, but not so much for anyone else.
As an adaptation of the book, this is pitiful. Most of the dwarfs whom Bilbo accompanies are replaced by a princess character with whom the hobbit falls in love. Everything is condensed into eleven brief minutes, certainly not enough time to flesh the story out.
And yet, I would not say this is a total waste. It has the charm of a children's night time story and is not nearly as laborious to sit through as the recent Hobbit films, which suffer from an overabundance of run time altogether. This short movie is worthwhile for Tolkein fans and the curious, but not so much for anyone else.