September 23, 2003

Animated Debate
Brett C.

Frodo Lives, don't confuse the cartoom Return of the King with Bakshi's animated LOTR. they are form completely different sources, the former being done by Rankin Bass, the same people who produced The Hobbit.

Personally I also winced my way through the ROTK cartoon - it only vaguely resmebled the book and truthfully, the only value I acredit it now is to show that PJ's Towers was actually pretty good at maintaining the intregity of the story.

However, regarding the Bakshi animated movie [not cartoon], it is, though sadly flawed in many places, a much better adaption [than the Rankin Bass work]. Bakshi is even quoted as saying the Professor's daughter contacted him after the release to praise him for his efforts. It cannot stand against PJ's monumental adaption, alas, but in some respects Ralph Bakshi must be feeling justified in some of his own artistic choices, as follows.

Bakshi's movie begins with an opening narrative explaining the Rings of Power and war of the Last Alliance, and the finding of the Ring.

The animated movie shows Gandalf's betrayal by Saruman at Isengard, where Saruman uses the pwer of his staff to imprison him.

It also shows the hobbits hiding from the Black Rider hiding under an overhanging tree root, instead of in a hedge as per the book [ some of the shots in the animated and PJ versions are virtually identical for this scene].

Bakshi changes the attackers in the Pracing Pony from Breelanders in the Wraith's thrall to five of the Nazgul, who enter by crashing through the Bree Gate, and wake the hiding hobbits with their screams of frustration.

During a campside scene Aragorn tells the story of Tinuviel [only present in the extended DVD].

Bombadil and the Barrow Downs are absent from both movies.

Bakshi also replaced Glorfidel with another character, in his case Legolas.

The animated movie leaves out the wolf attack below Caradhras, and changes the emphasis from the mountains attack from the evil spirit wihtin to an outside force [Sauron, in the animated release].

Bakshi wholly omits the gift-giving in Lorien, which aside from the Phial of Galdriel is present only in the extended FOTR.

The final stand of Boromir is shown in realtime in both movies, instead of related post-event as in the book.

Both directors skim over the details of the rival orc bands capturing Merry and Pippin.

And finally, both movies use Eomer and his riders as the rescuing force brought by Gandalf at Helm's Deep, rather than have Eomer present throughout the battle.