In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit...

With those words, J.R.R. Tolkien began writing his famed fantasy/adventure novel "The Hobbit", set in a fictional Middle Earth. In 1977, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. would work together to produce this not bad/not great animated TV movie. "The Hobbit" is a good introduction to Tolkien's work for children and those who would never dream of picking up a book. Still, there's no substitute for the real thing.

So what is a hobbit? Well for those of you who are not Tolkien fanatics, hobbits are diminutive persons who stand two to four feet tall, smaller than dwarves. They have curly brown hair, hard soled feet (they don't wear shoes), plump bellies, and large appetites. They are notorious for loving peace and quiet and for despising adventures.

Bilbo Baggins is one such hobbit. He is a quiet, peace loving fellow who lives in a hole in the ground known as Bag End. Despite what the words "hole in the ground" may summon to one's mind, the narrators go to great lengths to assure us that a hobbit hole means comfort.

One day, Bilbo is given a surprise visit from Gandalf the Grey, a famed wizard who happens to be in the neighbourhood. And he isn't alone. Gandalf has brought with him a band of consisting of a dozen dwarves, one of whom is none other than Thorin Oakenshield.

You see, years ago Thorin's grandfather was the wealthy ruler of a great band of dwarves. They lived in the Lonely Mountain, a faraway mining mountain that produced great wealth. Unfortunately, the wealth attracted none other than Smaug the Magnificent, a ferocious dragon. Smaug slew most of the dwarves, stole the loot, and set up camp inside the Lonely Mountain. Now Thorin and other descendants of survivors are determined to make the long journey to the Lonely Mountain to slay Smaug and reclaim their rightful place. And Gandalf wants Bilbo to come along with them. Why?

"We need a burglar," Gandalf informs him. This is the role that Bilbo is to assume in the adventures to come.

So off they go one fine spring morning. Their paths will take them through rocky and muddy paths, the Misty Mountains, the caves of the goblins, the dark forests of Mirkwood, to finally the Lonely Mountain. Along the way they encounter a trio of gluttonous trolls, the kindly elves of Rivendale, the goblins of the Misty Mountains, the giant spiders of Mirkwood Forrest, the brave men of the town of Lakewood, to a final showdown with none other than Smaug himself. The journey will also transform Bilbo from a pampered cowardly hobbit, to a brave selfless person, just as Gandalf predicted.

One of the problems with this adaptation of Tolkien's famed work is the time constraints. Clocking in at just seventy-seven minutes plus commercials, the animators had to cram a lot of material into a very short running time. As a result, a lot of scenes from the book are abbreviated or even eliminated. The introduction where we meet Thorin and the dwarves is crammed into the prologue. The encounter with the trolls lasts under a few minutes. The segment with Beorn is cut from the script entirely, a pity since he was one of my favourite characters from the book. The short running time also means the animators miss much of the humour of Tolkien's work.

The animation isn't bad for a TV movie made on a limited budget. Mirkwood forest was impressive, as were the caverns under the mountains, and the goblins themselves. On the other hand though, it's not great either. For instance, the battle scenes at the end are drawn as specks of dots and dust as seen from afar. One of the most annoying things about the animation is the too cute drawings of the characters, especially Bilbo. And what's with all these enormous noses all the characters seem to have?

Another problem is the not too great songs that punctuate the film. While listenable, they're also rather forgettable.

Without a doubt, one of the strongest elements of the film is the excellent voice cast, consisting of some famous names. They are as follows:

Orson Bean.........Bilbo Baggins
John Huston........Gandalf the Grey
Hans Conried.......Thorin Oakenshield
Cyril Richard......Elrond
Otto Preminger.....Elvenking
Brother Theodore...Gollum
Richard Boone......Smaug
Paul Frees.........Bombur Troll/#1

John Huston in particular is commanding as Gandalf, in a role the demands a commanding voice.

One of the most effectively eerie scenes for me was when Bilbo confronts Gollum in a game of riddles in the caverns under the Misty Mountains. Here it seems the story is allowed to slow down for a moment and allow us to be swept up in the atmosphere of the dark caves. Gollum is drawn here as an oversized, half-crazed reptilian creature. He is both menacing, yet at the same time almost pitiful in his isolation and madness, always referring to himself in the third person. ("What is it, my precious?" "Is it scrumptiously crunchable?" "We shows it the way out.") It's here in these dank caverns that Bilbo discovers the invisibility ring that features so prominently in Tolkien's later "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Another great scene is when Bilbo (in his invisible form) engages Smaug the dragon in his own game or riddles. Smaug is certainly drawn to look like a menacing character, with his enormous body, tail, sharp teeth, and fiery breath. I don't think I'd ever mock want to mock him, invisible or not.

On the whole, "The Hobbit" isn't a bad adaptation. Kids will probably like it as will diehard Tolkien devotees, but it's still no replacement for the real thing. I hope that sometime in the near future, someone will take it upon themselves to adapt this story to the big screen. Until then, this small screen adaptation will have to do and we still have Tolkien's original story.