The Rankin/Bass Hobbit will always be my baseline visual (and audio - Smaug will always and forever be voiced by Richard "Paladin" Boone in my head, not this Benedict Cumberbatch chap Jackson's found) for Lord of the Rings.
That Rankin Bass cartoon was my introduction to Tolkien back in 1977 when I was in seventh grade. I remember my English teacher handing out some promo/educational material from Scholastic (I think) about it before it aired and reading and talking about it in class. I was naturally hooked for life after that. :)
That's a good looking Gandalf, I must say! Nice picture. :D
ReplyDeleteA little goofy looking but still possessing an aura of mystery, power and authority.
ReplyDeleteWhen he pops during the battle of the five armies it's just coool.
Classic! I knew that version of Gandalf before I ever saw any other artwork.
ReplyDeleteThe Rankin/Bass Hobbit will always be my baseline visual (and audio - Smaug will always and forever be voiced by Richard "Paladin" Boone in my head, not this Benedict Cumberbatch chap Jackson's found) for Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was always entertained by my John Huston voice when I'd read her The Hobbit or LotR. Hey, it's what I heard in my head.
ReplyDeleteThat Rankin Bass cartoon was my introduction to Tolkien back in 1977 when I was in seventh grade. I remember my English teacher handing out some promo/educational material from Scholastic (I think) about it before it aired and reading and talking about it in class. I was naturally hooked for life after that. :)
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Peter Jackson "found" Benedict Cumberbatch is an amusing one :)
ReplyDelete