The Rankin/Bass version of The Hobbit, on the other hand, is a mere one hour and 17 minutes, which you could almost argue is actually too short.

The Rankin-Bass produced Hobbit won a Peabody, and while it received good to tepid response, a sequel was already in discussion before Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings even premiered.

Together, Bass and Rankin Jr. also created the 1977 animated TV special The Hobbit and its sequel, The Return of the King, both inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series.

It was the 1977 The Hobbit animated movie and it was scary as hell, you guys. Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment I can’t tell you the first time I watched this movie.

Rankin/Bass’s hand-drawn projects include the 1969 holiday special “Frosty the Snowman,” the Peabody-winning TV movie “The Hobbit” (1977), and its sequel, “The Return of the King ...

Arthur Rankin Jr., the creative genius behind Rankin/Bass Productions, passed away in 2014 — now, his widow is parting ways with their 24 W. 55th St. abode.

Jules Bass, the director, writer and producer who, with his partner Arthur Rankin Jr., created beloved Christmas specials like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," has died at 87.

In 1977, Bass and Rankin produced and co-directed the animated musical TV-movie The Hobbit for NBC, an early entry in the roster of Tolkien screen adaptations.. Bass largely retired from directing ...