Which 1978 animated film was directed by Ralph Bakshi and adapted J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

Ralph Bakshi directed the 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings, adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel.

The film was released in the United States on November 15, 1978. It covers much of the story from The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, ending after the battle at Helm’s Deep and the defeat of Saruman. The project was intended as the first part of a larger adaptation.

Bakshi’s movie is notable for its use of animation combined with rotoscoping, a technique in which artists trace over filmed live-action movement. The cast included Christopher Guard as Frodo, William Squire as Gandalf, and John Hurt as Aragorn.

The film is sometimes confused with later live-action adaptations directed by Peter Jackson. Bakshi’s version is a separate animated production and predates Jackson’s trilogy by more than two decades.