Rankin/Bass’ holiday-special style makes 1977’s The Hobbit a great Christmas watch. Let’s see Rudolph cross the Misty Mountains ...

Rankin-Bass. Long before Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy starring Martin Freeman, Rankin/Bass produced this original TV movie that was made when the work of J.R.R. Tolkien was in the public domain ...

Rankin/Bass squeezed the story of The Hobbit into a film that barely exceeded an hour, whereas Jackson stretched it to fill an entire trilogy that lasted eight to nine hours depending on the versions.

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.

Before that, however, Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment had made The Hobbit in 1977 and The Return of the King in 1980, both ...

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.

Bass, a director and producer who helmed beloved animated Christmas specials like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” with his artistic partner Arthur Rankin Jr ...

Several are part of Freeform's "25 Days of Christmas" The post Where to Watch ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and 10 More Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials appeared first on TheWrap.

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.