6. The Hobbit
The first of two Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. films on this list;
The Hobbit is one of my all-time favorites (yes, I realize that this is from the 70s not the 80s but Im willing to make an exception if you are). I was a fan of the book from a young age and so when I realized there was a film version I just had to see it. And I did... a lot. Whats so great about this film is that its fun, adventurous, and scary. The animation is beautiful and original, the plot is simple and straightforward, and the film contains several musical numbers with lyrics pulled straight out of Tolkiens book. With the imminent release of Peter Jacksons more mature adaptation(s) I urge anyone who missed out on this gem as a child to give it a shot now. Anyone whos a fan of the novel knows that its written for kids, and thats who Rankin/Bass made this for. Im excited for Jacksons films but it looks like theyre made for the same fan-base as his original
LOTR trilogy (as they should be); so if you want to see an adaptation made specifically for the same target audience as the book, you need to watch the animated version. Clocking in at a mere 77 minutes long it wont take much time out of your day; plus the
entire film is on YouTube so you dont even have to go out of your way to track it down. For anyone whos already seen this (or read the books) it shouldnt be hard to guess what makes the movie so scary. Long before my younger brother was haunted by Andy Serkis interpretation of Gollum I was cowering in fear of the blank-eyed, hand-drawn version. From the moment Thorin is nearly devoured by the Goblin King to the Riddles in the Dark scene to the spiders in Mirkwood forest, this film has its share of nightmarish moments that kept me up many nights.