Middle-Earth On Film: A Visual History
2. The Hobbit (1977)
It soon became apparent that the best way to realise Middle-Earth on screen would be through animation. Tolkien actively disliked Disney, so must have been pretty happy to see it in the hands of Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Relying heavily on the music of Tolkien's text, The Hobbit is a spry 77 minutes long, originally made as a TV special, that remains faithful to the source, bar cutting less-important elements.