I'm a tremendous fan of Rankin-Bass's production of the Hobbit. I saw it when I was very young, and it still impacts the way I view fantasy today.
I'm aware that, outside of a few surface level trappings, the influence on Tolkien on D&D is debatable, but whenever I think of wizards I think of John Huston, and whenever I think of goblins I think of those fat gray things.
I've always liked the art style. It's dark and whimsical at the same time. I shall be trying desperately to bring that across in my portrayal of the Nightwick setting.
Other, more usual, influences (CAS, Leiber, etc.) will be present, but I haven't seen anyone tackling this old thing. Maybe it's because I'm the only one who likes it.
I can't watch the damned thing any more, but I still love the visuals.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a big fan of this treatment of The Hobbit... a really think the visuals suit the dark fairytale atmosphere that Tolkien evokes with The Hobbit, as opposed to the High Fantasy vibe of LotR.
ReplyDeleteBrian Froud and Arthur Rackham are probably on your art direction team too, then, I am guessing.
ReplyDeleteThe Rankin-Bass version doesn't get a lot of love these days, but I still enjoy it a lot, and it got quoted like crazy during game sessions with my last group. The character designs are especially nice, and a lot of the voice acting is entertaining as hell.
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