One of Tolkien’s more divisiveLord of the Ringsmovie adaptations is finally coming to streaming, and this couldn’t have happened at a better time for the franchise.The legendary fantasy author’s Middle-earth works have been beloved sinceThe Hobbitwas released in 1937, but these stories have come a long way in the near century.Tolkien expanded his works through several novels and posthumously published notes, and Hollywood has since kept these stories going with movie and TV adaptations—and more are on the way. This makes a look back at a divisive 1978 adaptation all the more meaningful.
Filmmaker Ralph Bakshi released the animatedThe Lord of the Ringsmoviein 1978, which adapted a handful of stories from Tolkien’sThe Fellowship of the RingandThe Two Towers. It’s a unique combination of cel animation and rotoscope technology. Though the film demonstrated animation mastery of the day, it was divisive upon its release in 1978 becauseits 135-minute runtime wasn’t nearly enough to cover the whole story. ThisLord of the Ringsmovie was woefully incomplete, but itsavailability to stream on Max as of August 23, 2025, can provide a fresh perspective on the overarching franchise.
’70s Lord Of The Rings Movie’s Streaming Revival Is A Reminder Of How Far The Franchise Has Come
1978’s The Lord Of The Rings Is Available To Stream On Max
Bakshi’sThe Lord of the Ringsmay have missed most of Frodo’s story, and the animation may be outdated by today’s standards, but it’s a valuable piece of the overarching franchise. We have since hadPeter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, which cover Tolkien’s primary story to near entirety, theHobbittrilogy, Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and even more adaptations on the way. Still, with every new adaptation,the 1978Lord of the Ringsmovie stands as a symbol of where Middle-earth’s on-screen adventures got their start.
The Lord of the Rings(1978) was previously only available to stream through purchase on Prime Video or Apple TV+.
An Animated Middle-Earth Has Unlimited Possibilities
The 1978Lord of the Ringsmovie’s 2024 revival on streaming is even more perfect given theDecember 13, 2024 release ofThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim—another animated adaptation of Tolkien’s world. Since the turn of the century, theLord of the Ringsfranchise has been predominantly focused on live-action, butthe new movie following the story of Helm Hammerhand returns to an animated format. Though the stylization of this movie and Bakshi’s classic are significantly different, the new project taking a related route proves that the 1978 movie was at least somewhat on the right track.
Live-action is undoubtedly thrilling, but animation opens a great many doors within the fantasy genre.
Live-action is undoubtedly thrilling, but animation opens a great many doors within the fantasy genre. The sky is the limit, and especially back in the 1970s, there was no better way to bring Tolkien’s expansive and magical world to the screen.War of the Rohirrimhas a chance to prove what benefits and beauties animation can bring to theLord of the Ringsfranchise in the modern age, whilethe divisive 1978 adaptation stands as its beloved ancestor. As the on-screen franchise continues to grow, this foundation means more than ever before.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
