The Hobbit Rankin/Bass Animated Film..... (Released) — Page 5

I just discovered the awfulness of the DVD version and seem to be pretty late to the party to try to get the Hi-fi Hobbit version. Does anyone have a copy? I can't find any seeders or it hosted anywhere.

The copy I watched as a kid was taped from television......and was recorded only from the very beginning of the film itself.....never knew it carried that disclaimer before it. Wonder what was cut.

So are you still planning on integrating some of the extra features from the Abrams' book? I would love to see some of those cut scenes restored, even if only as bonus stills as extras on the film.

I have been waiting since the advent of DVD for a better (i.e. proper) version of The Hobbit to come out. I have had the film on many different formats and copies through the decades, but what I really would love is a nice quality version to watch on modern equipment. I was really hopeful when I learned of the "remastered" version coming out, though disappointed it was not going to be on BD. But, of course, I can see why, as it is only the same crap we have always been given. It is so sad that unloved classics like this just get the shit treatment because they think no one will care differently. I would certainly have expected better treatment towards something coming from such a historically important group like Rankin Bass, nevermind all the animation and production studios that came together for The Hobbit.

And really, if they can't even give us proper picture and/or good sound, could you not IN THE VERY LEAST give us some decent cover art?! Honestly, this is one of the biggest travesties for me in all these releases. What makes this film so great (of course Tolkien's story) is the amazing art. To just ignore it and come up with horrid covers slapped on as if these were direct to 1$ bin releases, is honesty so insulting. And no wonder no one knows or cares about this movie anymore, when you see those packages taking up shelf space. Tell me that this wouldn't sell a heck of a lot more copies, if nothing else.

Seems like a real no-brainer to me. Anyways rant /off.  Wish you good luck with this project, and hopefully - for everyone - we get the version of The Hobbit we deserve in the future.

Yeah, the artwork they've done for covers and menus has been lackluster at best. I'm hoping to one day have someone on board that can help me with animation so that I might include at least 2 scenes that I felt were missed and should have been included (not ALL omissions were necessarily horrible).....the Dwarves chasing the Elves through the forest (which is mentioned IN the film when the Elves turn up for the first time but Bilbo states that they have "returned"....and the stuff at Beorn's house. The lost art for Beorn was really quite lovely in my opinion and I'd love to include a slightly condensed version of his role in the film.

Recorded in what manner? Direct line? Or with a mic next to a speaker type recording?

Let me know…

Is anyone still working on updating the audio?

I found a new “v2” Hi-Fi audio with 2001 DVD video uploaded to archive.org that was taken from a VHS source that’s also uploaded on archive.org. It sounds clearer than the old Hi-Fi audio that was floating around years ago, but it also has lots of random static and pops that I did my best to repair with Audacity. Some of the crackling in the final few minutes was so bad that I just replaced those milliseconds with dvd audio instead.

However, I noticed an issue that I’m having difficulty fixing. The audio goes noticeably out of sync around 00:07:15 until after the opening credits, as if some of the pauses between dialogue are shorter on the VHS. The old Hi-Fi VHS audio synced perfectly, though. And this audio syncs back up after the opening credits. If it was just silence between the dialogue, it would be easier to fix, but it’s the sound of wind and horses in the background. I might try removing the background drone in the old Hi-Fi audio and trying to use that for the pause sections instead.

If someone has a better audio source, then fixing this v2 source probably isn’t even worth the effort. It’s the best I’ve found so far though.

I managed to sync the audio. I replaced some of the ambient noise in certain places with longer sections from other parts to extend the time and then cut out some of the dead silence after the opening credits to match the audio that follows.