While it's true that the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies were fantastic, they weren't the first cinematic iteration of the series. The very first recreation of Tolkien's books on screen was the animated version of the Hobbit, which was released back in 1977. Then just a year later, The Lord of the Rings was released in all its animated glory.
Whether you've seen the film before or didn't know it existed until today is irrelevant, because it is currently on sale for an incredibly low price. The remastered deluxe version of 1978 Lord of the Rings animated movie is down to just $5 on Amazon right now.
The Best Lord of the Rings Movie Deal Today
The 1978 version of The Lord of the Rings was created using a hybrid of traditional cel animation and rotoscoped live-action footage. Because of the live-action portion of this, there is actually a scene during the film where you see Aragorn trip and fall down. This wasn't part of the script, it just happened and they animated over it anyway. It's little quirks like these that make this film worth watching.
The $5 price is overall a great bargain. It's for the DVD version of the film, but it has been remastered since the original release. At this price, it is worth picking up as a collector's item to go with all of the other Lord of the Rings Blu-rays you own even if you don't plan on watching it. If you're in the market for more savings like this, you can check out the larger Amazon Presidents' Day sale going on now.
Where to Stream the 1978 Lord of the Rings Movie Online
If $5 is too rich for your blood, the good news is you can actually stream this movie online. Its conveniently on Max, where you can currently watch all of the other Lord of the Rings movies as well. And yes, even the animated Hobbit movie I mentioned above is available to stream there too.
Looking for more LotR content? You can check out our guide to all of the Lord of the Rings books as well as classic quotes from the movies for additional reading.
