Watch 'The Hobbit' Online!

That's right Tolkien fans, it's true.  It's now possible to go to youtube to check out and early version of The Hobbit, right away and free of charge!  I am, of course, referring to the 1967 animated short from Tom and Jerry animator Gene Deitch.  What, did you think I was talking about something else?  Alright, I was being pretty shameless there, but this is something worth taking the time to watch.  It may not have the best animation, but it's interesting to see Tolkien's world projected through an artistic lens that isn't taken from medieval Europe.

You can read the full story here, but to sum it up: Deitch was working on a full length Hobbit movie before he had even heard of Lord of the Rings and the result was a script that made massive changes to the source material.  The project collapsed, but in order to keep the rights, the producers had him throw this together in 30 short days.  Purists'll probably freak out at the differences (no dwarves, Bilbo gets married at the end), but I think that it works well when judged on its own merits.  The art style is amazing, and goes well with the essence of what the story is.