It’s been nearly 50 years since the animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings entered theaters, receiving a mediocre reaction from fans and critics alike and generated $30 million at the global box office. And as the story of Middle-Earth expands with The Rings of Power TV series, as well as the 2024 release of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, fans can revisit the earliest motion picture adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s work in an upcoming remastered Blu-ray release.
Amazon has listed a Blu-ray Remastered Deluxe Edition of The Lord of the Rings, priced at $22.49, scheduled for release on June 24, 2025. This remastered copy will feature the animated feature at 1080 HD resolution as well as a special feature interview with its Director, Ralph Bakshi, called “Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for The Lord of the Rings.”
The animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings retold the story of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers in a cartoon format and was notable for its use of rotoscoping. Despite its decent 49% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Lord of the Rings was a financial success and was nominated for a Golden Globe for “Best Original Motion Picture Score” and a Saturn Award for “Best Fantasy Film.”
How Middle-Earth Is Expanding In ‘The Lord of The Rings’ Franchise?
Following the release of the 1978 animated movie, The Lord of the Rings returned via the live-action adaptation of the 2001 feature, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which not only became a box office success but was also nominated for “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards. Following its release were two more sequels, adapting The Two Towers and The Return of the King, and the film adaptation of the prequel story The Hobbit.
Since the last feature film was released in 2014, it has taken eight years for the franchise to return to screen once again, this time via the Prime Video series, The Rings of Power, which took place thousands of years before the original novels and was described as “the most expensive television series ever made.” Since its release, the show has been on for two seasons, with a third season already greenlit. The Lord of the Rings also released another animated feature called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, retelling the story of the legendary Rohan king, Helm Hammerhand. Recently, it was reported that another feature is in the works, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Andy Serkis reprising his role as Gollum and having his name on the director’s chair.
The 1978 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is not available on any streaming platform but can be purchased digitally and physically.
Source: Amazon