 78% (1) The Flight of Dragons 95 min Passed [Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Romance] [Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.] [19 Dec 1984]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 78%, External Reviews Awards: N/A Actors: Harry Morgan, James Earl Jones, James Gregory, Victor Buono Writer: Romeo Muller (screenplay by), Peter Dickinson (book), Wayne Anderson (book), Jeffrey Walker (additional material written by), Gordon R. Dickson (book) External Links: External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA Plot: This is an animated movie based on the book by Peter Dickinson. In this movie the realm of magic is being threatened by the realm of logic, so Carolinus, the green wizard decides to shield it for all time. Ommedon, the evil red wizard, stands in his way. Carolinus then calls for a quest that is to be led by a man named Peter Dickinson, who is the first man of both the realms of science and magic. It is Peter's job to defeat Ommedon. Rotten Tomatoes: This animated fantasy film, from the creators of The Last Unicorn, unfolds in an age when magic and science coexist uneasily, and humans still walk the earth alongside wizards, unicorns, and dragons. One of the four most powerful mages on the planet, Carolinus the Green Wizard (voice of Harry Morgan) realizes that magic's power is slipping in favor of the logic of science -- a potential detriment to men, who need such magic to provide regular inspiration for themselves. Carolinus thus summons his three brothers for an emergency tête-à-tête, and suggests that they create a separate magical realm for themselves, via which they can send man the magic he needs on a regular basis. Two of the brothers agree, but the third -- the evil wizard Ommadon -- not only refuses to be shuttled off to this removed existence but vows to wage full-scale war on humankind with evil feelings and ideas. Because the rules of the universe forbid Carolinus and his other two siblings from going head-to-head with Ommadon, they must seek out a human hero with the power to stop him. Carolinus sends this request to the Fates. They, in turn, select Peter (voiced by John Ritter), who is, of all things, a man of science. 1 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |  69% (3) The Last Unicorn 92 min G [Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy] [Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.] [19 Nov 1982]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 75%, Rotten Tomatoes: 63%, Metacritic: 70%, External Reviews Awards: 1 nomination. Actors: Alan Arkin, Angela Lansbury, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Tammy Grimes Writer: Peter S. Beagle (screenplay), Peter S. Beagle (novel) External Links: External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English, German Country: UK, France, West Germany, Japan, USA Plot: From a riddle-speaking butterfly, a unicorn learns that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a now middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard... Rotten Tomatoes: A brave unicorn and a magician fight an evil king who is obsessed with attempting to capture the world's unicorns. 2 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |
 62% (2) The Return of the King 98 min Not Rated [Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Musical] [Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.] [11 May 1980]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 57%, Rotten Tomatoes: 67%, External Reviews Awards: N/A Actors: John Huston, Orson Bean, Theodore Bikel, William Conrad Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien (novels), Romeo Muller (adapted for the screen) External Links: External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA, Japan Plot: This film adapts the final book of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy where the Hobbits, Frodo and Samwise, struggle through the barren land of Mordor to destroy the Ruling Ring in Mount Doom. At the same time, Gandalf and the others wage a desperate battle against the forces of Sauron at Minas Tirith, but Sauron seems to have the upper hand while the source of his power, the Ring, slowly threatens to corrupt its bearers. Rotten Tomatoes: The second of Rankin/Bass' animated TV specials based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of the King plots the quest to defeat the evil wizard Sauron. Frodo, nephew of The Hobbit protagonist Bilbo Baggins, vows to destroy the Ring, even if it costs him his own life. He carries the Ring to the volcanic innards of Mount Doom. All this he does on behalf of good-guy Aragon, who will never be able to escape the dreaded land of Sauron so long as the Ring retains its evil powers. Orson Bean, who'd been the voice of Bilbo Baggins in the 1977 Hobbit cartoon special, returns to portray Frodo. Return of the King originally aired May 11, 1980. 3 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |  61% (2) Jack Frost 48 min TV-G [Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance] [Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.] [13 Dec 1979]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 72%, Rotten Tomatoes: 50%, External Reviews Awards: N/A Actors: Buddy Hackett, Larry Storch, Paul Frees, Robert Morse Writer: Romeo Muller External Links: External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA Plot: Jack Frost ushers in winter every year, but he is upset that he is unable to interact with humans, since they cannot see him. When he falls in love with the young peasant woman Elisa, he requests to be made human and his superior, Father Winter, who agrees to make him permanently human as long as he has a house, horse, bag of gold, and a wife by the beginning of spring. When Jack arrives in town and is introduced to Elisa and her family, he learns they are oppressed by a greedy Cossack, who has eyes on the peasants' income and Elisa. And Jack must also contend with Elisa's childhood sweetheart, Sir Ravenal. Will he decide to remain human in the end? Rotten Tomatoes: The 1979 Rankin/Bass production Jack Frost is a made-for-TV stop motion animation feature. Buddy Hacket narrates the story as the voice of groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete. The spirit of winter, Jack Frost (voice of Robert Morse) falls for a young woman named Elisa (voice of Debra Clinger). He asks Father Winter to make him into a human so he can win her love. However, she is already engaged to the brave knight, Sir Danny. When the villianous King Kubla Kraus (voice of Paul Frees) kidnaps her, Jack has to turn back into his spirit form in order to use his powers to save her. 4 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |
 43% (2) Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July 97 min TV-G [Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance] [Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.] [25 Nov 1979]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 66%, Rotten Tomatoes: 20%, External Reviews Awards: N/A Actors: Alan Sues, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons Writer: Romeo Muller External Links: External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA Plot: Long ago the Lady Borealis placed the evil Winterbolt under a magic spell, and put the last of her magic into the nose of a newborn reindeer: Rudolph. But now Winterbolt's awake. He gives Frosty's family magic amulets to keep them from melting until the Fourth of July so that Frosty and Rudolph can help Lilly's circus and Milton can marry his girlfriend on the high-wire, and Santa will use his sleigh to make sure everybody gets back to the North Pole in time...which leaves Winterbolt alone at the North Pole on the Fourth... Rotten Tomatoes: Santa, Rudolph and Frosty are pitted against the sinister Winterbolt, who hopes to subdue Frosty, extinguish Rudolph's glowing nose and leave Santa lost in the fog forever. Voices... Santa: Mickey Rooney. Winterbolt: Paul Frees. Frosty: Jackie Vernon. Rudolph: Billie Richards. Lillie: Ethel Merman. 5 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |  67% (2) The Hobbit 90 min TV-PG [Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Musical] [Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.] [27 Nov 1977]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 68%, Rotten Tomatoes: 67%, External Reviews Awards: 1 win & 2 nominations. Actors: Brother Theodore, Hans Conried, John Huston, Orson Bean, Richard Boone Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Romeo Muller (adapted for the screen by) External Links: External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA, Japan Plot: Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit was just minding his own business, when his occasional visitor Gandalf the Wizard drops in one evening . One by one, a whole group of dwarves drop in, and before he knows it, Bilbo has joined their quest to reclaim their kingdom, taken from them by an evil dragon named Smaug. The only problem is that Gandalf has told the dwarves that Bilbo is an expert burglar, but he isn't.... Rotten Tomatoes: J.R.R. Tolkien's classic book about the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his unexpected adventures came to life in this animated, televised adaptation by Rankin-Bass Productions. Enthusiasts of Tolkien's lengthy and more demanding Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as adult readers of The Hobbit, may be disappointed by this somewhat simplified adaptation of the book, though children and first-time readers of Tolkien will appreciate its whimsical introduction to the fictional world of Middle Earth. As the story goes, 'In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit....' Bilbo Baggins would much rather relax in his comfy hobbit-hole or take long walks in the Shire than have adventures. After all, 'adventures make one late for dinner.' Unfortunately, Gandalf the Wizard shows up one day with other plans for Bilbo. Gandalf introduces Bilbo to a rag-tag band of dwarves whose leader, Thorin Oakensheild, asks Bilbo for help in recovering his family's treasure from the fire-breathing dragon Smaug. Bilbo meekly accepts the offer, and soon finds himself on a long journey through Mirkwood forest, to Smaug's dark lair in the Lonely Mountain. Along the way, the unlikely band is captured and nearly eaten by trolls, shackled and prodded by goblins, tied-up in webs and hung from trees by giant spiders, and finally imprisoned by the swarthy, distrustful woodland elves of Mirkwood. With keen hobbit-wits and a magic ring he finds in the goblin caves, Bilbo manages to free the band on several occasions and helps them recover their lost inheritance. Understandably, much detail was omitted from Tolkien's novel to fit this made-for-TV adaptation -- most notably the story of the group's encounter with Beorn the shape shifter, and the somewhat complex issue of the Arkenstone, a legendary gem which Bilbo steals from Smaug's treasure-trove unbeknownst to the dwarves. Rankin-Bass Productions made another foray into Middle Earth several years later with The Return of the King, picking up where animator Ralph Bakshi left his unfinished adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. 6 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |
 69% (1) Willy McBean and His Magic Machine 94 min N/A [Animation, Adventure, Family, Musical, Sci-Fi] [Arthur Rankin Jr.] [23 Jun 1965]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 69%, External Reviews Awards: N/A Actors: Alfie Scopp, Billie Mae Richards, Larry D. Mann, Paul Kligman Writer: Arthur Rankin Jr. External Links: External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: Japan, USA Plot: Frustrated genius Rasputin Von Rotten has decided to make his mark upon history once and for all by building a time machine to travel back to all the important achievements in history and take credit for them himself. The plan looks foolproof until his talking pet monkey Pablo runs off with the blueprints for the doctor's scheme. Pablo is discovered by boy genius Willy McBean, who decides to go back in time himself and undo the doctor's damage, if for no other reason than to keep from having to study history all over again. Rotten Tomatoes: In this animated children's feature, an evil professor creates a time machine with the intention of traveling back in time and changing the course of history, and it is up to Willie to stop him. 7 / 7 Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Copy URL |