Gene Deitch
From Tolkien Gateway
Gene Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020), an American Academy Award-winning animator, was the director and creator of the first animated film of The Hobbit in 1966. The film was produced by William Snyder and was made in under a month. The running time for the film was a miniscule 12 minutes and was produced simply so Snyder could extend his license for The Lord of the Rings, and sell it back to Tolkien and his publishers for $100,000.
External Links
- Official Website
- Gene Deitch at Wikipedia
- Gene Deitch at IMDb
- "Hobbit-alized" by Gene Deitch - An explanation of the circumstances behind the 12-minute film
