Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1924–2014)

The plot and the dialogue occasionally remind one of a Saturday morning cartoon. A good deal of the subtle humour of Tolkien's original is elided. But the actors and the animation are good. Some of the songs that the goblins sing are positively rousing. The appearance of Gollum and the goblins was ill-conceived, but the dwarves, and Gandalf, the elves, and the dragon are fine.

Sure it has problems, but on the whole it is well-executed, has a good moral arc, and my kids loved it.

I'm not a big fan of Santa Claus, but this movie on its own is fairly charming for a 1970s Christmas film.

This is one of a handful of cheesy 1960s-1980s movie that were a mainstay on USA television around the holidays well into the 2000s, I remember watching this among other films, they were goofy and cheesy but were fun to watch as a little kid. You can still watch this on streaming, so yay.