Bakshi LORD OF THE RINGS on Blu-ray

Out last week, Ralph Bakshi's 1978 LORD OF THE RINGS adaptation is finally on Blu-ray, though varying reports don't seem to hold the high definition in such high regard. A shame, as this is probably as good as Bakshi's innovative animated adaptation will ever get on home media. Love it or hate it, I think it's worth noting that when Jackson first promoted his own take on the trilogy, he denied any influence from Bakshi, and only after a few people said, "Hey, don't you think a few of these scene looks suspiciously IDENTICAL to the animated version?" did Jackson admit that, oh, ahem, well, yeah, maybe I did watch that a few times when I was younger.

Some obvious fans at Wired drummed up a good little piece about Bakshi to celebrate the release. Some shockingly vivid original cel art over at Bakshi's site gives an idea of what a proper Deluxe Remastered Release might want to aim at looking like.