Synopsis:

Bilbo Baggins lives a simple life with his fellow hobbits in the shire, until the wizard Gandalf arrives and convinces him to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor.

Intentions:

I grew up with the book and the Rankin and Bass cartoon, and I'm familiar with the 2.5 hour edit that follows the animated film, along with others working to match the book, but I wanted to craft a version that satisfied my own idiosyncratic needs, along with my dad's - he's the one who raised me on fantasy and sci fi and he's been a lifelong Tolkien fan who read and comprehended the Silmarillion like it was a dinner menu. The extended version of my edit is for him and for others who want an experience closest to the book, so elements like the Goblin King's song and Beorn are retained. I took that version and cut twenty minutes out to better satisfy fans of the Jackson films who expect a quicker, more active pace. Ultimately I wanted to shape the story around Bilbo. After An Unexpected Journey, all of the additional elements added to the trilogy like Legolas and Tauriel, Alfrid and the Master, Azog and Bolg, and Gandalf and the Necromancer, all work against focusing the story on Bilbo, the titular Hobbit of the film! So long story short, my vision was to hone the edit down to focus on Bilbo and his arc by retaining only the scenes he's included in.

Change List:

Elements cut from both editions: Frodo, Radagast, Galadriel, Saruman Main speaking roles for Tauriel, Alfrid, Bolg the Ring's influence over Bilbo's actions All scenes with Legolas and older Bilbo beyond short cameos barrel ride fight scene the dwarves' attempt to smelt Smaug Bard's son helping him slay Smaug out of place humor and excessive action Elements exclusive to the Extended Edition the Goblin King's song Beorn and his assistance in the Dwarves' plight the Mirkwood vine scene the introduction of Dain Ironfoot the uncut final battle between Thorin and Azog Bilbo's encounter with the Sackville Bagginses Standard Edition runtime - 4 hours, 9 minutes Extended Edition - 4 hours, 30 minutes