Did you know there is a version of The Soviet Hobbit in the 80's?

If you were struck by the incredible image quality and all the technology involved in filming Peter Jackson's “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, hold on to the armchair as a Soviet-created version of the film was discovered. Real bizarre relic!

According to the Tolkien Gateway website, " Сказочное путешествие мистера Бильбо Бэггинса, Хоббита " - or "The Fabulous Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit" - was produced in 1985 without a license. The production was directed to the children's audience of a Soviet television channel.

You can watch the full movie above - we hope your Russian is good as no other subtitles have been made available yet! - but be prepared for some embezzlement: in the Soviet version, no trolls, no Beorn or Elrond appear, and the spiders and Smaug are portrayed through puppets. Already the Goblins were starred by dancers from the then city of Leningrad.