What would the effect of Walt Disney studios doing a version of JRR Tolkiens "The Hobbit" in the late 50s or early 60s, in their animated musical format of the time?
Walt offers him a dump truck of cash and it goes through.
It could kill the entire fantasy genre as we know it if children of the 60s, instead of encountering it as a counterculture phenomenon associated with emotionalism, escapism and rebellion, connect these tropes with fancy musical numbers and thirteen dancing dwarves.
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
To Erebor we go!
The Lonely Mountain calls to us!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
To Erebor we go!
From Hobbiton we leave today!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
To Erebor we go!
Thirteen Dwarves and Bilbo too!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
To Erebor we go!
To reclaim our lost and stolen gold!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
Hi ho! Hi Ho!
To Erebor we go!
The Dragon Smaug we must destroy!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
To Erebor we go!
With Gandalf's help we will prevail!
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
AFAIK Tolkien explicitly forbid that Disney would be allowed to make movies from his books.
Another point to make is that Walt Disney during the 1950s and 1960s was actually a major financial risk. Consider that Fantasia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 101 Dalmatians, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, and Cinderella were all financial flops at the time. Under these circumstances, Disney has less to bargain with in terms of getting the film made.
Samwise would be a talking squirel added for comic relief....... BLEGH!
Honestly:
I'm not sure, if it was 'old' Disney they might have tried to stay quite true to the source material.........but it prolly wouldn't have been a trilogy.
Arwen wouldn't be Arwen Warrior Princess ["Arda cried out for a hero"], she'd be Spunky Disney Princess. Double BLEGH!
Sure:Have you got a source for this? I'm pretty certain Snow White at least was massive, though the industry had doubts before it premiered. And I'm completely certain that the Fantasia flop story is overplayed.
As far as what the film might look like, probably not very good. It seems the quality went well downhill sometime in the mid-50s. Exigencies of television, that's my guess.
there was a very crappy animated Fellowship / the Hobbit a while back, I think it would be significantly worse than that. I shudder to think how they would have butchered it.