Bakshi was aware of Rankin/Bass's "The Hobbit" TV special, and angrily commented that ""Lord of the Rings" is not going to have any song for the sake of a record album." During the lawsuit, he commented that "They’re not going to stop us from doing "The Lord of the Rings" and they won’t stop us from doing "The Hobbit." Anyone who saw their version of "The Hobbit" know it has nothing to do with the quality and style of our feature. My life isn’t going to be altered by what Rankin-Bass choses to do badly.” Years later, he called their film "an awful, rip-off version of "The Hobbit"."