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Anyone who has readThe Hobbitor watched the flick knows that they are full of all sorts of magical creatures and races , some of whom are benevolent , and many of whom are , to put it gently , unpleasant . principal among these are the Goblins , who seem to go out of their way to be cruel , malicious , and destructive .
In the book , one of the most evil of these creatures is the Great Goblin , who has Bilbo and the Dwarves dragged before him in chain . Despite the fact that he only seem shortly , there are still quite a few things that fans should live about this character .
Has Appeared In Both Film Adaptations
Unlike some of the other eccentric , the Great Goblin appears in both of the major motion picture adaptation , the one made by Peter Jackson and theone made by the company Rankin / Bass .
In the former , he ’s quite an despicable creature , even by Goblin standards , while in the latter he has the same sorting of unthinking and squat appearance as many of the other character . In both cases , he ’s an fabulously unpleasant animate being , though it has to be said that in Jackson ’s variation he is at least a fiddling amusing .
Was Portrayed By The Barry Humphries In Jackson’s Film
A significant reason for the Great Goblin ’s rather lighthearted coming into court in the Jackson pic stem from the fact that he is impersonate – both in vocalisation and in motion capture – by the comedic wizardry Barry Humphries .
Most viewers will recognize Humphries not for himself , necessarily , but for his alter - ego Dame Edna , have it off for her flamboyant hair color and witty banter and commentary . One can see refinement of this theatrical role in the Great Goblin , even as Humpries crap it pretty clear that this is one creature that is unpleasant indeed .
Only Appears In The Hobbit
lover of Tolkien ’s work will know that several of the characters inThe Hobbitcarry over into its subsequence , The Lord of the Rings . Bilbo , evidently , plays a significant role in the latter , though not nearly as much as his cousin ( and adopted inheritor ) Frodo . However , the Great Goblin is restricted exclusively to the events ofThe Hobbit .
This is hardly surprising since he ’s pour down by Gandalf . What ’s a little more surprising , however , is that he does n’t really get much much more of a backstory in any of the subsidiary material either .
His Death Helped Trigger The Battle Of Five Armies
When Gandalf slays the Great Goblin in the book , it ’s a critical present moment in both the Christian Bible itself and in the events of the wider world .
In fact , his end discomfit the Goblins so much that they get mass for an assault on the Dwarves and , as readers will know , this head justly up to theBattle of Five Armies , in which many will misplace their lives(including none other than Thorin himself ) . The movie downplays this somewhat since there ’s an survive feud between Thorin and the Orc Azog .
In The Animated Film, He Was Voiced By John Stephenson
The Rankin / Bass version of this taradiddle has a routine of a mixed reputation , in part because the vivification style is so foreign ( to American eyes ) , and because it takes so many unneeded liberties with the source material .
However , it has to be said that the phonation actor who supply his interpreter to the Great Goblin , John Stephenson , does a passably good chore making this a reference that ’s more than a little terrible . Animation sports fan will recognize Stephenson for his study with many animated cartoons , particularly those from Hanna - Barbera .
He Has More Of A Role In The Jackson Film Than In The Book
In the book , the Great Goblin does n’t really have much to do in the plot itself . In fact , he does n’t really last that long since Gandalf make little piece of work of him . However , given that Jackson decided to elaborate the novel into three cinema , he gave this part more to do .
In part , it ’s made clear that he is in some form of direct contact with Azog himself since he mete out a servant to carry a message to the Orc chieftain .
He Knew Thorin’s Blade On Sight
In the novel , it ’s indecipherable at first what incisively , the heavy Goblin is going to do with his captives . All of this changes , however , when he catches batch of Thorin ’s brand , which he like a shot recognizes as an Elf sword . His wrath is so heavy that he almost hit the Dwarf down on the dapple .
As reader will know , this is because the Elves have a long history of warfare with the Orcs , and the two group hate one another with a vehement passion .
Occasionally Had A Craving For Fish
Though this is n’t indicate in the film , the Bible reveals that the Great Goblin would occasionally decide that he had a craving for fish , and he would off his retainer to the lake that survive deeply down in the mountains .
Of course , this is the very lake upon whichGollum had made his home , and there were several of the Great Goblin ’s handmaiden that never did make it back to their master ( this also explains why many Goblins were afraid of Gollum ) .
In Jackson’s Film He Already Knows Who Thorin Is, Whereas In The Book It’s Less Clear
In Jackson ’s film , it ’s clear decent away that the Great Goblin get laid who Thorin is . He not only announces that Thorin has a H.M.S. Bounty on his head , but he also mocks Thorin for being king of nothing .
In the novel , it ’s a piddling less clearat first whether the swell Goblin knows who Thorin is since it seems as if he project the Dwarves as nonchalant interlopers rather than as part of a great conspiracy .
His Death Also Helped The Company Persuade Beorn To Offer Them Shelter
Beorn is one of the great characters of this story . As a man who can exchange himself into a bear ( or is it perhaps the other way around ? ) , he ’s something of an enigma . He play a pretty substantive theatrical role in the films , obviously , butin the record , he ’s a rather quicksilver sort of character .
In fact , it ’s really only after he finds out that Gandalf and the Dwarves slew the Great Goblin that he settle to receive them to his home base .
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