[1] While originally planned as an ambitious full-length adaptation,[3] the short film actually released was an "ashcan copy",[4][5] created solely to fulfil a contractual obligation and retain the rights[3] and never intended for public exhibition.

[1] A dragon named Slag has ravaged a town in Dale called Golden Bells, though General Torin Oakenshield and Princess Mika survive.

A proposed deal with 20th Century-Fox fell through, but Snyder was nevertheless required to meet his contractual obligation to produce a "full-color film" of The Hobbit by the 30th of June that year or lose his rights to the material (which had grown significantly in value due to a recent increase in interest in the works of Tolkien).

[3] Snyder asked Deitch to make a 12-minute version, quickly and cheaply,[8] purely to fulfil the wording of the contract.

[4][5] The short is only slightly animated; it consists mostly of camera movements over still pictures, with some cut-outs moving on the screen.

He paid people a dime to give back to him, and then came and watched the film in a small Manhattan projection room.