LOTR was a work of passion , The Hobbit was a mess. With The Hobit , there was a change in directors (originally Guillermo del Toro) and lots of studio meddlin

LOTR was a work of passion , The Hobbit was a mess. With The Hobit , there was a change in directors (originally Guillermo del Toro) and lots of studio meddling (eg pushing for 3 movies when the original is a 200 pages book, inclusion of LOTR actors for wider appeal). I think Peter Jackson was brought in to try to salvage what he could.