The dwarves tell of the terrifying dragon, Smaug, his destruction of the human town of Dale, and how he drove them from their mountain, stealing their hoards of gold. Bilbo also learns the perilous nature of the adventure that awaits him.

The dwarves stumble across a group of trolls feasting on mutton. Instead of avoiding them, they send forward Bilbo, their “expert burglar," to steal the meat from under the trolls’ noses.

Bilbo and the dwarves come to Rivendell, where they are enchanted by elven music and hospitality, and discover magic runes that guide them on their quest. But, back on the road, a violent storm halts their progress, and as they shelter in a dark cave, goblins attack!”

Gollum eyes Bilbo as a juicy meal, but little does he know that the hobbit has found the one thing he prizes the most, his precious golden ring! Losing a battle of wits and then the ring, Gollum flies into a rage, and Bilbo discovers just in time that the ring has magic powers.

Eagles swoop from the skies to pluck Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves from peril. But what are the eagles’ intentions? Do they mean to dash the group against the rocks? Or could this really be a goodwill rescue, and a favor returned after many years?

Bilbo helps the dwarves escape from an elven dungeon by hiding in wine barrels. After floating down an underground stream, they wash up in a town built on a lake, where a small colony of humans are living a perilous existence near the dragon Smaug. There, Thorin, leader of the dwarves, and grandson of King of the Mountain, declares his return!

Enjoy this episode from The Three Stooges, a long-running American slap-stick comedy act that appeared on vaudeville, television and the silver screen. Along with baseball and apple pie, it's a small slice of Americana!

Here’s another fun clip from the American alternative band They Might Be Giants’ Grammy award winning children’s album Here Come the 123s!

Learn and practice the days of the week in English with this fun kids’ video from the American alternative band They Might Be Giants’ album Here Come the 123s!

The band They Might Be Giants constructed a song with lyrics consisting just of the names of countries, so this is a great chance to brush up on the English forms of place names. But one hint: West Xylophone is, unfortunately not really the name of an actual country!

Learn about the elements and the wonders of chemistry in this fun kids’ video from the American alternative band They Might Be Giants!

Enjoy this animated version of the classic tale of Cinderella, wonderfully narrated by Alexander Pointer.

In the second part of the fairy tale, Cinderella goes to the palace and dances with the prince. At midnight when the clock strikes 12, she runs back home losing one of her glass shoes. The prince looks for her everywhere, until he finds the mysterious lady. Her foot fits the glass shoe perfectly. The prince and Cinderella fall madly in love with each other and live happily ever after.