There may be a definite difference in their presentation, but I very much see these two Gandalfs as being the same figure -- both in terms of characterisation and in their thematic importance.
In both LotR and TH, Gandalf is there for part of the journey and absent for others: absent for those moments in which the heroes much first start really thinking/operating choosing for themselves. In this way, he is a guide and mentor, but not someone who forces change or awakening.
But for me, the clincher of the 'same' Gandalf idea comes right at the very end of TH, when Gandalf says to Bilbo:
Quote:
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'Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!'
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How many times in LotR do we see Gandalf expressing this same sentiment, albeit in a more grandiloquent style?