The Return of the King

TV Movie
1980
U
1h 38m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

4.8K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,909

Swashbuckler Adventure Animation Family Fantasy Musical

Two Hobbits struggle to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom while their friends desperately fight evil Lord Sauron's forces in a final battle.Two Hobbits struggle to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom while their friends desperately fight evil Lord Sauron's forces in a final battle.Two Hobbits struggle to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom while their friends desperately fight evil Lord Sauron's forces in a final battle.

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Romeo Muller
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

4.8K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,909

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Romeo Muller
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos121

+ 115

Top cast13

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Orson Bean

Frodo Baggins
(voice)
…

John Huston

Gandalf
(voice)

Theodore Bikel

Aragorn
(voice)

William Conrad

Lord Denethor
(voice)

Roddy McDowall

Samwise Gamgee
(voice)

Theodore Gottlieb

Gollum
(voice)
(as Theodore)
…

Paul Frees

Orc
(voice)
…

Don Messick

King Theoden
(voice)
…

John Stephenson

Gondorian Guard
(voice)
…

Casey Kasem

Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck
(voice)

Sonny Melendrez

Peregrin 'Pippin' Took
(voice)

Nellie Bellflower

Eowyn
(voice)
…

Glenn Yarbrough

The Minstrel
(voice)

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Romeo Muller
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Many Tolkien fans were disappointed when Ralph Bakshi's 1978 adaptation of "Lord of the Rings" covered only the first two books of Tolkien's trilogy. When it became clear that Bakshi would not produce a sequel, Rankin and Bass finished the story for him with this TV movie. Many Tolkien fans agree that Bakshi's film was a more mature and detailed adaptation of Tolkien's stories.

Goofs
(at 9:20) The opening title card reads "The Return Of The King". Below it, the copyright line reads "RANKIN/BASS PRODCTIONS, INC. MCMLXXIX". The word "productions" is misspelled.

Quotes
Meriadoc Brandybuck: Nay, Pippin. Not till Bilbo has cut the cake.

Crazy credits
The end credits feature illustrations of landscapes from the film.

Connections
Featured in Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)

Soundtracks
Frodo of the Nine Fingers
Written by Glenn Yarbrough

User reviews66

Review

Featured review

good considering the time crunch

I really LIKED the whip song!!!

Considering this was a made-for-TV ANIMATED movie back in 1980, Rankin-Bass did an okay job trying to make amends for Ralph Bakshi's failure. R-B was hired to take the entire finale of LOTR and squeeze it down to under 90 minutes suitable for TV. By comparison, Peter Jackson spent over 90 million to make a 3 1/2 hour movie with a PG-13 rating.

R-B made some tough, hard, and brave decisions to pick what would stay, what would go, and what needed to be changed. Purists should stick with the books, but when you consider that Tolkien himself couldn't tell his whole story within the book and had to include appendices, it really isn't necessary to include every minute detail on TV.

The book spent over 100 pages just wrapping up all the "lose ends" after the ring was destroyed. The quest for the ring was the main plot, not dealing with Saruman, not resolving Aragorn's and Arwen's love, not even dealing with Legolas' and Gimli's bond. While these plots didn't make it to the movie and that's a shame, they are not essential to the main story.

I'm not saying the movie was GREAT. I still chuckle when I think that the actual RETURNING OF THE KING took a five second cameo, I stand by Rankin-Bass if only to pick up Ralph Bakshi's pieces, even in vain.