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The Return of the King (1980)

Starring: Orson Bean, Theodore Bikel Director: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass Rating: NR (Not Rated) Format: DVD

3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (127 customer reviews)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	54% buy the item featured on this page: The Return of the King 3.0 out of 5 stars (127)
	19% buy J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King) 3.7 out of 5 stars (83) $25.49
	17% buy The Hobbit 3.7 out of 5 stars (234) $10.99
	7% buy The Lord of the Rings 3.3 out of 5 stars (344) $11.49

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Product Details

Actors: Orson Bean, Theodore Bikel, William Conrad, John Huston, Roddy McDowall
Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: September 11, 2001
Run Time: 97 minutes

Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (127 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00005MP5D
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,182 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#47 in Movies & TV > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Sword & Sorcery

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For more information about "The Return of the King" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

This is item 3 in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Animated) Series.

Special Features

Tolkien and filmmaker highlights

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The creative team behind 1978's impressive animation feature based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit return with this entry drawn from Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's good work all around, and not at all the kind of feature-length cartoon that reduces good books to treacle. Orson Bean returns as the voice of Bilbo Baggins as well as that of the trilogy's hero, Frodo. John Huston is commanding again as the voice of the wizard Gandalf, and also in the vocal cast are William Conrad, Paul Frees, and Roddy McDowall. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

FRODO THE HOBBIT IS BACK TO BATTLE THE EVIL FORCES THAT INVADED MIDDLE EARTH IN THE RETURN OF THE KING.

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Customer Reviews

127 Reviews

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(32)

Average Customer Review

3.0 out of 5 stars (127 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A "sequel" to "LOTR" done in the style of "The Hobbit", December 13, 2002

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: The Return of the King [VHS] (VHS Tape)

To be accurate, Ralph Bakshi's animated version of "The Lord of the Rings" only made it halfway through "The Two Towers" before suddenly concluding. My understanding was that because Bakshi did not get to "The Return of the King," the rights were available for Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. to do their own version for television in 1980 in the same style they had employed for "The Hobbit." In fact, Orson Bean is back to do the voices of not only Bilbo but also Frodo, and John Huston returns to provide a perefect voice for the wizard Gandalf.

"The Return of the King" certainly begins in the middle of things, with Sam (Roddy McDowell) trying to rescue the captive Frodo from the orcs and Gollum scrambling after his "precious" ring. Those who have read the trilogy will be able to pick up the narrative without any problem, but for the uninitated who have to try and enjoy this without some sort of "Previously on 'The Lord of the Ring,'" it is going to be quiet disconcerting. Clearly this version is geared for the kids, in the grand tradition of "The Hobbit," which was far and away the best of these three animated Tolkein films. Adults will undoubtedly cringe at some of these moments, as when the Orcs sing "Where There's a Whip There's a Way," but hopefully you will find a few small moments that you can enjoy. The chief charm of "The Return of the King" for me is that it does a decent job with my favorite scene of the Trilogy, when �owyn, the shield maiden of Rohirrim engages the Lord of the Nazgul in mortal combat during the Battle of Pellennor Fields.

Glenn Yarborough again does the music, as he did with "The Hobbit," but with notably less success. Except for the first little ditty about "Frodo of the Nine-Fingers and the Ring of Doom," the songs this time around add nothing to the telling of the tale. When you consider all the great moments from the book that were cut because of time constraints and then add to that list those that were jettisoned because of Yarborough's songs, it is the proverbial example of adding insult to injury.

The best case scenario is to show young children "The Hobbit," and use that as a way of inspiring them to read the book and then move on to the Trilogy or the Peter Jackson film's. If your children got a kick out of Gollum in "The Hobbit," then they might be interested in seeing what finally happens to him, but it does give away the climax of the Trilogy. So I am back to my original position, that you should whet their young appetite's with "The Hobbit." "The Return of the King" is made with affection, but it lacks the time and money to make it a worthy presentation of Tolkien's story.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Beware, the power that was simple now has grown", July 5, 2006

By	Larry Bridges "thebachelor" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Rankin-Bass' "Return of the King" is by far the most underrated of the six films that have been adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's works. One has to bear in mind that it was an animated prime-time television special aimed at children, that it was intended to be at least halfway comprehensible to viewers whose only previous Middle-earth knowledge came from the Rankin-Bass "Hobbit", and that the filmmakers were apparently unable to use any material whatsoever from the previous two volumes of Tolkien's trilogy.

Given all those restrictions and obstacles, it's amazing how good the Rankin-Bass RotK is and how much of Tolkien's work it captures. Viewers get to see many elements of the book that were excluded from the Peter Jackson films, from little things like the all-white standard of the Stewards of Gondor to big moments like Sam feeling pity for Gollum on Mount Doom. I also think Rankin-Bass' ending is sadder, and closer to the spirit of Tolkien's ending, than that of Jackson's trilogy.

So I wholeheartedly recommend this film for younger viewers. And as for all you adult Tolkien aficionados who have heard nothing but bad things about this movie: Give it a try; you just might like it!

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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible, February 10, 2000

By	Philip Schienbein (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Return of the King (VHS Tape)

Its understandable that the movie will have to deviate from the plot of the book in some respect, but this movie taken so many liberties it must have Tolkien spinning in his grave at a very high rpm. The movie's is in no way at all like the wonderful books its allegedly based on. Standing on its own, apart from the trilogy, this movie is trite, choppy, confusing and poorly written. It bears little plot resemblance, and in the end it actually contradicts many points made in the books. It may be suitable for very young or slow witted children, but thats about it (The books were written for adults). Please read the books at the very least before watching this movie or you may dismiss them as trash.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
The DVD was sent in a timely manner. Shipping packaging was excellent. Thank you for delivering a very good B-day present for me to give to a friend. M. Maklary

Published 16 months ago by M. Maklary

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting
this was cool to watch but it was kinda lacking. i guess this is supposed to be a sequel to the animated Lord of the Rings.. Read more

Published 19 months ago by M. Randall

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy it
I bought this "Lords of the Rings" (animated) DVD (and sold it again on eBay almost nothing).

The movie covered "The Fellowship of the Rings" and "The Two Towers"... Read more

Published on July 6, 2007 by Carsten Cumbrowski

5.0 out of 5 stars Grand adaption
I found this film to be absolutely wonderful. The many songs were great, and the odd animation was beautiful, especialy the backgrounds. Read more

Published on June 25, 2007 by Sammy Herring

1.0 out of 5 stars good stuff
It was nice to see this animated version. I had seen The Hobbit when it came out, but don't think I had seen this. Lots of fun

Published on May 28, 2007 by James E. Radford

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage! Pure trash!
The only reason I gave this one star is because I don't have the option to give it '0'! What pile of stinking refuse this waste of time and money is. Read more

Published on October 12, 2006 by J. Kramer

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Kids who aren't ready for the Peter Jackson trilogy
My boys (ages 5 and 7) have seen ads for the Peter Jackson trilogy, heard about it from classmates, etc. and were desperate to see The Lord of the Rings. Read more

Published on April 21, 2006 by E. Carson

3.0 out of 5 stars A Family Joke
Though lightyears better than the "Lord of the Rings" animated version, this movie has become a family joke. Read more

Published on November 19, 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Great final entry to the animated Tolkein Saga
The last entry in the animated Tolkein trilogy right next to the Rankin-Bass "Hobbit" and Bakshi's "Lord of the Rings". Read more

Published on September 8, 2005 by Ronnie Clay

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as bad as some think...a damn sight better, in fact
I don't agree with the reviewers here who find this 1970s gem cringe-worthy. Sure, Samwise spends way too much time talking to himself, but that's more the fault of Romeo Muller's... Read more

Published on June 21, 2005 by Real Name Withheld

› See all 127 customer reviews...

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