Brother Theodore, Casey Kasem, Glenn Yarbrough

Continuing the story they began in 1978's THE HOBBIT, directors Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin present THE RETURN OF THE KING, the close to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. As hobbits Frodo an...( read more  read more... )d Samwise head to Mount Doom to destroy the evil ring that brings plague to the land, they must overcome a number of obstacles--orcs, ring wraiths, the deadly Gollum, and the madness of the ring itself--while Gandalf and Aragon head an epic battle against the evil forces that threaten to destroy all of Middle-earth.

THE RETURN OF THE KING ends the cycle started in THE HOBBIT and continued in Ralph Bakshi's THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Viewers get to see an aged Bilbo Baggins contentedly smoking his pipe and listening to his nephew Frodo's tales. Orson Bean and John Huston reprise their roles as Bilbo and Gandalf. (Bean also lends his voice to Frodo.) And as with THE HOBBIT, there's plenty of thrilling action, masterfully painted backgrounds, and catchy Glenn Yarbrough songs.

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46% liked it

7,075 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

12 critics

DVD Release Date: September 11, 2001

Stats: 252 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (252)


  • October 2, 2009
    The original animated movie covered the first 2 books. It wasn't perfect, but it was very interesting to watch in this post-Jackson era. The Hobbit also had some wonderful designs and interesting moments. Return of the King, is a poorly rushed and choppy completion for the animat...( read more)ed saga. It looks very messy and the films points are skimmed over in hurried narration. It's an interesting watch, to see Lord of the Rings go so wrong.
  • July 8, 2007
    I really enjoyed "The Hobbit" by Rankin/Bass, but thought this movie was a bit of an embarrassment. The animation used the odd Rankin/Bass style as the Hobbit, so I couldn't fault it too much. I found most of the songs painful to sit through. I did get a good chuckle out of the d...( read more)isco Orc song "Where there's a Whip..."

    The story was quite easy to follow; there was narration which nicely explained things. The end battle was less than spectacular. The Hobbits, Orcs and Gollum were good, but the Human characters failed to offer any engaging interactions.

    I think this was made for TV - to excuse the Bakshi film which should've been made.
  • June 2, 2007
    Well-meaning animated crap. Watch the live-action version, instead.
  • November 28, 2006
    So incredibly bad. At least the animated Lord of the Rings wasn't a musical. We can't say that here. Although "Frodo of the Nine Fingers" is a catchy tune.
  • February 3, 2009
    This was great and very interesting but the ending may of let this film down because this must of had about 3 or 4 endings all together.
  • March 25, 2009
    I liked it, so there!
  • March 6, 2009
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • December 9, 2008
    great animated version of the story for kids to understand
  • December 7, 2008
    have not seen t his one! Loved the animated The Hobbitt. Roddy MacDowal does a voice on this.
  • August 6, 2008
    Nowhere near the classic that The Hobbit was. Songs suck and just not as enjoyable.

Comments


  • f1affi
    April 14, 2007
    i can see shy it's rated R...
  • lotr2cool
    April 6, 2007
    Why in the world is it rated R??? Too weird
  • sleddog323
    March 27, 2007
    that is f***ing hilarious
  • FatJedi
    March 6, 2007
    Rated 'R'? That's fucking hilarious.

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The Return of the King Trivia


  • In the extended edition of the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which character's head did Aragorn chop off prompting Gimli to remark "I guess that concludes negotiations"  Answer »
  • This movie featured the song "Into the West" sung by Annie Lennox.   Answer »
  • Which movie was the winner of the academy award " best picture " for the festival which took place in 2004 ?  Answer »
  • Add together the missing words to make a film title. ____ of the Flies Shaun __ the Dead Pirates of ___ Caribbean The Postman Always _____ Twice The ______ of Jafar Shaun __ the Dead Pirates of ___ Caribbean ____ Arthur  Answer »

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