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The Return of the King (1980)

The Return of the King

⁽¹⁹⁸⁰⁾

Not Rated

1h 38m

Action, Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musicals

May 11th, 1980

5.6/10

3.9K

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The Return of the King

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Synopsis

The Return of the King, is a 1980 animated musical television film created by Rankin/Bass and Topcraft. The film is an adaptation of the The Return of the King, the third book in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Due to marketing by Warner Bros., the film is often credited by fans as the unofficial sequel to Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which is based on the first two volumes of the book. According to rumors, Rankin/Bass decided to do the project upon hearing that Bakshi's sequel finishing The Lord of the Rings was going to be left unmade. However, Rankin/Bass had always planned on making a sequel based on The Return of the King as their follow-up project to The Hobbit.

The special aired on ABC on Sunday, May 11, 1980. Critical and fan reaction to The Return of the King was lukewarm.

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Cast

Orson Bean
Frodo Baggins
Theodore Bikel
Aragorn
William Conrad
Lord Denethor
John Huston
Gandalf
Roddy McDowall
Samwise Gamgee
Theodore Gottlieb
Gollum
Paul Frees
Orc
Don Messick
King Theoden
John Stephenson
Gondorian Guard
Casey Kasem
Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck
Full cast & crew

Directors

Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.
Full cast & crew

Producers

Jules Bass
producer
Arthur Rankin Jr.
producer
Masaki Îzuka
associate producer
(as Masaki Iizuka)
Full cast & crew

Writers

J.R.R. Tolkien
(novels)
Romeo Muller
(adapted for the screen)
Full cast & crew

Taglines

The thrilling climax to J.R.R. Tolkien's classic hobbit stories ... in animation.
A Story of Hobbits.

Keywords

battle
epic battle
epic
All Keywords

Country of Origin

United States of America
Japan

Languages

English

Release Dates

May 11th, 1980 (Brazil)
May 11th, 1980 (Portugal) theatrical
May 11th, 1980 (United States of America)
All Release Dates

Alternative Titles

The Return of the King (original title)
El retorno del rey (Argentina)
The Return of the King (Australia)
All Alternative Titles

Running Times

98 min

Sound Mixes

Mono

Aspect Ratios

1.33 : 1

Production Companies

Topcraft
Rankin/Bass Productions

Distribution Companies

Roadshow Home Video (Australia) (as Roadshow Lorimar Home Video)
RCA (II) (United States of America) (CED VideoDisc)
Sony Video (United States of America)
All Distribution Companies

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