The Return of the King

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The Return of the King

1980

1h 37m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Popcornmeter

67%

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15 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A Hobbit faces the powers of darkness as he tries to destroy the Ring of Doom. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels.

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Works even less well than The Hobbit, which really is a children's story… overbearing folk-ballad soundtrack doesn't even gesture lyrically to Tolkien's poetry.

Rated: C

Jan 30, 2004

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

A joyless failure which has only the latent strength of Tolkien's fantastic imaginings to give it any merit whatsoever.

Rated: 4/10

Dec 2, 2012

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Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

Cartoon tale is darker, more complex than others in series.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 15, 2010

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Caffeinated Clint

Moviehole

McDowall is terrific

Rated: 3/5

Feb 3, 2009

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Rated: 3/5

May 6, 2006

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Oct 14, 2005

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Doug D

I've always held a soft spot in my heart for Rankin/Bass, so that's where the second star comes in. But this one pushes the limits of my loyalty. Who decided that a folk-singing troubadour was the missing element that would complete this film? The songs work against the movie and make it cumbersome to finish watching.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Leprechaun K

Animation wasn't great. The storytelling is intact but just too many songs along the way.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

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Bobby B

Not bad but... not good. Just kinda forgetful. But when a character says something and then a song starts playing with that sentence as the first line and im just like🙄

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

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matthias s

**The Return of the King (Animated) - 2.5 Stars** As a Tolkien fan who adores the live-action trilogy and that entire universe, I decided to give the original animated *Return of the King* a shot. The nostalgic animation style is gorgeous, and I was impressed by how faithful it is to the book. The voice acting? Fantastic. But what truly shines is the music—those songs are weirdly charming and memorable. That said, this movie’s biggest flaw is its focus on *only* the final part of the story. If you haven’t read the books or seen the other films, good luck figuring out what’s going on. The incomplete narrative makes it feel disjointed and slow, even for fans. I can’t say I hated it—it’s got a certain old-school magic—but it’s not a movie I’d revisit unless you’re already invested in Middle-earth. For non-fans, this would be a hard pass.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/25

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George B

Not great, but since I love the story of the Return of the king so much, I'll give it a pass.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

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Jason B

I grew up watching this movie and loved it! I've recently purchased it again to add to my collection.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/31/23

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Jules Bass

Director

Arthur Rankin Jr.

Director

William Conrad

Lord Denethor

Orson Bean

Frodo Baggins

Theodore Bikel

Aragorn

Paul Frees

Orc

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Synopsis

A Hobbit faces the powers of darkness as he tries to destroy the Ring of Doom. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels.

Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (TV): May 11, 1980
Runtime: 1h 37m