The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (1980) | Animated Movie

**The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (1980) | Animated Movie** The Return of the King (1980) Year: 1980 Runtime: 98 minutes Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. Producers: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. Genre: Animation / Fantasy / Musical Language: English The Return of the King (1980) is an animated fantasy television film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by the Japanese studio Topcraft. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Return of the King, the film follows Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, while Gandalf, Aragorn and the forces of the West confront Sauron's armies. The film features the voices of Orson Bean, Theodore Bikel, John Huston, Roddy McDowall and William Conrad. The Return of the King originally aired on ABC on May 11, 1980. It serves as a follow-up to Rankin/Bass' The Hobbit (1977). The events of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers are briefly summarized before the story continues with The Return of the King. 0:00 The quest begins 1:46 The birthday celebration 4:39 The prophecy of the ring 7:21 Sam's resolve 11:05 Journey through Mordor 14:01 The burden of the ring 17:56 Reflections on simple life 20:49 The siege of Minas Tirith 24:30 Denethor's madness 28:19 Breaching the tower 32:17 Reunion and realization 36:58 Escape from the tower 41:36 The long trek 47:44 Caught in the march 52:13 Final approach to Doom 55:26 The tide turns 58:44 Scaling the mountain 1:04:01 Gollum's interference 1:08:45 The final battle 1:11:51 The struggle for the ring 1:16:22 The fall of Sauron 1:22:24 Victory and return 1:28:22 The final voyage