The Return of the King (Full Screen Animated): Amazon.ca: Orson Bean, John Huston, Theodore Bikel, William Conrad, Roddy McDowall, Brother Theodore, Paul Frees, Don Messick, John Stephenson, Casey Kasem, Sonny Melendrez, Nellie Bellflower, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Masaki �zuka, J.R.R. Tolkien, Romeo Muller: DVD

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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

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Customer Reviews

76 Reviews

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(12)
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3.0 out of 5 stars (76 customer reviews)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't overlook this one, Jun 1 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Return of the King (Full Screen Animated) (DVD)

I have to confess that I have a great deal of affection for this animated version of ROTK. In some ways it conveys the spirit of the book much better than the Peter Jackson film, particularly in the parts with Frodo and Sam. The character of Sam comes across as more complex and convincing than Sean Astin's portrayal in the film, although I don't want to criticise the actor as I suspect this was mostly the fault of the screenwriters. And Frodo's sense of resignation is also well captured here, again much more true to the book than his terrified portrayal by Elijah Wood in the film. Much more of Tolkien's original dialogue is preserved here, which helps a lot. For instance, more of Denethor's best lines are preserved in this 90 minute cartoon than was the case with the 3+ hour movie. I also think that the music overall helps to convey the heroic and lyrical tone of the book, compared to the unrelenting horror-movie feel of the Mordor scenes in the live action film, even though much of it is admittedly silly, although even the much ballyhooed "Where There's a Whip There's a Way" has some basis in the text. I think the voice actors were excellent overall, even though I didn't particularly care for Casey Kasem as Pippin, and the Nazgul Lord did sound a little too, well, cartoonish. Still, John Huston's Gandalf will forever be the voice I hear when I read the books; a classic performance. Even though you can poke holes in this version if you want to, I suppose my only real complaint is that it failed to establish any connection between Aragorn and Frodo. Since the entirety of "Fellowship" and "Two Towers" was summed up with something to the effect that Frodo and Sam had "come far and through many brave adventures," I don't think it would have been unreasonable to provide some similarly cursory treatment to establishing that the the march on the Black Gate was for the purpose of helping Frodo and Sam. One final word: I don't mean to come across as overly critical of Peter Jackson's films. In fact I enjoyed them tremendously. However, I think this version also has a lot to recommend it. Also, please forgive me for coming across as a "Tolkien geek" but I couldn't help myself.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Who needs Willow when you can have Frodo?, Oct 4 2001

By

M. L. Smith (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

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

Having watched "Return of the King"and"Willow", again,I came to
the conclusion that this film is better than "Willow"(No offense to any "Willow"fans;Remember,this is only a review and these
are only my opinions).Gollum is a villain you love to hate-he's
creepy,sneaky and dispicable;he possesses all the qualities that make him a great villain!Frodo is very brave and loyal,and he fights for what's right!The storyline is good,the scenery is well-done and the songs are good.Who needs nelwyns when you can have Hobbits?

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars There seems to be a bit of confusion, May 26 2004

By

J. Ruth "jsruth" (Piscataway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Return of the King (Full Screen Animated) (DVD)

The review here dated May 24, 2004 from an anonymous viewer in NJ (my home state) has CONFUSED this animated movie with the recently released Peter Jackson- Return of the King DVD.

THESE ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FILMS MADE MORE THAN 20 YEARS APART.

The animated Return of the King was a TV special released in 1980. For its time, it was an entertaining look at the last segment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Keep in mind that this was targeted at a younger audience, especially those who watched the animated Hobbit film. I recall watching this in middle school, my first taste of the fantasy genre.

And I will admit, I did compare one scene from the animated Return of the King (1980) with the live-action Return of the King (2003). It was the scene with Eowyn facing off against the Lord of the Nazguls. The animated movie hewed closer to the book in that more of the actual dialogue was used.

Eowyn's speech is a bit wordy and seems more at place in a stage play than in a fast moving battle. But I did enjoy how it paused the momentum of the Battle of Pelenor Fields and you get this beauty standing on the battlefield with her long blonde hair flowing in the wind like a banner of courage. I was hoping for equal treatment from Peter Jackson, but he kept this scene short. It is a critical moment in Eowyn's character development.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A bad movie!
This movie cracked me up. Songs like "Wheres there a whip, theres a way!" and funny lines from Bilbo Baggins like "bless my soul!" This movie is a crackup! Read more

Published on Jun 13 2004 by John Wolf

1.0 out of 5 stars PETER JACKSON DROPPED THE BALL!!!!
WHAT HAPPENED?!?!? So I see this in the video store and think 'Wow, ROtK came out already? Where's the hype, the hoopla? Oh, well, lucky me" and buy the DVD on the spot. Read more

Published on May 24 2004