The Return of the King (1980)

The Return of the King
File:The Return of the King, 1980 film.jpg Original VHS release cover
Based on	The Hobbit and The Return of the King  by J.R.R. Tolkien
Written by	Romeo Muller
Directed by	Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Starring	Orson Bean John Huston William Conrad Roddy McDowall Theodore Bikel
Theme music composer	Glenn Yarbrough
Composer(s)	Maury Laws
Country of origin	USA Japan
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Running time	98 minutes
Production company(s)	Topcraft Rankin/Bass Productions
Distributor	American Broadcasting Company (TV) Warner Bros.
Release
Original release	May 11, 1980
Chronology
Preceded by	The Hobbit

The Return of the King (also known as The Return of the King: A Story of the Hobbits), is a 1980 animated musical television film created by Rankin/Bass and Topcraft. The film is an adaptation of 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 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.

Parodies (Don't delete, but you can add some more)

1. The Return of the King (1980)/The Amazing World of Gumball
2. The Return of the King (1980)/The New Amazing World of Gumball
3. The Return of the King (1980)/T.U.F.F. Puppy
4. The Return of the King (1980)/Skunk Fu!
5. The Return of the King (1980)/How to Train Your Dragon
6. The Return of the King (1980)/Kung Fu Panda
7. The Return of the King (1980)/Dinosaur
8. The Return of the King (1980)/The Land Before Time
9. The Return of the King (1980)/Star Wars
10. The Return of the King (1980)/Back to the Future
11. The Return of the King (1980)/Indiana Jones
12. The Return of the King (1980)/The Wizard of Oz
13. The Return of the King (1980)/Pinocchio
14. The Return of the King (1980)/Sleeping Beauty
15. The Return of the King (1980)/The Pagemaster
16. The Return of the King (1980)/The Rescuers
17. The Return of the King (1980)/Fantasia
18. The Return of the King (1980)/Aladdin
19. The Return of the King (1980)/Hercules
20. The Return of the King (1980)/Monsters vs Aliens
21. The Return of the King (1980)/Frozen
22. The Return of the King (1980)/Tangled
23. The Return of the King (1980)/Moana
24. The Return of the King (1980)/The Lion King
25. The Return of the King (1980)/The Jungle Book (2016)
26. The Return of the King (1980)/Beauty and the Beast (2017)
27. The Return of the King (1980)/The Lion Guard
28. The Return of the King (1980)/The Good Dinosaur
29. The Return of the King (1980)/Spongebob Squarepants
30. The Return of the King (1980)/Regular Show