The Return of the King was released in 1980
Rankin and Bass won the animators battle to finish the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings with their version of the Return of the King. But their original working title: Frodo : Hobbit 2, was much more appropriate as they failed to leave behind their cartoonish, sing-song children’s entertainment despite more adult-oriented content. For Ralph Bakshi fans this was very disappointing, for Tolkien fans…until Jackson’s epic movies, it would have to do.
This Return of the King animation begins at Bag End. Home of the infamous Bilbo Baggins, where he notices that his nephew has returned from a long absence missing his ring finger. With the help of a lute player the story progresses, recounting the events that led to the destruction of the evil ring and the beginning of the age of men.
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Watching the epic films that Jackson made more recently, I found that Elija Wood’s portrayal of Frodo reflected the vision that Rankin-Bass had given us, in this Return of the King, rather than what Tolkien wrote. Maybe it was the fact that a 17 year old was cast to play a 50 year old hobbit, and that reeks of childlike. I can’t be sure. But juxtaposed against Sean Austin’s perfect portrayal of Samwise, Frodo’s faithful sidekick, Wood’s knowledge of the character seems to stem entirely from this Rankin-Bass Return of the King, rather than Tolkien’s novels, which Austin obviously read.
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This Return of the King ends a rather disjointed animated trilogy beginning with the Hobbit. But if you are a true fan of the story or either a fan of Rankin-Bass or Bakshi, you should watch all three to appreciate what is, as well as what could have been. And while you are taking it all in for the umpteenth time, ask yourself who read the epic novel and who just watched the films. Can you tell? What is your favorite adaptation, or are you a diehard book enthusiast?
