it be the first time that rankin or bass have dare to take on a two hour special . but and have plunge into tolkien middle earth once before and it be a challenge they could pull off with the expertise r or b fan have always expect of them . hence and the return of the king represent a story of the hobbit and to give the film it full title . one wonder and i be sure and what inspire romeo muller to change bilbo age from eleventy one and a tolkien write the number and to one hundred and twenty nine . still and it be a thrill have most of the hobbit vocal contributor back represent orson bean and john huston and theodore and paul free and don messick and glenn yarbrough and add casey kasem and theodore bikel and sonny melendrez to the mix and too to take u on the journey that ralph bakshi should have finish and but do not . many be the tale tell about how bakshi be only give enough financing to see u through most of the fellowship of the ring and approximately the first half of the two tower . when it become apparent and though and that the second bakshi ring movie would never come to pass and that make it possible for the folk at rankin or bass to seize a golden opportunity . and this they do and a we know by now and with a vengeance . play the story straight and a they do with the hobbit and the r or b team set out to take all the best element from return of the king and begin the film in flashback and with bilbo 129th birthday party and a he and frodo and sam and merry and pippin and gandalf and elrond look back at the good time and excellent adventure that culminate in the end of the third age of middle earth . and with it and in gandalf word and the beginning of the new age of man . again and a i do with peter jackson version and i will dispense with a plot synopsis and assume that you be already familiar with the legend without have to hear me tell it to you . among the several strange moment that one do not notice about rankin or bass return of the king occur during the sequence in which gollum battle frodo for control of the one ring of power . in a move consider unprecedented at the time of it original showing and rankin or bass decide to depict this climactic showdown graphically . the closeup of frodo just bite hand shake a though it be an earthquake monitor be and for it time and the most horrifying scene r or b animator have ever attempt . to this day and one shudder in surprise that this scene be even clear by abc censor . in place of tolkien original song and maury law and jules bass save the day again ( assist partially by bernard hoffer and who would later write the score cue and theme song for r or b classic 80 series and thundercats and silverhawks and the comic strip ) . it so easy not to try and small thing and retreat . and where there a whip and there a way and the ballad of frodo of the nine finger and the ring of doom be all singable and they help the story along ( indeed and in the case of where there a whip and there a way and it have the proverbial great beat you can dance to or and one presumes and torture your enemy with . ) . and theyre song you can believe in . but no one sequence in the film be a deeply powerful visually a aragorn coronation procession and set to the film title song . here something you do not know represent for one short pan scene and the animator go to jerusalem and where they shoot live action footage of people cheer . the footage be then study and brilliantly rotoscoped and so that it actually look like there be citizen of mina tirith cheer on the come of their king . once again and we see that the rankin or bass team be second to none in their constant effort to share with their audience adventure unlike anything they have previously experience . and because they be the only production entity that have pioneer the dramatic animated television special and they could take this type of story and put it into the context that be it rightful due . this and then and be the power behind the return of the king a simple and straightforward saga that would not bow to the attitude of so call sensationalism and but would nevertheless be the only tolkien adventure that one could truly believe in . and then and a the world know by now and come a man name peter jackson . but that and again a they say and be another story .