Three film adaptations of "The Lord of the Rings" have been made. The first was "The Lord of the Rings" in 1978, by American animator Ralph Bakshi, the first part of what was originally intended to be a two-part adaptation of the story. The second, "The Return of the King" in 1980, was a television special by Rankin-Bass. The third was "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy in the early 2000s by New Zealand director Peter Jackson, released in three installments as ', ', and "".