Bakshi's virtually all challenging effort (& his best known when his animated adaptation of the underground comic Fritz the Cat), the film was by Saul Zaentz's Fantasy Films, but distributed to theaters by United Artists.

Lot of the film utilized survive-action footage which was so rotoscoped to produce an animated look. This economised production costs & arguably gave the alive characters a additional naturalistic look. Numbers of of the actors world health organization contributed voices to this production likewise acted out their area for rotoscoped scenes. A actions of Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee were performed by Billy Barty. A select few critics seemed to guess that a sections of the film by using rotoscoped animation were inferior within quality to "normal" alive films.

Despite criticism, the film was the immense hit, grossing $16 million at a pack professional (dollars and cents was $8 million), however United Artists, world health organization wrongly believed the film to exist as a flop, refused to fund a sequel which would keep close at hand completed Tolkien's story in film.

Around an attempt to "finish" Tolkien's story & produce it further complete for audiences, a Rankin-Bass animation studio (fresh on the heels of the profits of its last TV adaptation of The Hobbit) produced an alive TV special based on the final part of The Lord of the Rings. Their adaptation of The Return of the King finished the story & answered virtually all of the questions raised by Bakshi's alive film.

Yet, many unsolved story developments between A Lord of the Rings & A Link to of the King were left unsolved, especially a betrayal of Frodo by Gollum, & a attack of Shelob the monster spider-creature.

Warner Bros. (a rights holder to the post-1974 Rankin-Bass library and virtually all of the Saul Zaentz theatrical backlog) has freed A Hobbit, A Lord of the Rings, & A Link to of the King in VHS and DVD, both when separate packaged & as a boxed-placed "trilogy" of films.

Despite a release of Peter Jackson's recent film trilogy based on Tolkien's function, numerous fans of Bakshi's operate however desire him to complete Tolkien's story inside his have style.

Cast

Christopher Guard .... Frodo Baggins (voice)

William Squire .... Gandalf (voice)

Michael Scholes .... Samwise Gamgee (voice)

John Hurt .... Aragorn (voice)

Simon Chandler .... Meriadoc (voice) Dominic Guard .... Pippin (voice) Norman Bird .... Bilbo Baggins (voice)

Michael Graham Cox .... Boromir (voice)

Anthony Daniels .... Legolas (voice) David Buck .... Gimli (voice)

Peter Woodthorpe .... Gollum (voice)

Fraser Kerr .... Saruman (voice)

Philip Stone .... King Théoden (voice)

Michael Deacon .... Wormtongue (voice)

André Morell .... Elrond (voice)

Alan Tilvern .... Innkeeper (voice)

Annette Crosbie .... Galadriel (voice)

John Westbrook .... Treebeard (voice)

Stan Barrett .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Hank Calia .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Louie Elias .... Extra Voices (uncredited)

Leonard P. Geer .... More Voices (uncredited)

Chuck Hayward .... More Voices (uncredited)

Eddie Hice .... More Voices (uncredited)

Loren Janes .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Gary Jensen .... More Voices (uncredited)

Terry Leonard .... More Voices (uncredited)

Dennis Madalone .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Walter Robles .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Mic Rodgers .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Felix Silla .... Extra Voices (uncredited)

Mel Smith .... (uncredited)

Jack Verbois .... Other Voices (uncredited)

Greg Walker .... Extra Voices (uncredited)

Crew

Directed by Ralph Bakshi Screenplay by Peter S. Beagle and Chris Conkling

Produced by

Nancy Eichler .... adjunct producer

Saul Zaentz .... producer

Original Music by

Paul Kont Leonard Rosenman

Motion-picture photography by

Timothy Galfas

Cutting by

Donald W. Ernst

Denise O'Dell .... production supervisor John Sparey .... adjunct director Madlyn Zusmer .... paint technician Jim Henrikson .... music editor Stephen Katz .... stereo healthy advisor: Dolby Curt Schulkey .... adr editor Curt Schulkey .... dialogue editor Dan Sharp .... help healthy editor Cathy McKelvey .... helper healthy editor (uncredited)

John Post .... healthy results editor (uncredited) Janet Cummings .... color modeler

James W. Riley .... ocular results producer Stunts: Stan Barrett Hank Calia

Louie Elias Leonard P. Geer Chuck Hayward Eddie Hice

Loren Janes

Gary Jensen

Terry Leonard Dennis Madalone

Walter Robles

Mic Rodgers

Felix Silla

Jack Verbois Greg Walker

Dale Baer .... layout artist

Billy Barty .... animation could have-fill-in: "Bilbo Baggins", "Samwise Gamgee" & "Frodo Baggins"

Carl Bell .... key animator

Ralph Ferraro .... orchestrator

Brad Frost .... adjunct animator Steven E. Gordon .... animator

Kevin Hanna .... layout artist

Ray Harris .... adjunct animator Mentor Huebner .... layout artist Sam Jaimes .... animator

David Jenas .... layout artist

Manuel Perez .... animator

Richard Raynis .... background illustrator Joe Roman .... animator Phil Roman .... animator

Martin Taras .... animator

Tom Tataranowicz .... animator

Barry Temple .... adjunct animator Henry Tucker .... animator

Louis Zingarelli .... layout artist

Tim Burton .... inbetween creative person (uncredited)

Daryl Carstensen .... xerox checker (uncredited) Hollis Trainer .... costume supervisor (uncredited)

Trivia

Rotoscoped action scenes were filmed around Spain.

Cel animation was produced & shot for this film, however was cut retired at a eleventh hour. Except for the cel-animated shot of the hobbits at Bilbo's birthday person, a final product is completely rotoscoped.

Though non the large fiscal profits, this film sparked plenty interest within Tolkien's operate to provoke non sole a Rankin/Bass Go to of the King, however the complete adaptation of The Lord of the Rings on BBC Radio. For this broadcast, Michael Graham Cox & Peter Woodthorpe reprised their roles of Boromir & Gollum, severally.