The special aired on ABC on Sunday, the 11th of May 1980. This animated musical fantasy television film emerged from Rankin/Bass Productions in New York City under the supervision of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass.
Orson Bean voiced both Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins in the final installment. John Huston returned as Gandalf the White alongside Roddy McDowall as Samwise Gamgee while Theodore Bikel provided the voice for Aragorn.
A legal threat loomed over the project when the Tolkien Estate and Fantasy Films filed a lawsuit claiming Rankin/Bass had not secured U.S. and Canadian television rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's book. The dispute settled amicably allowing the film to proceed with its scheduled May 1980 release.
Both critics and fans gave The Return of the King an indifferent reception upon its initial broadcast. Charles Cassidy of Common Sense Media awarded it a score of 3/5 while Steven D. Greydanus of Decent Films Guide assigned it a C grade due to the overbearing folk-ballad soundtrack.
The Return of the King first appeared on CED videodisc by RCA in 1979 before VHS releases began in 1991 through Warner Home Video. DVD availability started in 2001 both individually and within a boxed trilogy pairing it with Rankin/Bass's The Hobbit and Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings.