History WesternAnimation / TheReturnOfTheKing

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: While the Mouth of Sauron is still definitely one of the villains, he doesn't taunt Aragorn over Frodo's supposed capture/death here.

* FunnyBackgroundMoment: During the Breaking of the Gate of Minas Tirith, one of the orc drummers is shown with a joyous expression, as if his life's purpose were being fulfilled.

* FlamingSword: During Sam's ImagineSpot while the One Ring is [[TheFinalTemptation tempting him]], he envisions himself wielding a burning sword.

* StockSoundEffects: The Witch-King's ride oddly makes random cries of various monsters from ''{{Series/Ultraman}}''.

* BigOlEyebrows: Sam has a pair of these, as well as Gandalf whose unibrow had already been seen in ''The Hobbit''.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Of the last part of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. It has its own interesting history as it's technically the sequel of the [[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings Ralph Bakshi's work, which covered the previous two books]] before several issues led to that production being left unfinished and [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]] completed the adaptation of the last book.p, even though it differs from the previous movie in both tone and art style.

* {{Gonk}}: Pippin has an unusual character design completely different from any other hobbit. He looks sort of like Franchise/LupinIII if Lupin looked more like a monkey than he already does.

-->'''Minstrel:''' ''Why does he have nine fingers?''
-->'''Minstrel:''' ''Where is the ring of doom?''

-->''Just a garden and seed, and the love to pursue it."''

* AnimatedAdaptation: Of the last part of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. It has its own interesting history as it's technically the sequel of the [[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings Ralph Bakshi's work, which covered the previous two books]] before several issues led to that production being left unfinished and [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]] complete the adaptation of the last book. Even though it differs from the previous movie in both tone and art style.

** The reason why the Mouth of Sauron show up is left unexplained in the film due to the scene being truncated to him appearing them being sent off. In the book he's acting on Sauron's orders,taunting them with the knowledge they have one of the hobbits in captivity and purposing extreme terms of surrender that are rejected.

* AdaptationalJerkass: As mention in the YMMV page, Aragorn is more rude in this version of events.

* LighterAndSofter: In comparison with the book and the previous adaptation of The Lord of the Rings done by Ralph Bakshi.

* ATasteOfTheLash: The orcs ''sing a song'' about how much they hate being whipped.

* TheXOfY: Twice over, just like the book; ''The '''Lord''' of '''the Rings,''' '' and ''The '''Return''' of '''the King.'''''

* NoPronunciationGuide: Subverted. There IS a pronunciation guide, as in, a literal guide to the pronunciations, in the back of the book, but that didn't stop the movie from getting several of them wrong.

* AdaptedOut: Due to large portions of [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings The Two Towers]] being skipped over, Shelob does not appear despite being hinted at by Gollum at the end of Ralph Bakshi's ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'' although we do see a few webs in the tunnel. Likewise Frodo's mithril shirt is absent from the film.

** Somehow the orcs manage to lose everything important Frodo had on him. In the book Sam takes Sting and the Ring, before the orcs find his body.
** The orcs fighting over Frodo's cloak(that they don't even have) stretches disbelief. In the book they're fighting over his mithril shirt which they have and is sufficiently valuable to warrant such a brawl.
** Somehow the battle of the Pelennor Fields drags on for several days, long enough for Frodo and Sam to reach Mt. Doom.

* TravellingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: A rather glaring example, thanks to mangling Tolkien's timetables so Frodo and Sam manage to reach Mount Doom before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields ends, Sam somehow spends several days wandering inside Orodruin so Aragorn can get to the Black Gate in time

* AdaptedOut: Due to large portions of [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings The Two Towers]] being skipped over, Shelob does not appear despite being hinted at by Gollum at the end of Ralph Bakshi's ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings''.

** Visually, they look noticeably different from the [[{{Cephalothorax}} Goblins]] in ''The Hobbit'', a case of ArtShift. A few of the old-style goblins are mixed in, suggesting this is simply a more diverse force.

* OurOrcsAreDifferent: Than the [[{{Cephalothorax}} Goblins]] in ''The Hobbit'', a case of ArtShift.
** A few of the old-style goblins are mixed in, suggesting this is simply a more diverse force.

* DecoyProtagonist: While the lord of the rings books put the main focus on Frodo baggins, the animated adaptation instead puts the main focus on Samwise’s perspective, and making his decisions the ones that drive the story.