The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

With the final battle joined and the legions of darkness gathering, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) urgently tries to rally Gondor's broken army to action. He is aided by Rohan's King Theoden (Bernard Hill), who unites his warriors for history's biggest test.

Yet even with their courage and passionate loyalty, the forces of men--with Eowyn (Miranda Otto) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) hidden among them--are no match for the enemies swarming against Gondor.

Still, in the face of great losses, they charge forward into the battle of their lifetimes, tied together by their singular goal to keep Sauron distracted and give the Ring Bearer a chance to complete his quest.

Their hopes rest with Frodo (Elijah Wood), a tiny but determined hobbit making a perilous trip across treacherous enemy lands to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom.

The closer Frodo gets to his final destination, the heavier his burden becomes and the more he must rely on Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin). Gollum-and the Ring itself-will test Frodo's allegiances and, ultimately, his humanity.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King concludes the epic story of these characters, their relationships and rivalries, and reveals how through courage, commitment and determination even the least of us can change the world.

Movie Details

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies,
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 201 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 2.35:1

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DVD Features:

Available Subtitles: English, Spanish

Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), English (DTS 6.1 ES Discrete), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

Commentary by: The Director and Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, The Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah, Tania Rodger, The Production/Post-Production Team: Barrie M. Osborne, Mark Ordesky, Jamie Selkirk, Annie Collins, Rick Porras, Howard Shore, Jim Rygiel, Ethan Van der Ryn, Mike Hopkins, Christian Rivers, Alex Funke, Joe Letteri, Randy Cook, Brian Van't Hul, The Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Lawrence Makoare, Smeagol & Gollum

DISCS 1-2: The Feature:

A new version of the third installment includes 50 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film. (approx. 250 minutes)

DISCS 3-4: The Appendices:

Disc Three: The Appendices Part Five – "The War of the Ring"

Peter Jackson Intro

"J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth" documentary

From Book to Script:

- "From Book to Script – Forging the Final Chapter" documentary

- Abandoned Concept: Aragorn Battles Sauron

Designing and Building Middle-earth:

- "Designing Middle-earth" documentary

- "Big-atures" documentary

- "Weta Workshop" documentary

- "Costume Design" documentary

Design Galleries – 2, 123 images:

- The Peoples of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio)

- The Realms of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio)

- Miniatures (galleries with docent audio)

"Home of the Horse Lords" documentary

"Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship" interactive map

"New Zealand as Middle-earth" interactive map with on-location footage

Disc Four: The Appendices Part Six – "The Passing of an Age"

Elijah Wood/Sean Astin/Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan intro

Filming The Return of the King:

- "Cameras in Middle-earth" documentary

- Production Photos (gallery) – 69 images

Visual Effects:

- "Weta Digital" documentary

- "The Mûmakil Battle" demonstration/interactive feature

Post Production: Journey's End:

- "Editorial: Completing the Trilogy" documentary

- "Music for Middle-earth" documentary

- "The Soundscapes of Middle-earth" documentary

- "The End of All Things" documentary

"The Passing of an Age" documentary:

- "Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for 'Into the West'" documentary

- "DFK6498" short film

- "Strike Zone" short film

Easter eggs: Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn interview Peter Jackson (2004 MTV Movie Awards), Dominic Monaghan interviews Elijah Wood posing as a German journalist

All four discs are DVD-ROM enabled, featuring a link to lordoftherings.net and access to exclusive online features

DVD International release dates:
North America: May 25, 04
Europe: May 25, 04