Live Action Discussions: Return to Oz

[ichabod]

<center>

Return to Oz (1985)



Originally released - 21 June 1985
Director - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004555/">Walter Murch</a>

Based on the novels <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ozma-Oz-L-Frank-B ... ooks">Ozma of Oz</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Land-Oz-L-Frank-B ... books">The Land of Oz</a> by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000875/">L. Frank Baum</a>

Main Cast
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000103/">Fairuza Balk</a> - Dorothy
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932116/">Nicol Williamson</a> - Dr Worley / Nome King
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0550577/">Jean Marsh</a> - Miss Wilson / Princess Mombi
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001453/">Piper Laurie</a> - Aunt Em
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0164273/">Matt Clark</a> - Uncle Henry
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005008/">Brian Henson</a> - Jack Pumpkinhead (voice)
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057278/">Sean Barrett</a> - Tik Tok (voice)
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0117350/">Denise Bryer</a> - Billina (voice)
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0176732/">Lyle Conway</a> - Gump (voice)
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143225/">Justin Case</a> - Scarecrow
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0018515/">John Alexander</a> - Cowardly Lion</a>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746989/">Deep Roy</a> - Tin Man
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0725973/">Emma Ridley</a> - Ozma

Academy Award Nominations
Best Effects

Domestic Gross - $11,137,801 ($20,644,149 adjusted)</center>

If you loved THE WIZARD OF OZ, you`ll love accompanying Dorothy on this second thrilling adventure based on L. Frank Baum`s "Oz" books! Dorothy finds herself back in the land of her dreams ... and makes delightful new friends (like Tik Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Gump) ... and dangerous new enemies (the creepy Wheelers, the head-hunting Princess Mombi, and the evil Nome King). With every twist in the yellow brick road, you`ll find awesome new surprises and special effects that will astound you!

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Well being a follow up to undoubtedly one of the word's most popular and beloved films is never going to be easy. Coming more than 40 years after The Wizard of Oz, it's a film of a completely different nature.

The Oz books have been adapted many times in many different ways, as we know in the 1950s Walt envisaged a film called 'The Rainbow Road to Oz', which would star the mousketeers, but that fell through and it wasn't until 1985 that Disney and Oz combined. Although some feel the original Oz cannot be criticised, I have to say its saccharineness I do find slightly overbearing, and Return to Oz is in direct contrast. Oz is dark, mysterious and incredibly eerie right from its twighlight-zone esque opening. Creepy fantasy is something I find works much better than happy fantasy, which for me is why I find Return to Oz to be slightly better than the Judy Garland classic.

And creepy this film most certainly is, from Dorothy being sent away for electric treatment to a creepy hospital to stop her thinking about Oz, to the villainous Nome King and the Wheelers, to the vicious Princess Mombi who can change heads. When Dorothy finally makes her way to Oz, the yellow brick road has been destroyed, the emerald city lies in ruin and its citizens along with the tin man and the cowardly lion have been turned to stone, the evil Mombi has decapitated the girls to have the heads for herself.

Return to Oz is a wonderful combination of live action, stop-motion animation, animatronics and puppetry. One of the 80s production with the Silver Screen Partners as a production company, the effects vary from stunning to slightly outdated. The stop motion Nome King and his henchman, seem slightly dated. Some of the sets however are stunning with wonderfully elaborate, embellished glass and gold ornaments particularly where Mombi resides.

However the film is not far from perfect for two main reasons. Some of the dialogue is pretty corny, particularly between the villains such as the wheelers, the nome king and his henchmen. It's very "Mwah ha ha ha [insert villainous laugh]" if you get what I mean and it does distract, especially the whole quaking in fear at the very mention of chickens nonsense.

But the main reason that prevents the film being wonderful is that the I feel the second half lets it down. The first half of the film is amazing. The drama of Dorothy, her being taken to the hospital, her dramatic escape, her rescuing of Pumpkinhead, Tik Tok and trying to steal the powder from Mombi to bring the Gump to life is all wonderful but then as they approach the Nome King's home and we reach the climax of the film it all just slows down and becomes slightly lackadaisical and after all the creativity and action we come to what is in effect an elaborate guessing game of who is hidden where.

Whilst it does have its faults, it's still a solid piece of entertainment. Even though its not as rememberd or entertaining as "The Wizard of Oz", it does have a much stronger overall story and more drama, but perhaps it lacks the charm of the Judy Garland adaptation.
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Next time: Kidnapped

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[brownie]

I love this movie! It was one of my childhood favorites. It saddens me that not that many people I know have seen or heard of it.

[my chicken is infected]

The original Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland is my #2 favorite movie of all time, which might make one think I'd HATE Return To Oz. Absolutely not. I absolutely LOVE Return To Oz. It's beautifully dark and mysterious and creepy and eerie, and most of all, it's so VERY 80's, right down to the music. It's a shame people don't love it half as much as they love the 1939 film. I think part of it is that people can't separate the two. The only real ties to the 39 film, to me, are the ruby slippers (Instead of silver, like in the books.) and Oz being a fantasy in Dorothy's mind. I think if people watched it on its own and tried to keep the 39 version out of their minds while watching it, they might appreciate it more.

[Flanger-Hanger]

This was one of those over-budget under-preforming fantasy movies of the 80's that is forgotten easily. However I think this movie is great and shows Oz for what it really is, a dark, scary, yet still wonderful place. The sets are beautiful with there mirrors and iron design and Oz seams more realistic and allot bigger in this movie than the 1939 movie.

The characters are excellently done particularly Jack Pumpkinhead (who does not want to take over Christmas) and Tick Tock (and if you've seen this movie you'll get one of the jokes from Wicked) and the clamation is amazing.

This movie was heavily promoted with even its own part for the Main Street Electrical Parade with actual costumes and sets from the movie. but it just isn't remembered by the public. (I bet it would do really well if released today)

[my chicken is infected]

What's the joke from Wicked? I've seen the play and Return To Oz, but it's been a while for both.

[Flanger-Hanger]

it's during the "Thank Goodness" number when Glinda says "Will you excuse us for just a tick tock" not really a joke but a reference. She also says "Now wait just a tick tock" a couple times to.

[RachelSmachel]

I really like this movie. As a fan of all things strange and bizarre, you can easily see how it appeals to me. It’s just so full of wonderful imaginative things. The first Mombi head scene I particularly adore. It is also a very visual film which I also love. The "not-quite-right" feeling that Oz gives off sets the perfect atmosphere for this film.

[SpringHeelJack]

It's not really a joke, per se...In the far superior book, Morrible herself has a Tik-Tok nammed Grommetik, and it is implied she has him do some dirty deeds for her.

[Flanger-Hanger]

I forgot about that part of the book.

But I find the book and movie to be too different to compare.

[goofystitch]

This movie scared the bajesus out of me as a kid. My older brother was really into sci-fi and would watch this and "Flight of the Navigator" all the time, both of which freaked me out. I was always a big fan of the 1939 classic and even played a munchkin in my local theater's production (I got to sing "And oh, what heppened then was rich!" in the munchkin song). I had seen this on TV several times, but I usually stopped watching when Mombi began to take off her head. I would always crave sandwiches when Dorothy found the trees that grew lunch pails. Anyways, I bought the film when it came out on DVD and I like it much more now than I did as a kid. I think the reason that this film isn't very popular is that when most people think Oz, they think of the happy and bright 1939 film and not the book series, which I hear is more closely linked with Return to Oz than the MGM classic. I read somewhere that this film has been embraced by diehard fans of the L. Frank Baum book series, but not by the general public. Perhaps this film would have done well if it was released before 1939, but at the same time, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good and I really love the 80's influences in the film.

[slave2moonlight]

Well, here is a major fave of mine! I'd have to say the biggest problem "Return to Oz" has is that everyone seems to think it was meant to be a sequel to the MGM classic, when it is just an adaptation of 2 Oz books that works in some stuff from the classic film (like the Ruby Slippers) probably just to not confuse the general public. Myself, I'm a HUGE fan of the classic film. I also have always had a crush on Dorothy in that film, ever since I was very little. Not big on Judy Garland in general, but am totally in love with her in Oz and some of her black and white stuff. However, I am also a HUGE fan of "Return to Oz." I don't THINK I saw it in theaters, but I might have. All I know is, I became a huge fan from the Disney Channel airings years ago, and now I have the Anchor Bay DVD (hope to get the Disney DVD eventually), which I watch a lot.

Yes, it's very "'80's fantasy," but 80's fantasty films are cool, in moderation. They're all kinda creepy! They take you to other worlds in a very realistic way, probably due to the lack of CGI, ha. They have eerie music and crazy ideas! This film's strongest point is probably that mysterious, '80's fantasy film quality that it has. Of course, it also has fantastic characters and effects, sets, and performances, and the creepy factor is high. I have to say that this film manages to be wonderful to me, as the so-called corny dialogue doesn't really bother me. After all, this takes place in OZ. It's a weird place. I also love the second half of the film in the Nome King's Mountain. The guessing game takes some wits to finally win, and it's pretty tense. I was always fascinated with the limestone cakes and hot melted silver Dorothy is treated to. Of course, she luckily didn't drink the silver. And, ya gotta love the first head we see on Mombi, that cutie from "Young Sherlock Holmes." That whole bit in the asylum was awesome too! And Ozma was also great! Tic Tock, the Gump, Jack! I love it all! Outstanding film! And it even passes for a Halloween movie! In fact, it's one of my must watch Halloween films, though I do watch it at other times of the year too. Love this flick! Anyone else who loves it should check out "The Worst Witch," starring Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry, and "Witches," starring Angelica Huston!

[Flanger-Hanger]

I wasn't trying to make "80's Fantasy" sound bad because I too love 80's fantasy's, like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride (which kinda parodies the fantasy movies of the 80's).

[slave2moonlight]

I wasn't trying to make "80's Fantasy" sound bad because I too love 80's fantasy's, like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride (which kinda parodies the fantasy movies of the 80's).

Well, if this was directed at me, FH, don't worry. I don't think I had even read your post.

Anyway, something else I wanted to mention was that it's a shame they didn't make more merchandise of this film for us collectors. It would be nice if all the retro toy/action figure folks would revisit this movie, since it IS an 80's fantasy with a cult following, which they are hitting like crazy nowadays. I could easily imagine Return to Oz dolls and action figures, among other stuff, at the local Hot Topic.

[Disney Lover]

Yes definitly one of my favorite movies. It took me ages to find a copy of the dvd. I'm glad I have it now though so I can watch it whenever I want.

It's definitly darker then the 1939 movie but I think thats what gives it its charm in a way.

[candydog]

It's a great film, but it used to scare the living cr*p outta me! It really is very dark and mysterious - not the all dancing all singing 30s classic, but a great movie in it's own right. If you liked labyrinth, you'll love this!

[SpringHeelJack]

I forgot about that part of the book.

But I find the book and movie to be too different to compare.

Wait, which book are you talking about? I meant "Wicked".

[my chicken is infected]

Anyone else who loves it should check out "The Worst Witch," starring Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry

LOVE this movie! Absolute 80's cheese.

[goofystitch]

I watched "The Worst Witch" alot as a kid. They used to play it on Disney Channel every Halloween. I can still sing the opening song word for word. "Growing Up Isn't Easy." lol. My little brother got into a BBC TV series they did around 5 years ago. They played it on HBO and when I saw that he was watching it, I tracked down a VHS copy of the original to show him what I used to watch.

[reyquila]

Cheesy and creepy!!! But of course I have it!! It's Disney man!!!

[Flanger-Hanger]

I forgot about that part of the book.

But I find the book and movie to be too different to compare.

Wait, which book are you talking about? I meant "Wicked".

I mean the book "Wicked" when I saw the musical after reading the book I just thought they had a totally different feeling to them.