Return to Oz (1985)

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, is somehow called back to Oz when a vain witch and the Nome King destroy everything that makes the magical land beautiful.

Director:

Walter Murch

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novels), Gill Dennis,

Stars:

Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fairuza Balk	...	Dorothy
Nicol Williamson	...	Dr. Worley / The Nome King
Jean Marsh	...	Nurse Wilson / Mombi
Piper Laurie	...	Aunt Em
Matt Clark	...	Uncle Henry
Michael Sundin	...	Tik-Tok
Tim Rose	...	Tik-Tok
Sean Barrett	...	Tik-Tok (voice)
Mak Wilson	...	Billina
Denise Bryer	...	Billina (voice)
Brian Henson	...	Jack Pumpkinhead (voice)
Stewart Larange	...	Jack Pumpkinhead
Lyle Conway	...	Gump (voice)
Stephen Norrington	...	Gump (as Steve Norrington)
Justin Case	...	Scarecrow

Storyline

It has been six months since Dorothy has returned home from Oz and she still cannot sleep. She has been going on about imaginary places and people so much that Aunt Em takes her to see a doctor. She promptly escapes from the mental hospital and wakes up in Oz where her pet chicken, Billina, can now talk. There she meets a whole new bunch of friends and they set off to rescue the Scarecrow from the evil Nome King who has found her ruby slippers and used them to lay waste to the Emerald City and take over Oz.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | king | chicken | mysterious girl | scarecrow | 

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Taglines:

It's an all-new live-action fantasy - filled with Disney adventure and magic.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oz

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BMI (No. 9) Ltd., Oz Productions Ltd., Silver Screen Partners II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 110 min (uncut) 109 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Walter Murch never intended for this film to be viewed as a direct sequel to The Wizard of Oz; rather, he intended it as a partial sequel with some direct references (the ruby slippers, actors playing characters in Oz and the "real world") but in closer similarity to the Oz novels (the appearance of the Oz characters, Oz being a real place as opposed to a dream). The misconception that the film was ever meant to emulate the MGM musical probably contributed to its failure at the box office.

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Goofs

Jack Pumpkinhead's neck thickness varies throughout the film, it constantly goes from the thin stalk-like neck (puppet) to a thicker, shorter, more normal neck (actor in a suit).

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Quotes

The Nome King: Don't you know that eggs are poison?
Billina: Poison, indeed!
The Nome King: Poison... poison to... nomes.

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Connections

Featured in The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue (1985)

User Reviews

An excellent, dark take on the children tale

Be warned: this film may be found a little too frightening for the young ones. It's a shattered vision of the Land of Oz with the jovial munchkins conspicuously absent, and it opens with Dorothy in an insane asylum (!). What's surprising to me is I rented this film with the mindset that it was going to be complete trash, that a sequel to "The Wizard of Oz" was blashphemy. I stand corrected. This adaption is an effectively satisfying interpretation of the popular children's story. Child actress Fairuza Balk (now in such crap like "The Waterboy") is a very convincing Dorothy Gail, more so than Academy Award winner Judy Garland in the original. But it's the little things that keep you entertained: a severed trophy head, brought to life, quips, "If I had a stomach, I know I'd be sick!" when free-falling through the air; the evil Princess Mambi has an interesting collection on display in her palace; and the realization that the cause of Oz's decline into this dismal state may be directly attributed to Dorothy's departure in the prequel. One disappointment: Toto is left behind in favor of a talking chicken. I know, I know . . .

Grade: B