Return to Oz (1985)

Still not as creepy as Grease II

Isn't this the one that opens with Dorothy getting electroshock therapy because she won't shut up about Oz so people think she's crazy?

Nome King was sissy as heck.

Yes r2. I loved this movie it was weird and creepy.

I remember the previews made it look cut to resemble the 1939 film more, but the tone is radically different some scenes almost having a cyberpunk feel to them. It did have some amazing effects that have stood the test of time. I thought Fairuza Balk was earnestly charming as the new Dorothy.

I agree with r5. The effects are still surprisingly good and Balk was well cast. She did a great job considering how beloved Garland was as Dorothy.

Those Wheelers were creepy!

It's similar to Tim Burton's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory: darker its predecessor, more faithful to the source material, but nowhere near as iconic and beloved.

The David Shire score is wonderful.

r8 it really is. It was reissued a few years ago in limited edition.

I love this film but I never understood who at Disney thought this fit their film library. It still sits outside of it and, at least for awhile, was put on home video by Anchor Bay instead of Walt Disney Home Video. As I understand it, the film came out just after Eisner came to Disney and he didn't want it to succeed as he wanted anything from the former regime to fare poorly so that his work would shine all the brighter. It's a shame because the film deserved better attention and treatment. Too odd for a little kids movie, more suitable for teens.

Fairuza Balk is 43 now. Jean Marsh ("robut" girl on The Twilight Zone) is 83.

It’s based on one of L. Frank Baum’s later Oz books, “The Road to Oz,” with really only a few changes. “Princess Mombi” is named Languidir in the book, and there’s a marvelous John R. Neill illustration of her placing a head on her headless body.

Mombi is the name of a witch in another Oz book, “The Land of Oz,” wherein the lead character, a boy named Tip, discovers at the end he is really a girl, Princess Ozma. I’ve never seen a plot of a children's book quite like that.

The movie “Return to Oz” is very good, but not a kids’ picture, which shows just how dark Baum could get in his work. It still holds up very well, particularly the Claymation animation used to depict the Gnome King.

A friend of mine made me a tshirt in college that said BEWARE THE WHEELERS , I cherish it

Tim Burton's favorite movie. He owns a print he screens for friends.

r10 Disney released this on Blu-ray in a barebones limited edition a few years ago... but not in stores and through some Disney-only club.

They seem to still have a "meh, whatever" attitude towards it.

Old fairy tales have been scrubbed of their grit and grime for modern audiences, they are often quite nasty.

[quote]Mombi is the name of a witch in another Oz book, “The Land of Oz,” wherein the lead character, a boy named Tip, discovers at the end he is really a girl, Princess Ozma.

Played by Shirley Temple in the TV movie!

Never saw it. Now, I would like to.

I’m a fan, too, OP. Saw it when it came out. I miss children’s movies that didn’t shy away from darker themes. I think they played a bigger role in developing emotional maturity than we realise.

I love Return to Oz, even more than Wizard of Oz. Here's a musical version of The Marvelous Land of Oz, which I saw as a young gayling. Thank God for YouTube because stuff like this would be lost to the ages otherwise.

"Now shall you deal with ME, O Prince ....and all the POWERS OF HELL!"

I's not as wild as RETURN TO OZ, but Disney could be pretty dark in a fairy tale.

Scariest kids movie ever.

It was based on the second and third Oz books, “The Land of Oz” and “Ozma of Oz.” Mombi was the name of a witch in The Land of Oz who, in the movie, got conflated with Princess Langwidere in Ozma of Oz. Jack Pumpkinhead and the Gump were from The Land of Oz. Tip (who was really Ozma) used Mombi’s magic powder to bring them to life. The Nome King, introduced in Ozma of Oz, was a recurring villain throughout the Oz books.

It's haunting! As Wizard of Oz was one of my favorites as a kid, the film indeed offers Dorothy (and us) a trip back to Oz... so melancholy... especially in light of what Dorothy finds there. Often I'll peruse Netflix or Hulu to see if they've added it.

I was terrified of those heads as a child. I would think about those heads and be scared out of my head. I can't remember any other movie doing that. My brother was scared by Jurassic Park while I was all 'meh, boring' about it.

R20, the man who wrote and directed that musical for the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis was at the center of a huge sex abuse scandal that's still being debated.

That's too bad, R25. The CTC production of The Red Shoes, which he directed and is another very weird/dark story ostensibly meant for kids, is what convinced me to pursue a career in stage design at age 6. I wouldn't be who or where I am today without it.

A Chicken?!

Nobody thinks of the soundtrack? The soundtrack made the movie for me.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Fairuza was such a beautiful little girl but she grew into a kinda scary looking woman.

Could never finish it because of the wheel guys.

This movie was complete shit.

This movie is not for sissies.

Read the books, OP. You’ll have nightmares. Baum created the first tranny character in children’s literature. Tip changes into a girl.

I was a big fan of the Oz books - still am at 72. So, so, much more imaginative than HP. The HP all seem the same to me. I gave up after #5 or so.

I love it. I wish they would re-release it on Blu-ray in a true deluxe set, not a barebones edition (and so limited, you can barely find it).

It's my favorite movie.

It's not hard to find. I recently bought it on Amazon (new, not from a third-party seller) for $10.00. I recommend it to anyone who likes Oz.

I think its poor reputation is based on the dark first few reels (if one can speak of those anymore). Once Dorothy and the chicken get to Oz the whole thing perks up.

Wonderful music, too, by David Shire. I love the cakewalk at the end.

[quote]Emma Ridley, who played Ozma, has had quite a life.

Her voice is dubbed in the film. It was the director's daughter's voice.

This film was scary, but still not as scary as "The Witches".

LOL, when I first read the title my first thought was naked prisoners are coming back.

I recommend you do a Youtube search. Someone, somehow, got hold of all these uncut reels with unseen deleted uncut footage.

r41, you could just share the link...

I was a Wizard of Oz freak and couldn’t believe my good luck that there was a sequel coming out back in 1985. I was 9, so I was the demographic sweet spot. (Little gay kid who lived for all things Oz). I remember a creeping sense of dread as the movie unfolded. Like... “huh...?” It was so dark, so depressing, so devoid of wonder, humor, magic, heart. Important lesson that some things are better left alone.

Add me to the list of kids who were freaked the fuck out by the wheelies.../i think I was 6 at the time.

r43 interesting take. I think that's exactly why there are fans of this movie - I think a lot of people like this film because it is so dark. I loved the original 1939 Wizard of Oz but Return to Oz is equally beloved (by me) because it's not a retread of the original. it has its own style, tone, look. Fairuza Balk brings her own special quality to Dorothy like Garland did.

Billina > Toto

I loved "The Witches", but didn't think it was scary --- just fun.

I found the darker tone really interesting as a kid and loved that it was so different from the MGM movie. It still had some lovable characters and I was sad to see them go just like in the original. It was a more mature film in many ways, but Dorothy was supposed to be more mature, too, so it fit.

The Witches definitely scared me more. There was something downright evil and sinister about that movie. It felt like it was definitely made for adults, but it just happened to be too tame to be considered an adult horror film, so they slapped a PG on it and said it would be great for kids.

Electric shock therapy? They let kids see this?

It was a piece o' shit, like the boring Oz books.