Return to Oz
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| Return to Oz | |
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Walter Murch |
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| Produced by | Paul Maslansky |
| Written by | L. Frank Baum (novels) Gill Dennis Walter Murch |
| Starring | Fairuza Balk Nicol Williamson Jean Marsh Piper Laurie Matt Clark |
| Music by | David Shire |
| Cinematography | David Watkin Freddie Francis |
| Editing by | Leslie Hodgson |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) |  June 21, 1985 July 10, 1985 August 28, 1985 September 6, 1985 March 29, 1986 |
| Running time | 113 min. |
| Country |  United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| Gross revenue | $11,137,801 |
| Preceded by | The Wizard of Oz |
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Return to Oz is a 1985 film which is the semi-sequel to The Wizard of Oz. It was made by Walt Disney Pictures without the involvement of MGM, the studio that made the 1939 film. However, no approval was necessary, because by 1985, all of the Oz books on which the film was based were in the public domain. A large fee was paid, however, to use the ruby slippers, which were still the intellectual property of MGM at the time (the rights to the 1939 film and all elements now rest with Time Warner). The film was directed by Walter Murch, and although it did not fare well at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics, it has attracted a cult following.
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[edit] Plot summary
The movie’s plot is a combination of L. Frank Baum’s novels Ozma of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz, both of which were written as sequels to the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk) is obsessed with her adventures in Oz, so much so that she can not sleep. Aunt Em decides to send her to a psychiatric clinic, where Dr Worley (Nicol Williamson) attempts to cure Dorothy by using electro-shock therapy. However, the machine fails before Dorothy is able to receive the shock. At the clinic, Dorothy meets a strange girl (Emma Ridley), who helps Dorothy escape from the clinic, pursued by Dr Worley and Head Nurse Wilson (Jean Marsh), who chase them down to a nearby river. Dorothy and the girl use an old chicken coop to escape, but the strange girl drowns in the river while Dorothy escapes.
When Dorothy regains consciousness, she finds herself in Oz with one of the Hens on her farm, Billina, who can talk (Denise Bryer). The two discover the ruins of the yellow brick road, which leads to the Emerald City, which is also in ruins and all it's citizens turned to stone. The city is policed by Wheelers, who have wheels instead of limbs, who attempt to capture Dorothy and the Hen as chickens are not allowed in Oz. Hiding from the wheelers, Dorothy meets Tik-Tok, a clockwork man, who takes Dorothy to see the new queen of Oz, Mombi, who tells Dorothy that she and the Nome King both control Oz
After meeting Mombi, she locks Dorothy, Billina and Tik Tok in her attic, where they meet Jack Pumpkinhead (Brian Henson), a scarecrow who has been brought to life with the Powder of Life by Mombi. Dorothy hatches an idea to escape - they construct a flying machine out of sofas and palm fronds with the head of a Gump while Dorothy goes to steal the powder of life, which is next to Mombi's sleeping head. She takes the powder, but wakes up the head. Dorothy runs back to the attic and brings Gumpt to life while Mombi runs to stop her. The Gump flies away from the castle, with Dorothy, Billina, Jack and Tik-Tok on it, just as Mombi reaches the attic.
After flying all night, they land on the Nome King's Mountain, on which Dorothy falls through a crevasse and finds The Scarecrow, who disappears soon after. The Nome King tells Dorothy that the Scarecrow stole his emeralds and has turned him into an ornament as punishment. Dorothy cries, the Nome King takes pity on her. He lets Dorothy and her friends enter his ornament room, in which is the ornament the Scarecrow has been turned into is. They each get three attempts to find the ornament, but if they fail on the third time they too will be turned into the ornament. One by one, Dorothy's friends fail, with each failure the Nome King becomes more and more human. Before Dorothy's turn, the Nome King asks Dorothy why she came all the way from Kansas to save the Scarecrow, and asks her if she "came back for these", he then reveals that he is now in possession of the Ruby Slippers, which he used to conquer all of Oz. He says they fell out of the sky, Dorothy then realises she was so anxious to get home that she immediately used the slippers instead of handing them over and as she was spirited away, they fell off her feet and into the Nome King's posession. Techincally, the destruction of Oz is Dorothy's fault.
A messenger tells the Nome King that Tik-Tok has wound down before completing all his turns. The Nome King allows Dorothy to enter the ornament room to wind Tik-Tok up, allow him to complete his final turn and then she will have her turn. Before Dorothy enters the ornament room, the Nome King offers to send her back to Kansas, she refuses the offer and enters the ornament room, the entrance sealing itself behind her. Dorothy enters the ornament room, where Tik-Tok has faked winding down to give Dorothy a clue as to what ornament to choose. Dorothy fails her first two attempts, but on her third attempt she frees the Scarecrow, they later free Jack and Gump, but with every one freed, the Nome King gets less and less human.
The ornament room begins to crumble, Dorothy and her friends try to escape but the Nome King's servants stop them - the Nome King expands to giant size and then grabs Dorothy and her friends and dangles them over his mouth, preparing to eat them, when Billina (who is inside Jack's head) lays an egg which falls into the Nome King's mouth. As eggs are poisonous to Nomes, the Nome King dies and his stone body crumbles into pieces. The mountain crumbles around them, with no time to escape. Dorothy then sees a red glow in a pile of rubble, in which she finds the Ruby Slippers. She digs them out of the debris, takes her shoes off, puts the slippers on and wishes that she and her friends were back in the Emerald City and that all the citizens be restored. With the third click of her heels, she and her friends are transported back to the Emerald City, where all the citizens are back to normal.
The citizens celebrate Dorothy's triumph and ask her to be the Queen of Oz, but she declines as she prefers to return to Kansas, while at the same time does not want the Ruby Slippers to fall into the wrong hands. Dorothy then notices a girl trapped in a mirror, she frees her. She is the rightful ruler of Oz, Ozma (Emma Ridley), who has been trapped in a mirror by Mombi for years. She ascends to the throne of Oz and Dorothy gives her the Ruby Slippers, which Ozma uses to send Dorothy home.
Dorothy wakes up by a river, without her shoes on, she is found by Toto, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Aunt Em reveals that Dr. Worley’s clinic burned down during the night and he died trying to save his machines. A jail cart travels by, with Head Nurse Wilson imprisoned inside. The film concludes with Dorothy’s new house being finished and Ozma and Billina appearing in her bedroom mirror.
[edit] Cast
- Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale
- Nicol Williamson as Dr. Worley & The Nome King
- Jean Marsh as Head Nurse Wilson & Mombi
- Piper Laurie as Aunt Em
- Matt Clark as Uncle Henry
- Michael Sundin & Tim Rose as Tik-Tok (puppeteers)
- Sean Barrett as Tik-Tok (voice)
- Mak Wilson as Billina (puppeteer)
- Denise Bryer as Billina (voice)
- Brian Henson as Jack Pumpkinhead (voice)
- Stewart Larange as Jack Pumpkinhead (puppeteer)
- Lyle Conway as The Gump (voice)
- Steve Norrington as The Gump (puppeteer)
- Pons Maar as Lead Wheeler/Nome Messenger
- Emma Ridley as Ozma
- Justin Case as The Scarecrow
- Various Actors as The Wheelers
- John Alexander as The Lion/Wheeler
- Deep Roy as The Tin Man
- Bruce Boa as Policeman
- Tansy as Toto
[edit] Reception
Despite arriving amid much fanfare - the premiere was held at Radio City Music Hall, and a Return to Oz float along with characters from the film appeared as part of Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade - it earned only $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place. The film ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America.
[edit] Awards
Received an Academy Award nomination for “Best Visual Effects.” Both Fairuza Balk and Emma Ridley were nominated for Young Artist Awards. The film also received two Saturn Award nominations for Best Fantasy Film and Best Younger Actor (Fairuza Balk).
[edit] Cultural Influence
- In 2005, American pop band Scissor Sisters, fans of the film, included a song on their debut album, Scissor Sisters, called “Return To Oz.” Although the song actually pertains to the effects of methamphetamine (crystal meth), it contains many of the images and themes covered in the film (as well as referencing the Skeksis from the Jim Henson film, The Dark Crystal).
- The film’s interpretation of Oz is featured in the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction at Disneyland Resort Paris.
- Amelie Gillette of the AV Club frequently refers to the film's dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children[1] despite it being one of her favourite movies growing up.
- The Nostalgia Critic rated the film at #4 on his list of the Top 11 Underrated Nostalgia Classics.[2]
[edit] See also
- The Wizard of Oz (adaptations) — other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Return To Oz at the Internet Movie Database
- Return to Oz at Allmovie
- Return to Oz - Unofficial site
- Returning To Oz/Ozcast Talk Show
- Public Domain Documentary About the Making of the Film
