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'{{other uses}} {{Infobox film | name = Return to Oz | image = Returntoozposter.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster by [[Drew Struzan]] | director = [[Walter Murch]] | producer = Paul Maslansky | writer = [[Gill Dennis]]<br>Walter Murch | based on = {{based on|''[[The Marvelous Land of Oz]]'' and ''[[Ozma of Oz]]''|[[L. Frank Baum]]}} | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Nicol Williamson]] * [[Jean Marsh]] * [[Piper Laurie]] * [[Fairuza Balk]] }} | music = [[David Shire]] | cinematography = [[David Watkin (cinematographer)|David Watkin]]<br>[[Freddie Francis]] | editing = Leslie Hodgson | studio = [[Walt Disney Pictures]] | distributor = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]] | released = {{film date|1985|6|21|United States|1985|7|10|United Kingdom}} | runtime = 113 minutes | country = United Kingdom<br>United States | language = English | budget = $28 million<ref>{{cite news|title= Disasters Outnumber Movie Hits|work= [[South Florida Sun-Sentinel]]|date=|url= http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-09-04/features/8502060585_1_ticket-million-box-office|accessdate=2012-06-05}}</ref> | gross = $11,137,801 (USA) }} {{Portal|Oz}} '''''Return to Oz''''' is a 1985 [[fantasy film|fantasy]] [[adventure film]] based on [[L. Frank Baum]]'s [[List of Oz books|''Oz'' novels]], mainly ''[[The Marvelous Land of Oz]]'' and ''[[Ozma of Oz]]''. The film begins with [[Dorothy Gale|Dorothy]]'s return to the [[Land of Oz]], and her discovery that the land has been destroyed. Upon her return, Dorothy, alongside her chicken [[Billina]], is befriended by a group of new companions, including [[Tik-Tok (Oz)|Tik-Tok]] and [[Jack Pumpkinhead]], who help her restore Oz to its former glory. Directed by [[Walter Murch]], an editor and sound designer, ''Return to Oz'' stars [[Nicol Williamson]], [[Jean Marsh]], [[Piper Laurie]], [[Matt Clark (actor)|Matt Clark]], and introducing [[Fairuza Balk]] as Dorothy Gale. Released on June 21, 1985, it performed poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics. However, ''Return to Oz'' is considered by fans as a more faithful adaptation of the book series than the [[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|1939 MGM film]], and has since acquired a large [[cult film|cult following]].<ref name="Geraghty">{{cite book | last =Geraghty | first =Lincoln | title =American Hollywood | publisher = Intellect Books | date =2011 | id = | isbn =9-781-84150415-5| page =187}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.etonline.com/movies/131252_Return_to_Oz_Flashback_with_Fairuza_Balk/index.html?viewFull=true | title=Flashback Exclusive: A 'Return to Oz'|date = March 5, 2013 | accessdate = March 15, 2013 | work = ET Online}}</ref> The film received an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]. ==Plot== In October 1899, six months after returning home from the [[Land of Oz]], [[Dorothy Gale]] has become a melancholic child who cannot sleep, as she is obsessed with her memories of Oz. This worries [[Aunt Em]] and [[Uncle Henry (Oz)|Uncle Henry]], who decide to take her to Dr. Worley, known for his revolutionary [[Electrotherapy|electric healing]] treatments. Before going, Dorothy's favorite chicken [[Billina]] discovers a key with an Oz glyph that Dorothy believes her friends from Oz sent to her by [[Meteoroid|shooting star]]. At Dr. Worley's laboratory, Aunt Em leaves Dorothy under the strict care of Nurse Wilson. Dorothy is taken to have treatment during the onset of a huge thunderstorm, during which the lab has a blackout and Dorothy is saved by a mysterious girl, who reveals that some patients have been damaged by Worley's treatment and are locked in the basement. The two escape the building with Nurse Wilson in pursuit, and fall into a river. Dorothy successfully escapes by clambering on board a chicken coop, but the other girl seems to have vanished underwater. Upon awakening, Dorothy finds herself back in Oz with Billina, who can now talk. The two discover Dorothy's old house, surrounded by woods. When Dorothy wonders why they aren't in [[Munchkin Country|Munchkinland]], and where all the [[Munchkin]]s are, the two discover the [[Yellow brick road|Yellow Brick Road]], now torn apart, which leads them to the [[Emerald City]], now in ruins. All of its citizens (including the [[Tin Woodman]] and [[Cowardly Lion]]) have been turned to stone. Pursued by [[Wheelers]] (humans who have wheels instead of hands and feet) who tells Dorothy that chickens aren't allowed in Oz, Dorothy and Billina hide in a secret room accessed by the Oz glyph key and meet a clockwork mechanical man named [[Tik-Tok (Oz)|Tik-Tok]]. Tik-Tok explains that King [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]] had been captured by the [[Nome King]], who is responsible for the destruction of the Emerald City. The three visit a princess named [[Mombi]] in the hopes of getting more information, but she is working together with the Nome King and imprisons them in her tower. Dorothy, Billina, and Tik-Tok meet [[Jack Pumpkinhead]], who explains that he was brought to life via Mombi's [[Land of Oz#Powder of Life|Powder of Life]]. Dorothy formulates a plan to go to the Nome King's mountain, by stealing the Powder of Life and using it to vivify [[List of Oz characters#The Gump|The Gump]], the head of a moose-like animal whose body they put together using two sofas, palm leaves, a broom, and rope. Using "the Gump" as a mode of transport, the group escapes and flies across the [[Deadly Desert]] to the Nome King's mountain. Billina begins hiding in Jack's head, causing the Nome King to believe she is no longer with the group. The group enters the Nome King's underground domain. The Nome King tells Dorothy that the Scarecrow stole the emeralds from him to build the Emerald City, and should be punished. He does not listen when Dorothy protests that the emeralds preceded the Scarecrow at the city. The Scarecrow has been turned into an ornament, and the group have three guesses each to identify which one he is, or they will be turned into ornaments themselves. The Gump, Jack and Tik Tok all go in to try but fail, and as each one is turned into an ornament the Nome King begins to take on a more human form. Dorothy is the last to try, and is given the chance to go home unscathed. The Nome King has her discarded [[Ruby slippers]], which he used to conquer the Emerald City. Dorothy refuses to use them to leave for Kansas. After Dorothy goes into the ornaments room, Mombi arrives to warn the Nome King that Dorothy is on her way, but he reveals she's already there. He is certain she will fail in her guesses and once she's gone there will be no-one left who remembers Oz and he will become completely human. On Dorothy's last guess, she successfully locates the Scarecrow, who has been changed into a green ornament. With the Scarecrow back to normal, Dorothy realizes that people from Oz turn into green ornaments. The hunt for green ornaments yields Jack and Gump, but then the enraged Nome King (after trapping Mombi in a cage) confronts Dorothy and company in a gigantic, monstrous form where he eats the Gump's couch body. He then tries to eat Jack, but Billina (who was hiding in Jack's head) lays an egg in fright and it falls into the Nome King's mouth. Eggs turn out to be poisonous to Nomes and the Nome King and his kingdom crumble to pieces. Dorothy finds the Ruby Slippers and wishes for the Emerald City to return to normal and for her and her friends to be returned there safely. Dorothy, Billina, Jack, The Gump and Mombi (still caged) are transported to the outskirts of the Emerald City, its buildings and citizens now back to normal. They mourn the loss of Tik Tok until Billina notices a green medal stuck to one of the Gump's antlers; Dorothy uses one more "guess" and the medal turns into Tik Tok. A grand celebration commences in the Emerald City. Dorothy is asked to be Queen of Oz but refuses, realizing she has to go back to Kansas eventually. Dorothy then spots the girl who helped her escape the hospital: she is [[Princess Ozma]], Jack's long-lost creator, and the rightful ruler of Oz, who had been enchanted into the mirror by Mombi at the Nome King's request. Ozma forgives Mombi for her crimes against her, since Dorothy already stripped her of her magic. Ozma then takes her place on the throne and Dorothy hands over the Ruby Slippers. Billina opts to stay in Oz. Tearful goodbyes are made, and Ozma sends Dorothy home, promising that Dorothy is welcome to return whenever she likes. Back in Kansas, Dorothy is located on a riverbank by her family. Aunt Em reveals that Worley's hospital was struck by lightning and burned down and Dr. Worley was killed in the fire trying to save his machines. They see Nurse Wilson, arrested and locked in a cage on a horse buggy. Upon returning to the farmhouse, Dorothy sees Billina and Ozma peering at her through her bedroom mirror. When Dorothy entreats Aunt Em to come to her room to see Ozma, Ozma silently instructs her to keep her and Oz a secret. Dorothy and Toto then run outside and play. ==Cast== * [[Fairuza Balk]] as [[Dorothy Gale]] * [[Nicol Williamson]] as Dr. Worley/[[Nome King]] * [[Jean Marsh]] as Head Nurse Wilson/[[List of Oz characters#Princess Langwidere|Mombi]] * [[Piper Laurie]] as [[Aunt Em]] * [[Matt Clark (actor)|Matt Clark]] as [[Uncle Henry (Oz)|Uncle Henry]] * [[Michael Sundin]] & Tim Rose as [[Tik-Tok (Oz)|Tik-Tok]] (puppeteers) ** [[Sean Barrett (actor)|Sean Barrett]] as Tik-Tok (voice) * [[Mak Wilson]] as Billina (puppeteer) ** [[Denise Bryer]] as [[Billina]] (voice) * [[Brian Henson]] & Stewart Larange as Jack Pumpkinhead (puppeteers) ** Brian Henson as [[Jack Pumpkinhead]] (voice) * [[Lyle Conway]] & [[Stephen Norrington|Steve Norrington]] as The Gump (puppeteer) ** Lyle Conway as [[List of Oz characters#The Gump|The Gump]] (voice) * Justin Case as The [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]] * [[John Alexander (puppeteer)|John Alexander]] as The [[Cowardly Lion]], [[Wheelers|Wheeler]] * [[Deep Roy]] as The [[Tin Woodman]] * Emma Ridley as Girl at Dr. Worley's Clinic/[[Princess Ozma]] * [[Pons Maar]] as Lead Wheeler, Nome Messenger, and one of Nurse Wilson's assistants * [[Sophie Ward]] as Mombi II * [[Fiona Victory]] as Mombi III * [[Bruce Boa]] as Policeman * Tansy as [[Toto (Oz)|Toto]] ==Production== [[Walter Murch]] began development on the film in 1980, during a brainstorming session with [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Productions]] production chief Tom Wilhite. “It was just a fishing expedition on both of our parts," Murch remembered. "But one of the questions he asked was, ‘What are you interested in that you think we might also be interested in?’, and I said, ‘Another Oz story.’ … And Tom sort of straightened up in his chair because it turned out, unbeknownst to me, that Disney owned the rights to all of the [[List of Oz books|''Oz'' stories]]. And they were particularly interested in doing something with them because the copyright was going to run out in the next five years.”<ref name="murchinterview">{{cite news | first=Bill | last=Chambers | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=A Conversation with Walter Murch | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/2012/05/a-conversation-ffc-interviews-walter-murch.html | work =Film Freak Central | pages = | accessdate = 2010-01-13 | language = }}</ref> The film is based loosely on the second and third Oz books, ''[[The Marvelous Land of Oz]]'' (1904) and ''[[Ozma of Oz]]'' (1907). The element about [[Tik-Tok (Oz)|Tik-Tok]] being "The Royal Army of Oz" derives from ''[[Tik-Tok of Oz]]'' (1914), in which he is made the Royal Army of [[Oogaboo]], and also makes frequent cries of "Pick me up!" That book was itself based on a dramatic production, ''[[The Tik-Tok Man of Oz]]'' (1913). Murch also used the book ''[[Wisconsin Death Trip]]'' as an historical source for the film.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film | author=Ondaatje, Michael | year=2002 | pages=6}}</ref> Murch took a decidedly darker take on Baum's source material than the 1939 adaptation, which he knew starting out would be a gamble. Between the development period and actual shooting, there was a change of leadership at the Walt Disney studios (with Wilhite being replaced by Richard Berger), and the movie's budget increased.<ref name="lakelandledger">[http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=rwEhk56xNqMC&dat=19850623&printsec=frontpage&hl=en Lakeland Ledger - Jun 23, 1985, page 65, retrieved 11-August-2012]</ref> Once shooting began, Murch began to fall behind schedule, and there was further pressure from the studio, leading to Murch being fired as director for a short period.<ref name="lakelandledger" /> [[George Lucas]] and other high profile filmmakers including [[Francis Ford Coppola]] supported Murch in discussions with the studio, and Murch was reinstated and finished the film.<ref name="murchinterview" /><ref name="lakelandledger" /> The film was developed and produced without the involvement of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], the studio behind the 1939 film, ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''. No approval was necessary, because by 1985, the Oz books on which the film was based were in the [[public domain]], and the subsequent Oz books had been optioned to Disney many years earlier. A large fee was paid, however, to use the [[ruby slippers]], which were still the [[intellectual property]] of MGM at the time (as the ruby slippers had been created specifically for the 1939 film to replace the [[Silver Shoes]] of the original stories). ==Reception== The movie received mixed reviews from critics, who described the film's content as too dark and intense for children. "Children are sure to be startled by the film's bleakness," said ''[[The New York Times]]'''s [[Janet Maslin]].<ref>{{cite news | first=Janet | last=Maslin | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=A New 'Oz' Gives Dorothy New Friends | date=1985-06-21 | publisher= | url =http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F03EFD91039F932A15755C0A963948260 | work =New York Times | pages = | accessdate = 2010-01-13 | language = }}</ref> Canadian film critic [[Jay Scott]] felt the protagonists were too creepy for viewers to sympathize with: "Dorothy's friends are as weird as her enemies, which is faithful to the original Oz books but turns out not to be a virtue on film, where the eerie has a tendency to remain eerie no matter how often we're told it's not."<ref>{{cite news | first=Jay | last=Scott | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=Return to Oz | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.metacritic.com/movie/return-to-oz/critic-reviews | work =Globe and Mail | pages = | accessdate = 2010-01-13 | language = }}</ref> "It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying," added Dave Kehr of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]''.<ref>{{cite news | first=Dave | last=Kehr | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=Return to Oz | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/return-to-oz/Film?oid=1073337 | work =The Globe and Mail | pages = | accessdate = 2010-01-13 | language = }}</ref> The film earned $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place.<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1985&wknd=25&p=.htm June 21-23, 1985 Weekend]</ref> The film ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America.<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=returntooz.htm Return to Oz @ Box Office Mojo]</ref> ''Return to Oz'' currently holds a 55% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 22 reviews. The film received an [[Academy Award]] nomination for Best Visual Effects, but lost to ''[[Cocoon (film)|Cocoon]]''. Fairuza Balk and Emma Ridley were nominated for [[Young Artist Awards]]. The film received two [[Saturn Award]] nominations for Best Fantasy Film (lost to ''[[Ladyhawke]]'') and Best Younger Actor for Fairuza Balk (who lost to [[Barret Oliver]] for ''[[D.A.R.Y.L.]]''). The film’s interpretation of Oz is featured in the [[Storybook Land Canal Boats]] attraction at [[Disneyland Resort Paris]]. [[Amelie Gillette]] of the ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' frequently refers to the film's dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/childhood-scares,26455/ | title=Childhood Scares | publisher=A.V Scares | date=April 10, 2009 | accessdate=January 14, 2012}}</ref> despite it being one of her favorite movies growing up. ==Release== The film has been released to [[VHS]], [[Betamax|beta]], [[laserdisc]], [[DVD]], and [[Blu-Ray]] over the years. The initial release, to VHS, laserdisc, and Beta, occurred in 1985 shortly after the theatrical release, with the VHS initially priced with a list price of $79.95. Disney reissued the VHS in 1992 with alternate cover art. In 1999, [[Anchor Bay Entertainment]], who had obtained the home video rights to several titles from Disney's live-action catalogue, issued the film on full-screen and letterbox VHS, as well as a DVD release featuring both versions. All three releases featured an intro by Fairuza Balk before the film and an interview featurette with Balk after the film. All three versions went out of print shortly after their release. In 2004, Disney released their own DVD, which dropped the Anchor Bay disc's fullscreen version and added anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 TV's for the widescreen version, upgraded the audio to 5.1 surround, retained the Anchor Bay disc's extras, and added four TV spots and a theatrical trailer. In 2015, Disney released a 30th Anniversary Edition of the film on Blu-Ray exclusively through the Disney Movie Club, featuring a newly remastered and cleaned up transfer and DTS Master Audio 5.1 sound, but none of the bonus features from the 2004 DVD. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/return-to-oz}} *{{IMDb title|0089908|Return to Oz}} *{{allrovi movie|41132|Return to Oz}} *{{rotten-tomatoes|1017488|Return to Oz}} *{{mojo title|returntooz|Return to Oz}} {{Oz}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Return To Oz}} [[Category:1980s adventure films]] [[Category:Sequel films]] [[Category:1980s fantasy films]] [[Category:American fantasy adventure films]] [[Category:British films]] [[Category:Children's fantasy films]] [[Category:Directorial debut films]] [[Category:Elstree Studios films]] [[Category:Fantasy adventure films]] [[Category:Films based on children's books]] [[Category:Films based on fantasy novels]] [[Category:Films set in 1899]] [[Category:Films set in Kansas]] [[Category:Oz in stage and film productions]] [[Category:Robot films]] [[Category:Walt Disney Pictures films]] [[Category:Films based on multiple works]]'