Return to Oz is a
1985 film-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.-Top grossing films :source:...
which is the semi-sequel to
Victor FlemingVictor Fleming was an Academy Award-winning American film director, cinematographer, and producer...
's
The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical / fantasy film directed mainly by Victor Fleming from a script by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, and others and based on the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum...
. It was made by
Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company:Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since 1954 were released under the name of the parent company, then named Walt Disney...
without the involvement of
MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., or MGM, is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B...
, 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 domainThe public domain is a range of abstract materials—commonly referred to as intellectual property—which are not owned or controlled by anyone. The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose...
. 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 WarnerTime Warner Inc. is the world's largest entertainment conglomerate , as well as the world's fourth largest media conglomerate, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City...
).
Return to Oz is a
1985 film-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.-Top grossing films :source:...
which is the semi-sequel to
Victor FlemingVictor Fleming was an Academy Award-winning American film director, cinematographer, and producer...
's
The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical / fantasy film directed mainly by Victor Fleming from a script by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, and others and based on the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum...
. It was made by
Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company:Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since 1954 were released under the name of the parent company, then named Walt Disney...
without the involvement of
MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., or MGM, is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B...
, 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 domainThe public domain is a range of abstract materials—commonly referred to as intellectual property—which are not owned or controlled by anyone. The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose...
. 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 WarnerTime Warner Inc. is the world's largest entertainment conglomerate , as well as the world's fourth largest media conglomerate, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City...
). The film was directed by
Walter MurchWalter Scott Murch is an film editor/sound designer, the son of painter Walter Tandy Murch . Murch married Muriel Ann Slater at Riverside Church, New York City, on August 6, 1965...
, and although it did not fare well at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics, it has attracted a cult following.
Plot summary
The movie's plot is a combination of
L. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's novels
Ozma of OzOzma of Oz, published on July 29, 1907, was the third book of L. Frank Baum's Oz series. It was the first in which Baum was clearly intending a series of Oz books...
and
The Marvelous Land of OzThe Marvelous Land of Oz, commonly shortened to The Land of Oz, published on July 5, 1904, is the second of L. Frank Baum's books set in the Land of Oz, and the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is the only book in the series in which Dorothy Gale does not appear. This and the next...
, both of which were written as sequels to the novel
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M...
.
It has been six months after the events of
The Wizard of Oz and
Journey Back to Oz, and
Dorothy GaleDorothy Gale is a fictional character, the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum and best friend of Oz's ruler, Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels. She also is the...
(
Fairuza BalkFairuza Alejandra Balk is an American film actress. She made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's Return to Oz. She has also appeared in The Craft, American History X and The Waterboy.-Early life:...
) cannot stop thinking about the experience and her friends the
ScarecrowA scarecrow is a device – traditionally a human figure or mannequin dressed in old clothes – placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:...
, the
Tin ManTin Man may refer to:* Tin Woodman, a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum* Ted McMinn, a footballer nicknamed The Tin Man* Tinman, a British electronic musician-Film and television:...
and the
Cowardly LionThe Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is a lion, but he talks and interacts with humans....
. One night Dorothy sees a shooting star, and the next morning while checking for eggs from her hen Billina, Dorothy comes across a key that she thinks was sent from Oz on that shooting star.
Aunt EmAunt Em is a fictional character from the Oz books. She is the aunt of Dorothy Gale and wife of Uncle Henry, and lived together with them on a farm in Kansas...
(
Piper LaurieRosetta Jacobs, better known as Piper Laurie , is an American actress of stage and screen noted for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the film Carrie.-Early life:...
) is concerned over Dorothy's inability to sleep since her return, so she sends Dorothy to stay overnight at Dr. Worley (
Nicol WilliamsonNicol Williamson is a Scottish-born British actor who was described by English playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando".-Early life:...
)'s clinic in Cottonwood Falls to "cure" her by electro-shock therapy. When waiting in her assigned room that night, Dorothy is visited by a mysterious blonde girl (Emma Ridley) who later helps Dorothy escape from the clinic when she reveals that patients have been driven insane by Worley's treatment. However, they are pursued by Nurse Wilson (
Jean MarshJean Lyndsey Torren Marsh is an English actress, occasional screenwriter, and co-creator of the television series Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Eliott....
), and the two girls fall into the nearby river; Dorothy manages to climb aboard a
chicken coopA chicken coop is a building where chickens are kept. Interiors usually have nest boxes for egg laying, and also perches for the birds to sleep on. Coops for meat birds often have neither of these features...
, but the other girl presumably drowns.
Dorothy awakens to find herself back in Oz with Billina, who now can talk (Denise Bryer). The two venture across the Deadly Desert, and upon entering the nearby forest, discover the
yellow brick roadThe road of yellow brick is an element in the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with additional such roads appearing in The Marvelous Land of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz...
destroyed. Dorothy follows it all the way to the ruins of the
Emerald CityThe Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.-Fictional description:...
, which has been deprived of all its emeralds. All its civilians, including the Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion, have also been turned to stone. The Scarecrow, who was King of Oz, is missing. The city is
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
d with
WheelerWheeler is a family name and may refer to:* Wheeler , an 18th-century English professional cricketer* Albert H...
s,
humanoidA humanoid is a hybrid term from Latin humanus "human" and the Greek -oeides expressing likeness. The term was coined in the year of 1918 to refer to fossils considered close to human but not strictly human, including species now classified as Homo such as the Neanderthals.The term more generally...
s with
wheelA wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines. Common examples are found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle overcomes friction by facilitating motion by...
s instead of hands and feet. Hiding in a secret room accessed by the key obtained at the beginning of the film, Dorothy and Billina meet the Royal Army of Oz,
Tik-TokTik-Tok is a fictional character from the Land of Oz books by L. Frank Baum. He has been termed "the prototype robot," and is widely considered to be the first robot to appear in modern literature, though that term was coined after Baum's death....
, a clockwork robotic man. After beating up the Wheelers, Tik-Tok makes one talk and take them to Princess
MombiMombi is a character from the L. Frank Baum Oz Books series. She appears in the book The Marvelous Land of Oz and is alluded to in other works. She also appears in Ruth Plumly Thompson's The Lost King of Oz, and a painted doppelganger of her appears in John R...
, who is now the ruler of the city. Mombi, who is a witch and has 31 interchangeable heads, explains that the
Nome KingThe Nome King is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Although the Wicked Witch of the West is the most famous of Oz's villains , the Nome King is the closest the book series has to a main antagonist.-In the novels:The character called the Nome King is originally named Roquat the Red...
was behind the destruction of the Emerald City and the
kidnappingIn criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or asportation of a person against the person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
of the Scarecrow.
Mombi locks Dorothy and Billina in the
atticAn attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . As attics fill the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and the slanted roof, they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult-to-access corners...
, where they meet
Jack PumpkinheadJack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Oz book series by L. Frank Baum.-In Baum:Jack first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Jack's tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs...
, a friendly stick man with a pumpkin for a head. He explains he was brought to life by Mombi's Powder of Life, and this gives Dorothy an idea to escape. Dorothy and Jack restore a wound-down Tik-Tok, who helps Jack build a
flying machine"Flying Machine" is a two-track, US-only, promotional CD single release by British rock band The Stairs. Both tracks on the single also appear on the album Mexican R'n'B....
using sofas and the head of a Gump, a moose-like animal. Dorothy steals Mombi's Powder of Life to bring the Gump to life, but Mombi catches her in the act. The group escapes on the Gump, who is able to fly. After flying all night, they later crash-land on the mountain of the Nome King. The Nome King explains to Dorothy that the Scarecrow "
stoleThe stole is a liturgical vestment of various Christian denominations. It consists of a band of colored cloth, formerly usually of silk, about seven and a half to nine feet long and three to four inches wide, whose ends may be straight or may broaden out...
" the
emeraldEmeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5 - 8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness is classified as generally poor...
s of the Emerald City, and he only reacted accordingly. The Nome King also reveals that he is now in possession of the
Ruby SlippersThe Ruby Slippers are the magical shoes worn by Dorothy in the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz. In the film, Dorothy acquires the slippers after her house falls on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing the Munchkins from the Witch's tyranny...
, which allowed him to conquer Oz.
The Nome King takes pity on Dorothy when she cries, and offers her a chance to set things right. One by one, Dorothy and her friends venture into the king's ornament room, to search for an ornament that the Scarecrow has been transformed into. They each have three guesses, but if they fail, they themselves become transformed into
ornamentOrnament may refer to:*Decoration**Christmas ornament**Ornament or "ornamentation"**Ornamental stone*Ornament *Ornamental plant*Human ornamentation, see:**Human physical appearance**Fashion**Jewelry**Tattoo...
s and the Nome king increasingly becomes more human from his rock-like state. All fail except Dorothy, whose last guess frees the Scarecrow from his enchantment, realising that all the ornaments that contain her friends are coloured Green.
Dorothy's friends are restored one by one, when an enraged Nome King attacks. He tries to eat Jack, but Billina, hidden inside Jack's head, lays an egg which falls down the king's throat, killing him (due to the fact eggs are poisonous to Nomes). Reclaiming the Ruby Slippers, Dorothy wishes for all her friends to escape the mountain, and to restore the Emerald City and all its citizens. They then find themselves in a peaceful field in the moonlight, accompanied by a trapped Mombi. (Who had been encased in a jail cell earlier by the Nome king)
The citizens of Oz celebrate Dorothy's triumph and ask her to become the Queen of Oz, but she declines in favor of returning to
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
. The blonde girl from the clinic, seemingly drowned earlier in the story, then appears in a mirror behind Dorothy. It is revealed that she is Princess Ozma, the rightful ruler of Oz, who was sealed away in a mirror by Mombi and the Nome King. Ozma ascends the throne of Oz and Dorothy is returned to her world, where 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
jailA jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States.Jail may also refer to:*Prison or jail, a place for confinement*Jail , a program resources sandbox mechanism*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
cart travels by, with Nurse Wilson, looking suspiciously like Mombi, imprisoned inside.
The film concludes with Dorothy's new house being finished, and Ozma and Billina appearing in her bedroom mirror, hinting that her adventures in Oz may not be just a dream.
Cast
- Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Alejandra Balk is an American film actress. She made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's Return to Oz. She has also appeared in The Craft, American History X and The Waterboy.-Early life:...
as Dorothy Gale
- Nicol Williamson
Nicol Williamson is a Scottish-born British actor who was described by English playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando".-Early life:...
as Dr. Worley & The Nome King
- Jean Marsh
Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh is an English actress, occasional screenwriter, and co-creator of the television series Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Eliott....
as Head Nurse Wilson & Mombi
- Piper Laurie
Rosetta Jacobs, better known as Piper Laurie , is an American actress of stage and screen noted for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the film Carrie.-Early life:...
as Aunt Em
- Matt Clark
Matt Clark is an American actor and director with credits in both film and television. Clark has played diverse character roles in Westerns, comedies, and dramas....
as Uncle Henry
- Michael Sundin
Michael Sundin was a television presenter, actor, dancer and trampolinist, who is best remembered for his short time as a Blue Peter presenter .-Career history:...
& Tim Rose as Tik-Tok (puppeteers)
- Sean Barrett as Tik-Tok (voice)
- Mak Wilson as Billina (puppeteer)
- Denise Bryer as Billina (voice)
- Brian Henson
Brian Henson is an Academy Award-winning puppeteer, director, producer, and technician. The son of puppeteers Jane and Jim Henson, Brian was born in New York City, New York....
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
Gurdeep Roy , sometimes credited as Roy Deep, Gordeep Roy, or just Deep Roy, is an actor, stuntman and puppeteer.- Biography :...
as The Tin Man
- Bruce Boa as Policeman
- Tansy as Toto
Reception
Despite arriving amid much fanfare - the premiere was held at
Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
, and a
Return to Oz float along with characters from the film appeared as part of Disneyland’s
Main Street Electrical ParadeThe Main Street Electrical Parade was a regularly-scheduled parade, created by Bob Jani and project director Ron Miziker, famous for its long run at Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort most summers between 1972-1974, 1977-1982, and 1985-1996...
- it earned only $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place. The film ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America.
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).
Cultural Influence
- In 2005, American pop band Scissor Sisters
The Scissor Sisters are a Grammy Award-nominated American band that formed in 2001. Their style draws from disco, glam rock, pop and the club scene of New York City.The group take their name from a sexual position between women known as tribadism...
, fans of the film, included a song on their eponymous debut albumScissor Sisters is the debut studio album by American 5-piece band Scissor Sisters, first released in 2004 . It was released by Polydor in the UK. It reached number 1 on the UK and Irish album charts, and was the best-selling album in the UK for the year 2004. Since its release it has gone 7x...
, called “Return To Oz"Return to Oz" is a song by the pop/electronica band Scissor Sisters. It is the last song on their 2004 debut album, Scissor Sisters, and uses the lyrical motif of the film Return to Oz as an allegory for crystal meth abuse. The song is about drug abuse within the gay community, especially crystal...
”. Although the song actually pertains to the effects of methamphetamineMethamphetamine also known as metamfetamine , dextromethamphetamine, methylamphetamine, N-methylamphetamine, and desoxyephedrine) is a psychostimulant and sympathomimetic drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine...
(crystal meth), it contains many of the images and themes covered in the film (as well as referencing the SkeksisThe Skeksis are a fictional species which act as the main villains in the 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal, its companion book The World of The Dark Crystal and the TokyoPop prequel Legends of the Dark Crystal. The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the...
from the Jim HensonJames Maury "Jim" Henson , was one of the most widely known puppeteers in American history. He was the creator of The Muppets...
film, The Dark CrystalThe Dark Crystal is a 1982 fantasy film directed by puppeteers Jim Henson and Frank Oz, creators of The Muppet Show. Although still marketed as a family film, it was notably darker than previous material created by them. Characters for which they are famous do not appear, but some of the same...
).
- The film’s interpretation of Oz is featured in the Storybook Land Canal Boats
Storybook Land Canal Boats is an attraction located at the Disneyland and Disneyland Paris theme parks. Passengers embark on a leisurely-paced outdoor boat ride through a winding canal featuring settings from Disney animated films recreated in miniature...
attraction at Disneyland Resort ParisDisneyland Paris is a holiday and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The complex is located from the centre of Paris and lies for the most part on the territory of the commune of Chessy....
.
- Amelie Gillette of the AV Club frequently refers to the film's dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children 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.
See also
- The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
— other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
External links