Return to Oz |  | Director: Walter Murch
Actors: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, Matt Clark
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $15.91
as of 3/21/2010 08:44 EDT details
New (5) Used (17) from $15.91
Seller: ZoverstocksUSA
Rating:  295 reviews
Sales Rank: 68743
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
UPC: 013131082098
EAN: 0013131082098
ASIN: B00000JMQE
Theatrical Release Date: June 21, 1985
Release Date: August 10, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
You don't fool with Mother Nature, spit into the wind, remake Casablanca, or trash the land of Oz. Perhaps that is why the 1985 live-action sequel split critics and audiences alike. The 1939 classic musical is so beloved that it's almost impossible to imagine seeing Dorothy in shock therapy, a crumbled yellow brick road, the ruins of Emerald City, and the Tin Man turned into stone. But L. Frank Baum, the author of the original Oz books, portrayed just that with his continuing stories of Dorothy. When you get by these tough facts, the film version is solid entertainment for the over-7 set. Dorothy (a 10-year-old Fairuza Balk in her debut) is back in Kansas, where Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) is at the end of her rope: her niece is not sleeping and going on about a place called Oz. Therapy may be the answer, but luckily the scary clinic goes dark before Dorothy can be, er, cured (but the lead-up will scare the munchkins out of most kids). She wakes up in the land of Oz, now in tatters, and searches for its king, the Scarecrow. A new set of friends, including a tin soldier, a talking chicken, and a pumpkin man, help her against new villains, including Princess Mombi (Jean Marsh)--complete with a set of detachable heads--and the evil Nome King (Nicol Williamson with a great assist from Will Vinton's Claymation). The sole directorial effort of Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch is stuffed with marvelous effects that foreshadow later works by Tim Burton and the Henson non-Muppet films. --Doug Thomas
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 295
 Good 80s Fantasy Film March 20, 2010
musicfan (NY, USA)
I was reading reviews of this movie and wasn't sure if I'd ever seen it when I was a child. I think I may have at least once (on cable?), because some of the scenes sounded familiar to me. I've always liked the MGM Wizard of Oz movie, but I've never read the Oz books, so many of the characters in this movie were unfamiliar to me. I wasn't sure what to expect or what I'd think of it, and I actually liked it more than I thought I would.
It is definitely a sequel to the first film--the title alone says it. Dorothy is returning to Oz, only to find that it is not what she-or the audience of the first movie-remembers. Spoilers ahead, so don't keep reading if you don't want to know some of the story. Only 6 months have passed from when Dorothy returned to Kansas, but a LOT has changed in Oz. The Emerald City is broken and deserted, except for some residents that have turned into statues-including her friends the Lion and the Tin Man, who look different than we remember, but we get the idea so it doesn't really matter. New characters-mostly villains-are brought in. The people at the mental hospital who Dorothy escapes from with the help of someone. The Wheelers, Princess Mombi, and the Nome King are all trying to stop Dorothy from saving the Emerald City. Somehow her chicken from the farm is with her, and can now speak. She meets some new friends too-Tik Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, Ozma, and the Gump.
I can see how the movie did not do well. People were expecting certain things from the MGM film we all know so well. I don't mind seeing the new characters. I just had to get used to Dorothy looking younger/smaller in the beginning and then I didn't give it another thought. The only thing I would have liked to see included in this one is Glinda. I thought it was her as the prisoner in Mombi's castle-for a brief moment it looks like Glinda's crown and dress. I wonder if the filmmakers did this intentionally so we would think it was Glinda at first. She was a very important part of the first movie, as were the Munchkins, and you can't help wondering while watching this one-what happened to them? It is naturally the first thing you think about when you see Dorothy first discover her old house and the broken yellow brick road. But it doesn't really detract from the movie while you are watching it because there is so much going on to keep you interested. But afterward, you can't help thinking about it again. I have not read the books yet so I don't know how this all plays out in the stories. But given that the first movie is so famous and how important Glinda was as a character, it would have been nice to see her. I'm glad they brought the ruby slippers back for an interesting appearance-and of course the Scarecrow. As others have mentioned, he only has a few lines, and he, Tin Man, and the Lion are not shown very much. I don't mind that they have small roles in this. The movie is very different and it doesn't really matter as long as they ARE there at some point. To omit Glinda is weird. I'll have to watch it again, perhaps I missed a mention of her.
But the movie is good anyway. I liked seeing Fairuza Balk as Dorothy. She starred in a staple of my childhood, The Worst Witch. Both movies fit in with 80s favorites like Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Goonies, and Neverending Story. There is also a dvd bonus interview with Fairuza as an adult. I was hoping she'd mention TWW, but she didn't. It's interesting though. There are a few scenes in the film that may scare very young children, it's a bit creepy but I didn't find it to be as bad as some people do.
I watched the movie with my mother who also grew up with the MGM film of course. We both enjoyed this one. One of our favorite scenes-the lunch pail tree. How cute!
 AN EVERLASTING, TERRIFIC CULT CLASSIC March 17, 2010
Richard Ojeda Lara (Merida, Yucatan, Mexico)
Let's make a little background. I am a huge fan of sci-fi, adventures and romantic-comedy genres, but cartoons are very special to me. As a cartoon lover, Disney movies -and Disney brand in general- are such a genre that always delights me. So, since I was a child, I was acustomed to all what my parents put on TV about Disney. So,it was inevitably caught by the influence of Disney's "freak movies-era", mainly by two movies: The Watcher in the Woods and this one -Return to Oz. Of course I was watched the musical classic -The Wizard of Oz, with the star-icon Judy Garland- and I must said I really enjoy such movie. But this one, Return to Oz, is the one who had put its influence in most of the things I remember as a child, and whose really terrific and vivid scenes influenced in my creative development. So, when I'd got the chance to acquire this movie from Amazon, I had no doubt about the purchase. Wonderfully, the product got at home in less than ten days -the web page says it usually takes between two or three weeks to arrive home-, a very good surprise. Well, I just waited one day to open the package and release the DVD case. I was so delighted: the movie I used to watched as a child almost 23 years ago, was in my hands again, and in the best quality it is available to be acquired. So, since the moment I put it on the DVD player, I got totally hypnotized, as memories from the past came to my mind: since the first scene, when the main titles appears on the screen, in bright-green colors, as the camera makes a paneo of the Dorothy's room troughout the mirror -what a intriguing movie intro!- was just the beginning to a sea of thoughts, sensations, recurrent visions which have with me since then, etc... all of that came to me, in seconds. I couldn't believe it then and now, that I finally got the movie, that movie that accompanied me as a child, and now as a young adult, I am thrilled as the first day a watched it, but I can appreciate it more now, because I can see, in detail, all the backgrounds, the special effects, scene sequences, and of course the dialogues and characterizations. WHAT A GREAT MOVIE IS THIS ONE!! And, what can I say about the high-intensively vivid scenes, as the one in which Dorothy is chased by the Wheleers in a ruined Emerald City, until she gets into the princess Mombi's palace; or when she meets princess Mombi, passing trough the Hall of Heads, until she stole the Powder of Life from the cabinet in which the main head -princess Mombi's head itself- is kept in there, and screams "DOROTHY GALEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" with that really scary yell?? Or when she is inside the Hall of Ornaments, in a very desperated situation to look for the ornament in which the Scarecrow -the ruler of Oz at the moment the Emeral City was taken- was converted by the Gnome King? Oh, we have dramatic scenes, too! One of the most touchy in the movie is when Dorothy, after been grabbed by Mombi, is taken to a room in the top of her Palace -apparently a child's room, surrounded by toys but garbage, too; once in there, she takes a slow look of the room and, suddenly, Dorothy -exceptionally well played by a very young Fairuza Balk- stops while the camera guides the spectador to what Dorothy is looking directly: a big paint in which our beloved characters the Scarecrow (with his crown), the Tin-Man and the Cowardly Lion are in there, smiling to her, just in the moment we feel what Dorothy is experimenting in that specific moment: a vague nostalgia about their friendship, and the lack of strenght because she -and us, as we form part of the movie, too- cannot do anything to find a way to save them -all in Oz was became into stone- and the sadness invades us... but then, a crisp of strenght appears when Dorothy realises that the Gnome King's mountain is straigh ahead -takin a look from a big window- and, surprisingly, Jack Pumpkinghead appears on screen... and then, the idea of scaping and save Oz gives us a light of hope. Wow!! What a great movie is this one!!
Well, after these words, I just can recommend you this movie, touchy, scary, but, all in all, magical and realistic, closer to the Frank L. Baum's vision of what Oz is presented in his books, and a movie for all ages -well, maybe not for little ones ;). I mean, even with the wave of technology we can appreciate nowadays, if your children watch this movie now, we can swear it was made using the best technology currently available -but avoiding cgi ;P. In fact, this movie was made using the best technology avaiable then -based in Animatronics, miniatures, etc.
Please, to all of you who have grown with Disney, or just if you are a geek sci-fi-movie fan, take a look to this sparkling cult gem. You will get astonished!!
And, of course, buy through Amazon. It is really secure and fast. I live in Mexico, so find such kind of movies is a bit difficult, but TG we have Amazon; nice delivery service and good prices. Highly recommended to find and buy products. And about the movie, just give you the chance to purchase and watch it :D -a reminding and a refreshment of what great movies are made of!!
Thanks for reading this review!!
Return to Oz
NOT a sequel to the musical... February 22, 2010
Acid (Rogers, AR USA)
...and if you view it with that understanding, you may be pleasantly surprised. Another very imaginative childrens' fantasy of the 80s (right up there with Labyrinth and The Never Ending Story). My 4 year old daughter loves this movie. Some reviewers here have complained that it is too dark, but I think children will generally prefer a dark, but emotionally honest, film to a condescendingly bright movie any day. Still, some kids are more susceptible to nightmares than other, so be aware that there are a few scenes that could give very sensitive viewers bad dreams.
Dark and weird, but fascinating February 20, 2010
Sekuiro (Lemont, IL United States)
The cover of this DVD does a terrible job of preparing the viewers for what they're about to witness. The cover is bright, cheery and green: exactly what the movie is not. People who come into this expected a follow-up to the Judy Garland film, complete with song and dance numbers, are going to be severely disappointed. And possibly a little traumatized. Nonetheless, this is a very good movie...just not the sort of thing most people envision when they think about Oz.
Our story begins with Dorothy--an actual child this time, not a teenager like Judy Garland--still obsessing over the "imaginary" world of Oz. She's carted off to a mental asylum by her concerned but misguided aunt and uncle, where she comes within a hairsbreadth of being subjected to primitive electroshock therapy from a creepy-looking machine. The opening scenes are filled with disturbing, dreary images of a prison-like mental asylum run by a deranged doctor...and this pretty much sets the tone for the entire movie. Even Dorothy's escape into Oz doesn't brighten her life much, as she's confronted with an almost post-apocalyptic vision of a desolate world with a run-down Yellow Brick Road and an empty city. Her friends are nowhere to be found.
The villains in this movie are genuinely scary. Mombi collects severed heads and switches them with her own. The Nome King is a rock-monster who swallows people whole. Despite all this darkness, however, there are moments of poignant sweetness in Dorothy's friendships with Jack, Tiktok, and the Gump. And Belinda the talking chicken provides some welcome bits of comic relief without descending too far into silliness.
I remember seeing this movie as a small child and being thoroughly freaked out by it, but the images and characters stayed with me over the years. Seeing it again as an adult, I was able to appreciate it as a unique artistic vision. Though it's really not for small children, it's still a remarkable story in its own right. It will inevitably be compared to the original Oz movie and expected to "follow in its footsteps," but as the movie isn't intended as a direct sequel, such comparisons aren't really fair.
Definitely worth a watch. Just keep an open mind.
return to oz February 19, 2010
Shawn M. Espinoza (sunnyside, NY USA)
i'd like to start off by saying this isn't exactly a sequel, obviously judy garland isnt in it, and obviously this time around its a lil 9yo girl instead of a 16yo girl. But the story is still great, even though this movie got extremely mixed reviews. i'm on the side that fell liking it. From what i've read, this movie falls a lot darker then the first movie. Its more in tune to the original books, than its first movie counterpart. but it still has that great magical feeling to it. i honestly suggest people purchase this dvd, its worth the buy.
the ruby slippers from movie one, do make a come back. and i thought i saw glinda the good witch of the north in one scene but that was explained to be...
anyway as for the features in this dvd, its also dubbed in french, like thats a real popular language here ugh, spanish would of been preferred. there is an interview with the actress who played dorothy that was made in 2002 i believe. this dvd also includes the original theatrical trailer, and a few tv spots. this movie runs a total 1hour 40minutes.
and if you didnt already know, this movie isnt really for kids, its for teenagers and adults or even people who've seen the original wizard of oz as kids and who are now adults. give this movie a try, i'm sure you'll enjoy it all.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 295
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