Return to Oz

The Wizard of Oz will forever one of the most iconic films of all time, as when the classic L. Frank Baum stories were restructured into a Technicolor MGM musical in 1939, it did more than just mystify with seeing color on the big screen for the first time, it provided memorable characters with very charming performances (especially from a relatively new Judy Garland), hummable songs that can never be forgotten, and visuals that did its job at providing an enchanting magical world while also showing the freakier side to show why there’s no place like home, it is truly a timeless picture that will last forever. But since the film more so took ideas and scenes from the books rather than telling straight from the page, there was still plenty of opportunities left to go back to Oz for another journey. This is what director Walter Murch in 1980 thought when pitched the idea to create another film in Oz to Disney, who had just bought the film rights to the books and were forced to pay a large sum of money to MGM in order to retain several details exclusively made for the films (mainly the ruby slippers). After falling behind schedule during production and Murch was even fired at one point due to a change in Disney management, the movie was released in 1985 under the title, Return to Oz, based mainly on the book, Ozma of Oz. While people may’ve expected a traditional return to the magical land, this film provided an entirely new feel that is safe to assume scarred more children than anything else. After the events of the first movie, Dorothy (now played by Fairuza Balk) is having troubling readjusting to normal life after her journey in Oz, especially since nobody, even her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry (played by Piper Laurie and Matt Clark) believe really happened. Question her sanity and worrying about her future, Dorothy is taken to receive electric shock therapy (you know, typical kid-friendly stuff), but a fellow inmate manages to save her before any damage can be done, with the two being washed away by a river during a storm while escaping. Dorothy, along with her farm hen Billina (voiced by Denise Bryer) wake up to finds themselves whisked back to the land of Oz, which is now in a much worse condition as all her old friends have been turned to stone by the evil Nome King (played by Nicol Williamson) and Princess Mombi (played by Jean Marsh). Stranding in a world now unfamiliar to her and having to fend off Mombi’s evil henchman, Dorothy finds some comfort in some new friends, including a robot named Tik-Tok (voiced by Sean Barret), a scarecrow-esque creature called Jack Pumpkinhead (voiced by Brian Henson) and a living moose-head mantle called Gump (voiced by Lyle Conway). Forming a team, the group travel to the north mountain in order to find the Nome King and return Oz to normal. Being an unofficial sequel to the original film, Return to Oz connects very little to its predecessor in term of tone, style, and budget, and suffer slightly for it as the critical reception was not very pleasant and the film tanked at the box office, with many believing it to be too grim and dark for younger audiences. However, it has grown a cult following over the years and it isn’t hard to see why, as this movie acts as its own unique and wonderfully twisted creation that will charm children through its likeable characters as much as it will mentally scare them for life through its nightmarish visuals and disturbing ambiance.

This film eventually got credit for capturing the spirit of the original books, and considering the first film mainly took chunks of ideas from several books when piecing itself together, this film roughly does the same thing, but now has the added benefit of feeling and even looking more in line with how the books illustrated things to appear (Dorothy is actually a little girl time and not an adult being posed as a child). There are so many ideas that could be done with telling a new story in the world of Oz and it does feel like it takes advantage of being connected with the previous film despite feeling very different, like seeing the real-world consequences of Dorothy after returning from Oz and exploring the kind of darker side to what should be a fantastical escapist story. That is easily the most noticeable thing about this entire film, which is how unrelentingly dark it is in almost every corner. Instead of the heartwarming magic that came from the first film which only had a sense of foreboding dread, and a little bit of meanness attached, this movie is very oppressive and doesn’t hold your hand in any sense, dropping you into the harsh stuff without much warning, both in and outside of the realms of Oz. While this could be very disorienting (and considering the critical reception, it certainly was for some), it doesn’t in any way damage how engaging this film is, with the darker elements arguably assisting in drawing people in. Murch, despite mainly working in editing and sound design with this being his first and only job directing a film, feels like he gets the mixture of light and dark that comes with this story very well and created something wonderfully unique and timeless in the process. The journey the characters go on feels like something out of the books, it’s a very well-paced movie that doesn’t waste time, the film is definitely scary but the kindness and warmth of the characters makes you want to soldier through the hardships, the visuals on display are pretty muted in some areas, but the technical wizardry behind some of them are very impressive, and the script written by Murch and Gill Dennis captures the voice of the original stories as well as the parallels between the real world and Oz very nicely.

The first film had very simple but very likeable leading characters that helped make a magical world feel more real whilst still being magical creatures. They had very identifiable goals, inviting designs and costumes and very pleasant actors to help make the journey a fun one to be on. These characters work in a similar fashion, but honestly have an even more important role than the ones that came before. Since this film is so much darker than the first film, a good-hearted moral centre would need to be focused on in order for the entire picture not to be just a massive downer, and this film manages that with characters, that might not be as iconic as the first film but are still very good characters. They are also very likeable, have that swell and overly forgiving attitude about themselves which could make them feel naive, but it never feels dishonest or foolish, and the film spreads out their introduction, so it gives them all individual moments to be introduced and stand out. The designs are arguably more confronting than the past examples, with the practical effects and outlandish looks being more complicated than people wearing costumes, and even if they could look a little creepy, the gentle voice work, charming interactions between all of them and that genuine feeling of joy and wonder that comes from being around them can’t be ignored. Fairuza Balk does a great job providing a new voice to Dorothy, never feeling like a replication of Judy Garland and being able to leave her own footprint, while still being a very optimistic and likeable lead. Billina is a very effective animal support to have on this journey this time around (because Toto didn’t want to have to deal with it again), Sean Barret brings an authoritative but kind centre to Tick-Tock, Brian Henson’s soft and child-like delivery makes Jack younger than he appears to be and the thing about believing Dorothy is his mum is a little weird, but he still comes across as likeable, and Lyle Conway does nice enough with Gump even though he is given the least amount of screen time. Mombi is a great wicked villain with her gimmick of stealing heads to wear is so twisted and sick that it leads to some of the scariest scenes in the movie, and the Nome King’s design (both in human and in monster form) are well realized through the effects and Nicol Williamson’s gentle and almost fatherly tone makes him a deceptively creepy figure.

One of the more notably different qualities about this film in comparison to the first film is the noticeably smaller scale and budget. This film had a decent budget of about $28 million and there are several times throughout where the film has outstanding practical effects work ranging from puppets, to elaborate sets, to even claymation, so it certainly doesn’t look less impressive, but considering how monumental the first film was in delivering a visual spectacle like nothing ever seen before on film just wouldn’t be something most films would be able to jump over. When looking at it on its own, it does like a Disney film of the era and even has a few moments that feel like something straight to the Disney channel, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be bad, as the more grounded look and less dolled-up apparel of the world on both fronts helps make the moodier moments feel more atmospheric and natural. The color palette is certainly more washed out this time around and some of the background effects can look a little cheap (especially in regard to the designs of the Scarecrow, The Lion and The Tinman, who looked more authentic to the book, but are far more fake looking now). Even if it is more rundown, dusty and cluttered, the creative aspects of Oz still come through the effects, the visuals and cinematography handled by David Watkin and Freddie Francis sometimes present the film in a way akin to a horror movie, which can also be said for the musical score composed by David Shire, and because the film spends a lot of time in the dark with scarier components, the lighter moments mean all the more when they show up, so it isn’t like the film is dark for the sake of it, it does serve the purpose of the story and the characters.

Return to Oz wasn’t a film that everybody got into right away, but you’d be surprised how many people have grown up years later and acknowledge it for the scary-as-heck movie that nobody expected yet were greatly appreciative of. Anything labelling itself as a sequel to what many consider one of the greatest movies ever made was always going to have an uphill battle, but because this movie stood out with its darkness, it made people pay attention to it and appreciate for it what it is, rather than what came before it.  Return to Oz captures this 80s sense of grittiness and fear, but also has enough charming characters, creative visuals and a new enough experience to definitely be worth a viewing. While it doesn’t truly match its predecessor, it doesn’t feel like it ever meant too and rather should just exist as an alternate version of the classic tales. While definitely scarring for children (seeing a headless woman walking towards you while screaming heads surround you is pure nightmare fuel), for those willing to tackle those scares, this return to Oz will be one you never forget.