Return to Oz

Name: Return to Oz
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Released: 1985-06-21
Duration: 109 min
Rating: 3.5
Cast: Justin Case, Pons Maar, Ken Stevens, Guy Standeven, Piper Laurie

An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road.

Rating

3.5 (1)

Release Date

6/21/1985

Runtime

109 mins

Genres

Adventure Fantasy Family

Overview

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, finds herself back in the land of her dreams, and makes delightful new friends, and dangerous new enemies.

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

$25,000,000

Revenue

$11,137,801

Homepage

Visit

How It Feels

Read from this film's synopsis, keywords and credits, and used to work out what it sits beside.

A fever-dream sequel that transforms the wonder of Oz into something nightmarish and deeply unsettling, asking uncomfortable questions about reality and sanity. Gorgeously eerie rather than comforting, this feels more like a dark fairytale for viewers brave enough to follow it.

Mood

UnsettlingDread-soakedWistfulClaustrophobic

Themes

SurvivalComing of ageMemoryIsolation

Tone

Bleak

Pacing

Slow-burn

Look

Practical effectsFormalist

Structure

Linear

Heads up

Child endangerment

Fairuza Balk

Dorothy

Nicol Williamson

Dr. Worley / Nome King

Jean Marsh

Nurse Wilson / Mombi

Piper Laurie

Aunt Em

Matt Clark

Uncle Henry

Michael Sundin

Tik Tok

Tim Rose

Tik Tok

Sean Barrett

Tik Tok (voice)

Mak Wilson

Billina

Denise Bryer

Billina (voice)

Brian Henson

Jack Pumpkinhead (voice)

Stewart Harvey-Wilson

Jack Pumpkinhead

Reviews

stormaciousd

Oct 12, 2024

The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie. I respect Return to Oz's cult following, but my allegiance will always be to the original. Return to Oz is a (more faithful ) adaptation of the sequel books, not a sequel to the movie, so I view them as separate adaptations either way.
Anyway, Return to Oz. Fairuza Balk is a great little Dorothy. I love Tik-Tok. He looks like a steampunk reimagining of Rudolph's Sam the Snowman. The animatronics and puppets are so 1980's, which is a lot of fun. The Nome King is definitely the weak point for me visually and narratively; I wish Mombi was the sole villain. Also I remember the Wheelers being nightmare fodder, but it was a wild decision to just show their human faces all the time. The metal masks are way scarier and cooler.
31 Days of Halloween (2024)

Return to Oz1985

Read review

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