Prior to its release in the summer of 1985, Disney had high hopes for "Return to Oz," a $30 million epic the company was banking on to recapture their youth audience. Instead, this moody non-musical sequel to "The Wizard of Oz" bombed at the box office and was faulted by most critics as being too weird and scary for kids. Ironically, many of the same scribes who trashed "Oz" would sing the praises of the equally dark, much creepier and far inferior "Babe: Pig in the City" 13 years later.
Had any of the reviewers bothered to read some of the other Oz books written by L. Frank Baum they would have realized the glittering vision of Oz MGM conceived for the 1939 "Wizard of Oz" is a far cry from how it's generally portrayed on the page. Baum's Oz is a land of strange magic, hostile tribes and perilous quests. "Return," which combines elements of Baum's "The Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz," is a faithful representation.
The film begins six months after the action in "Wizard" as Dorothy (the enchanting young Fairuza Balk, later to star in "The Craft" and "The Waterboy") finds herself haunted by memories of the Emerald City. After the well-meaning Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) turns the girl over to some shady doctors for treatment, Dorothy escapes and is transported back to Oz, along with her pet hen Billina.
But something is seriously wrong: The Yellow Brick Road is in ruins, vicious Wheelers are running amok and the Emerald City is lusterless and populated by statues. Dorothy determines this devestation is the work of the diabolical Princess Mombi (Jean Marsh) and the all-powerful Nome King (Nicol Williamson) and, with the help of new friends Jack Pumpkinhead and Tik Tok, she sets out to restore Oz to its glory days.
A rare family film that doesn't go overboard with cute creatures and silly jokes, "Return" is a swift-moving, lavish production with gorgeous sets, imaginative special effects and outstanding use of Claymation in the sequences set in the Nome King's subterranean domain. The screenplay smoothly incorporates elements of horror (Mombi's gallery of fresh-faced spare heads is chillingly lovely) and humor into a rousing adventure story that is best-suited for ages 10 and up; fans of the Oz books are likely to appreciate it most of all. Though completely unlike "The Wizard of Oz" in almost every respect, "Return to Oz" is a terrific movie in its own right and certainly deserves critical reconsideration. James Sanford
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