Return to Oz in 1985 had Dorothy returning to a changed Oz and is currently streaming on Disney+. When I saw it, I was heavily into the L. Frank Baum books, and the designs of the film were identical to the W.W. Denslow illustrations. There would be twenty eight years before Disney was back in Oz with Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). The film of course stood in the shadow of the classic 1939 MGM adaptation of Wizard of Oz.
Return to Oz leans into the source material and adapts Land of Oz (it features a boy named Tip) and Ozma of Oz (Dorothy returns with the hen Billina), the second and third Oz books. The film is directed and co-written by Walter Murch who worked on The Godfather (1972), THX-1138 (1971), and American Graffitti (1973). It is co-written by Gill Dennis who later co-wrote the bio film, Walk the Line (2005).
So the movie may not be for very young viewers, it begins very dark in the real world, moments of terror in Oz, but there is so much magic and loyal friends in Oz. The film opens to the music of David Shire, who also composed the music to Short Circuit (1986), the music is very dramatic, here urgent and underscores all of the emotion later. Stars twinkle as we get the theme song of the movie, it draws back into a window and then down as we get that this image is in a mirror. The cinematography is by David Watkin who also worked on Out of Africa (1985) that year winning the Academy Award.
It pans across a bed where we see the dog, Toto, resting and then the sleepless Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk). This is the nine year old Dorothy after her adventures. Balk takes on the role of an innocent girl who is overwhelmed by Oz (what would be her imagination) and has to cope with a harsh, real world. Her trip back to Oz finds it has changed in her absence and discovers there are consequences for her actions. A hefty part for a first time movie. The actress would later be known for The Craft (1996) and other films.
Checking on her is Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) whom I know from the Twin Peaks series. Uncle Henry (Matt Clark) is listening in and leaves to check a newspaper clipping about “Electric Healing” from Dr. J.B. Worley. In other words, shock treatment, they discuss paying for it as Dorothy listens. Em is worried that Dorothy keeps talking about Oz, they should have warned her, no place like home, but the first rule of Oz is don’t talk about Oz. It has been six months since the tornado. Toto barks scattering the chickens.
Dorothy holds the hen Billina checking the hay to see if she laid an egg. The hen pecks at a metal key, Dorothy takes the dirt from it, and realizes that the top of it spells Oz. Toto races after Dorothy driven by Aunt Em and he is sent back by her. They pass through the countryside on a wagon, past tents, through the town of Franklin. Finally, they reach the imposing red brick mansion where Dorothy explains about the people of Oz to the bearded, pipe smoking Dr. Worley (Nicol Williamson). He of course played Merlin in Excalibur (1981).
Aunt Em frets as Dorothy tells her stories. Dr. Worley shows Dorothy his invention, an electricity machine with circular meters, he points out that it looks like a face. This hints at the later robot-like character. Dorothy drifts off and sees in the reflection of the machine the image of a blond girl (Emma Ridley) as the Oz theme plays. Nurse Wilson (Jean Marsh) in a black dress that swishes holds Dorothy’s hand as Aunt Em gives her a lunch pail of food. It is strange that Marsh later played the witch Queen Bavmorda in Willow (1988).
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| Fairuza Balk's Dorothy costume at this year's D23 Expo, Heroes and Villains, photo by the author. |
Dorothy hears the awful squeaking of a gurney pushed by the assistant in white jacket (Pons Maar). He was Saurod in Masters of the Universe (1987). In her room, Dorothy is met by a girl (Ridley) who gives her a palm-sized pumpkin, they hear a moan and the girl leaves. Of course, the characters are reflected in Oz, it seems like a coping mechanism to deal with the real life trauma rather than the fun counterparts of the original.
Rain starts to fall as Nurse Wilson takes Dorothy in the gurney. Nurse Wilson places the electrode earphones on Dorothy while Dr. Worley preps the machine. The storm blacks out the electricity and the patients scream. Dorothy hears the whirling of the machine’s gears. The girl frees Dorothy from the straps and they escape pursued by Nurse Wilson and the attendents. They race through the storm to the river.
Dorothy catches hold of a chicken coop and slips inside. In the day, muddy waters splash across the chicken coop. Dorothy wakes to hear Billina (Denise Byer) talking! She has a matter-of-fact, country accent with funny comments. Dorothy sees they are surrounded by sand with green trees in the distance. She knows that it is the Deadly Desert where it can transform living things to sand. Strange eyes in the rocks, a Nome rendered by claymation, watch her as she uses to cross over the patch of desert.
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| Tik Tok, at 2013 D23 Expo, photo by the author. |
Dorothy finds that they are at a Lunch Pail Tree and plucks off two pails which contain ham sandwiches, I love this concept! he Nome Messenger reports to his king and notes that she has a chicken! Dorothy walks through the woods with Billina and finds the shattered Yellow Brick Road! Dorothy discovers that the Emerald City is in ruins, abandoned, with its people frozen as statues including the Tin Woodsman and Cowardly Lion. Dorothy then hears the squeaking and a Wheeler slides in, a humanoid with patchwork clothes limbs ending in wheels.
They seem like a strange, Cirque du Soleil troupe. The Wheelers chase Dorothy into a darkened hall and she is able to use the key to open a door. They theaten Dorothy for breaking the Nome King’s rules. Dorothy finds in the dusty room, a mechanical man with a World War I era helmet, mustache, and copper pot body. He is invincible except this flaw needing to be wound up, but also loyal and an emotional robot. Tim Rose, who puppeted Admiral Ackbar, worked on Tik Tok, the Royal Army of Oz. He is voiced, gruff and lovably, by Seán Barrett who was a few Skeksis in The Dark Crystal (1982).
Tik Tok defeats hordes of Wheelers with the lunch pail and he captures the Lead Wheeler (Maar) to lead them to the tower of Mombi. They enter the hall of gold and glass, a beautiful palace, where Mombi (Sophie Ward) is playing a mandolin. It sounds eerie and she is dressed in an elaborate dark scarlet dress with metal neckpieces like peacock feathers. She takes Dorothy to her hall of living heads, this is creepy! I wonder if this is a commentary on beauty since Mombi wants to keep Dorothy until she can take her head!
Dorothy is locked away in a dusty room, she sees the mountain of the Nome King across the Deadly Desert. There is a portrait of the Scarecrow, her quest is to restore him back as king, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. Calling out, is the fallen scarecrow, Jack Pumpkinhead, puppeted and voiced by Brian Henson. Dorothy helps reassemble Jack, he has funny, spindly legs, and he tells her about the Powder of Life which they use to put together The Gump (Lyle Conway), a green moose-like head, that they latch together with a couch and palm fronds to fly! Mombi gets her original head (Marsh) and they have to face the challenge of the Nome King (Williamson) whose power has taken over Oz! Return to Oz is filled with wonder, some scares, laughs, and memorable characters!
Four Powders of Life out of Five!
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