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| Return To Oz [1985] | ![Return To Oz [1985]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZYY4NZTVL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Walter Murch
Actors: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, Matt Clark
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Category: DVD
List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £3.98
You Save: £11.01 (73%)
New (17) from £3.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 2284
Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Running Time: 105 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5017188811736
ASIN: B0001IMCDE
Theatrical Release Date: June 21, 1985
Release Date: March 22, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Return to Oz is a 1985 live-action sequel that split critics and audiences alike: you don't fool with Mother Nature, spit into the wind, remake Casablanca, or trash the land of Oz. 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-seven 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 marvellous effects that foreshadow later works by Tim Burton and the Henson non-Muppet films. --Doug Thomas
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Totally underrated masterpiece August 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw this film as a child when I was about 5 and we taped it so I watched it many times before it wore out and then I just forgot about it.
Now 20 years on I was buying the Wizard of Oz for my two children when I saw this and I couldn't believe it, even the cover brought back memories of the film.The dvds were a christmas present but I couldn't wait so as soon as they arrived, I sat down with my son to watch it and it was just as good as I remember, it took me back to my childhood again.
I should mention that it is a little scary in parts, it might not be suitable for those under 7 ,but is a must see kids dvd that was very underrated, its not as sugary sweet as the wizard of oz but I think its a better interpretation of the books.
 Return to your childhood. July 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Based on two books in L. Frank Baum's OZ series, Return to Oz is a truly underated film, that is unfortuantly often overlooked by fans of the 1939 Judy Garland film.
The story takes place in the year 1899, unlike the first adventure which apparantly took place in 1938, and once again finds Dorothy on her Kansas farm, unable to sleep. It has been 6 months since she returned from Oz, and now her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are considering sending her to a mental institution.
Familiar characters from the 1939 film reappear as well as a group of new friends who accompany Dorothy through the new Oz. The look and atmosphere of this movie is very different from the original, and some young children could find some parts of the film quite scary. An example of this is the Wheelers, strange creatures with wheels for hands and feet that chase Dorothy around screaming madly.
Judge the film by itself, instead of making too many comparisons to the masterpiece of the first Oz, and the film is very enjoyable.
The dvd contains no special features, only an interactive menu and english subtitles.
Great film that has still holds up December 4, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I still really like Return to Oz. For one reason, the central performance of Dorothy is really strong. Secondly, the costumed character effects in this are some of the best ever, even by today's standards.
Some parts are dated, but hell, that happens to every movie, right?!
Those who love the whimsy and wonder of The Wizard of Oz probably won't like this. This shows an Oz in decline, which is why I like it, it makes it more believeable and creates a genuine sense of tension. It's also pretty scary in places!
It doesn't really have any weak points, the only reason I'm giving it 5/5 is because it has dated just a little. But a great movie.
Wildly different from the original, but still excellent November 14, 2007
Fans of the original 1939 film won't recognize much in this 1985 rework. That's not to say that "Return to Oz" isn't an intriguing film in its own right.
Fans of the fantasy genre will love the atmosphere of the film, although in parts the surrealism borders on the disturbing. Granted, not many "family" films begin with scenes of primitive electro-convulsive therapy being administered to a child.
By the time Dorothy reaches Oz, the weird quotient of the film has been turned up to 11. The yellow brick road has become grey, the emerald city has been trashed, and the technicolour world of Oz has acquired a distinctly darker hue.
The parade of freaks that follows is enough to frighten most adults, let alone a child. Psychotic men with wheels instead of limbs, a mandolin-playing princess with interchangeable heads, evil talking rocks, a depressed talking chicking and a man with a pumpkin for a head who insists on calling Judy his "mom". These are probably the characters that Judy Garland saw in her darkest hours of amphetamine and barbiturate abuse.
By the end of the film, just about the only character whose head hasn't fallen off is Judy. A god made of rock has been poisoned by an egg (don't ask), several key characters have died and been reincarnated, and the wicked witch has been defeated.
Perhaps this is a superb allegory on freedom, mental illness and self-expression. Perhaps it's just a particularly odd children's film. But it's certainly something that everyone should make an effort to see once.
Then bury it in a barrel in the garden, and try to forget about it.
Missing Munchkins... April 28, 2007
Anybody thinking of buying this in hope that it's a big musical affair like the 'The Wizard of Oz' is going to be extremely disappointed - or pleasantly surprised...
6 months have passed since Dorothy returned from the land of Oz and her uncle and aunt are getting worried about her state of mind, so they send her to a doctor - a doctor who specialises in electric shock therapy. With the help of a mysterious blonde girl, Dorothy escapes to the nearby river. When she wakes she's back in Oz with her (now talking) chicken companion Billina. But things aren't right - the yellow brick road and the Emerald City are in ruins, and the people of Oz have been turned to stone. Along with her new found friends, Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Gump they journey to the mountain of the Nome King to defeat him and the evil head-changing Princess Mombi, and restore Oz back to it's former self.
Like I said, this isn't an all singing and dancing affair like 'The Wizard Of Oz'. It's a lot darker and to be honest, frightening. Not really one for small children. The scariest aspects being Mombi and her sidekicks the Wheelers - those guys can move and you don't want them to be after you when they do!
The whole movie is a delight to watch from start to finish and is definitely one I would highly recommend
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