Return to Oz

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walter Murch directs. David Watkin behind the camera. David Shire scores. Leslie Hodgson cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Earned back only 45% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
• 241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
• 4Directed by Walter Murch, shot by David Watkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by David Shire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Leslie Hodgson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Fairuza Balk and Nicol Williamson and Jean Marsh carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt0089908 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Classified under 12 themes, including "princess", "donkey", "electric shock", "sequel".

The technical file

Cinematography

David Watkin

Original score

David Shire

Editing

Leslie Hodgson

Production design

Norman Reynolds

Costume design

Raymond Hughes

Makeup / hair

Robin Grantham

Sound

Bill Rowe

Stunt coordinator

Colin Skeaping

Runtime

109 min · 1h 49m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$25,000,000

Box office

$11,137,801

Return

45% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG

IMDB

Return to Oz (1985) ↗

Also by

Walter Murch

• 
  Star Wars: The Clone Wars

  2008 · ★ 8.5

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Return to Oz (Theatrical Trailer)

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• r96sk2020-09-16
  ★ 6/10

  <em>'Return to Oz'</em> is alright, I personally didn't enjoy it though. I did like the horror edge it has to it for the first portion of the film, it's something I wasn't necessarily expecting so it was pleasing to see. That's about all I did rate from this though, with Oz itself not looking as magical as it should while the non-human characters are boring to me. Talking of the onscreen lot, Jean Marsh as Princess Mombi is the only performance I felt entertained by - she's very good. Away from her, there's not much to note. Fairuza Balk is solid in the role of Dorothy, nothing really to say about her other than she does an OK job; considering her age. The Wheelers are kinda interesting, they do look cool. It's a shame they don't make use of Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man - the latter I'm actually glad they didn't, given how awful his design was. I get why they don't feature more, given the source material, but it feels a needless change-up especially with Billina, Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead being so lame. I read that this is apparently true to the original book series, which is respectable. However, the point of a film is to make it a good film first and foremost - this doesn't quite do that in my opinion. Each to their own, of course!

  Read full review ↓
• CinemaSerf2022-04-04
  ★ 6/10

  There are some positively darker elements to this follow-up story of the young "Dorothy" (Fairuza Balk). Traumatised by her first visit to "Oz" her desperate "Auntie Em" (Piper Laurie) resorts to electrical therapy to try and help her young niece. Luckily, a thunderstorm comes to her rescue and escaping from the asylum where she was to be treated, she finds herself back in a now desolate land of "Oz". The yellow brick road has been torn up and the emerald city is but a ruin. It turns out that the subterranean "Nome King" has determined to reclaim all the precious stones stolen (as he sees it) from his realm, and so together with the Princess "Mombi" has reduced the once mighty city to rubble. It falls to young "Dorothy" and her new friends "Jack Pumpkinhead" and the rotund tin soldier "Tik-Tok" to find the mysterious powder of life and try to outsmart the pair and restore the kingdom. This story has much more menace to it. The treatment scenario at the start (aided well by Nicol Williamson and Jean Marsh) works effectively, and the multi headed Princess gives Sophie Ward and Fiona Victory an opportunity to spread a little mayhem too. My biggest gripe with this is that Miss Balk looks much younger that Judy Garland, and she isn't a terribly engaging actress either. The animation is a bit on the basic side, too, but it does move along well with plenty of flying sofas and a message that green is always good!

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• OZ

  Oz Productions

  GB

• SI

  Silver Screen Partners II

  US

• 

  Walt Disney Pictures

  US

Key crew

• ProducerPaul Maslansky
• Executive ProducerGary Kurtz
• EditorLeslie Hodgson
• Stunt DoubleCheryl Brown
• Stunt DoubleSarah White
• StuntsElaine Ford
• StuntsGareth Milne
• Stunt DoubleAlison Lynn
• StuntsAndy Bradford
• Stunt DoubleNicola Roche
• StuntsTip Tipping
• Wardrobe SupervisorPaul Vachon
• CastingSusie Figgis
• Costume DesignRaymond Hughes
• StoryboardDenis Rich
• GafferJim Dawes
• Associate ProducerColin Michael Kitchens
• Second Assistant DirectorIan Hickinbotham
• CastingJane Feinberg
• CastingMarci Liroff
• GafferMaurice Gillett
• Assistant DirectorRay Corbett
• Art DirectionFred Hole
• StoryboardHarley Jessup

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• princess
• donkey
• electric shock
• sequel
• pumpkin
• imaginary land
• mental institution
• mechanical
• somber
• based on young adult novel
• mirror
• sinister

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1985-06-21PG
• Physical1985-12-31PG· VHS

Also known as

International titles

• De Wonderlijke Wereld van OzNL
• Oz - en fantastisk världSE
• Oz - Eine phantastische WeltDE
• Regreso a OzMX
• Regreso a OzSV
• O Mundo Fantástico de OzBR
• 마법의 나라 오즈KR