Return to Oz is another piece of evidence that Disney was in a strange place in the 80’s. Not sure who at Disney said “you know what we should do is a dark sequel to The Wizard of Oz". But one thing you can say about Disney in the 80’s is they didn’t play anything safe and they gave us some truly interesting films. I remember seeing this one on the Disney Channel as a kid, but as I got older I wondered if it was just a fevered dream I had one day while I was sick. But turns out it’s a real film that really leans into the horror of Oz.
The film starts with Dorothy going to a mental hospital because she won’t stop talking about Oz. There the doctor plans to use electroshock therapy to get rid of her bad dreams. During a thunderstorm the power goes out and with the help of another girl in the hospital they both escape. They end up in a river during the storm and Dorothy ends up in a floating cage and falls asleep. When she wakes up she is in Oz with her chicken Billina. But this Oz is nothing like she remembers. The Yellow Brick Road is torn up and everyone at the Emerald CIty is turned to stone. She begins looking for the Scarecrow who was left in charge of Oz when she last was there. While she is wandering the Emerald City an army of “Wheelies” come after her. Wheelies are creatures that have wheels as hands and feet. They scare her and while trying to hide she finds a robot Tik Tok. Tik Tok captures one of the wheelies and the wheelie brings them to the Princess Mombi. Princess Mombi is not a benevolent Princess and turns out she has a collection of heads and changes them at will. When Dorothy introduces herself the Princess says she will imprison her till she is older so she can take her head. While locked in a room in the castle Dorothy meets Jack Pumpkinhead. A large scarecrow with a pumpkin head that the Princess used a magic powder on to bring him to life. Dorothy quickly figures out a plan to escape by making a flying living creature out of a couch, moose head, and plant leaves. First she steals some of the powder that was used on Jack. Once the creature comes to life they fly out of the caste towards the castle of the Nome King where they were told the Scarecrow is. There they have to outwit the Nome King to turn everything back to normal.
The movie is fantasy film that really has some bizarre elements. While it’s not really scary it's one that can give a kid nightmares. One of the most truly bizarre elements of the film is the Hall of Heads the Princess has. It's implied she killed a bunch of girls and took their head. There she keeps them all alive but can choose which one she puts on to fit her mood. It is also implied that she only remembers certain things if she has the right head on. This isn't really explored too much in the film but raises a lot of questions.
The scene that has always stuck with me and gave me nightmares as a kid was the scene of Dorothy about to get electrocuted by the doctor. For some reason this scene was more disturbing than any scene in Oz. Maybe it's because it took place in the real world and I couldn't believe that electroshock therapy was a real things.
Other things that are a bit odd in the film are Jack Pumpkinhead and the wheelies. Jack seemed weird to me as a kid but now it just seems oddly grotesque. The wheelies are also strange and can see them given kids nightmare. Watching it now it feel like a very 80’s thing. With movies about BMX and Skateboarders gaining popularity it makes perfect sense for Disney to try to get in on that money.
The acting is pretty standard. Fairuza Balk who would gain notoriety playing dark gothic roles got her start as Dorothy in this one. As a child actor she does a fine job. She doesn’t try to imitate Judy Garland and makes the role her own. Unfortunately the screenplay doesn’t help her out any. The dialogue is odd, and the story barely makes any sense.
Like The Black Cauldron, which I just watched prior to this, the ending is a bit anticlimactic. Leading up to the final battle Dorothy and Tik Tok try to outwit the Nome King, but once we get to the final batter it ends up being pretty much random luck that defeats him.
Overall: While not a great movie it’s an interesting watch to see how bizarre Disney really got in the 80’s. Watching it now it doesn’t quite hold up and the effects feel very dated. This is one I am curious to know if anyone has revisited recently and what their thoughts are.
Random Facts:
Nominated for Best Special Effects at the Oscars
I like to think the girl she meets in the mental hospital is Alice from Alice in Wonderland and I know there is a movie crossover in the works so why couldn’t it be. There is also a bit of similarity with the Princess who has a bunch of head and the Queen of Hearts who is always shouting “off with their head”.
Disney had the rights to the books but also included references to the Ruby Shoes. Since the Ruby Shoes are not in the books and only in the movie Disney had to pay MGM for permission to use them in the film.
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