Return to Oz
Return to Oz | |
---|---|
Directed by | Walter Murch |
Screenplay by | Walter Murch Gill Dennis |
Based on | The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum |
Produced by | Paul Maslansky |
Starring | |
Cinematography | David Watkin Freddie Francis (uncredited) |
Edited by | Leslie Hodgson |
Music by | David Shire |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
Countries | United States United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $28 million[1] |
Box office | $11.1 million (USA) |
Return to Oz is a 1985
In 1954, Walt Disney Productions bought the film rights to Baum's remaining Oz books to use in the television series
Return to Oz was released in theaters on June 21, 1985. It performed poorly at the box office, grossing $11.1 million in the United States on a $28 million budget, and received mixed reviews, with critics praising the effects and performances but criticizing the dark content and twisted visuals. However, it performed well outside the US, and has since acquired a cult following from fans of the Oz books who regard it as more faithful to L. Frank Baum's works.[2] It received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.
Plot
In the autumn of 1899,
Dorothy awakens in Oz with her chicken, Billina, who can now talk. They follow a damaged yellow brick road to the Emerald City, which is in ruins and its citizens, including the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, turned to stone. The Wheelers - people with wheels instead of hands and feet - seize them but they are saved by a mechanical man, Tik-Tok, who explains he was told by Scarecrow, the king of Oz, to await Dorothy's return. In search of Scarecrow they visit Princess Mombi in her castle, where she keeps her collection of "wearable" heads. After revealing that Scarecrow is being held prisoner by the Nome King, who is also responsible for the devastation of Oz, she imprisons the group, intending to take Dorothy's head for her collection.
Locked in a tower the group encounter
Before Dorothy begins her turn the Nome King reveals he has her lost ruby slippers, which he used to conquer Oz, and offers to use them to send her home instead, but Dorothy refuses. With her third and final guess she selects a green gem, which turns into Scarecrow. Realising inhabitants of Oz turn into green objects, Dorothy finds and restores Jack and the Gump. Enraged, the Nome King imprisons Mombi as punishment for Dorothy’s escape, then grows to gigantic size. He prepares to eat Jack, before Billina lays an egg that falls into the Nome King's mouth, poisoning him. Dorothy retrieves the ruby slippers and hurriedly puts them on as the subterranean Nome kingdom collapses. She wishes for the group to return to a restored Emerald City, where she restores a green medal on Gump's antler into Tik-Tok.
The people of Oz subsequently ask Dorothy to be their Queen, but she desires to return home, while Billina chooses to stay. Princess Ozma - the girl from the sanitarium and rightful ruler of Oz, who was imprisoned in a mirror by Mombi - is then freed and ascends the throne. Dorothy gives Ozma the ruby slippers, which she uses them to send Dorothy home, promising she can return in the future if she wishes. Dorothy is found by her family on a riverbank in Kansas, where Aunt Em tells her that the clinic burned down, with everyone except Worley surviving. Nurse Wilson is arrested for her part in Worley’s experiments. Returning home, Dorothy sees Billina and Ozma through her bedroom mirror and calls for Aunt Em, but they signal for her to keep Oz a secret.
Cast
Live action
- Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale
- Nicol Williamson as Dr. J. B. Worley/Nome King
- Jean Marsh as Nurse Wilson/Mombi
- Sophie Ward as Mombi II
- Fiona Victory as Mombi III
- Piper Laurie as Aunt Em
- Uncle Henry
- Emma Ridley as the Girl at the hospital/Princess Ozma
- Justin Case as the Scarecrow
- Pons Maar as Lead Wheeler/Nurse Wilson's assistant
- Bruce Boa as Policeman
- Tansy as Toto
- John Alexander, Rachael Ashton, Robbie Barnett, Ailsa Berk, Peter Elliott, Roger Ennals, Michele Hine, Mark Hopkins, Colin Skeaping, Ken Stevens, Philip Tan and Rob Thirtle as the Wheelers
Voice cast
- Denise Bryer as Billina
- Sean Barrettas Tik-Tok
- Brian Henson as Jack Pumpkinhead
- Lyle Conway as the Gump
- Pons Maar as Nome Messenger
- Beatrice Murch as Princess Ozma (uncredited)
Puppeteers
- Mak Wilson as Billina
- Timothy D. Rose as Tik-Tok(head operator)
- Michael Sundin as Tik-Tok (in-suit performer)
- Brian Henson as Jack Pumpkinhead (head operator)
- Stewart Larange as Jack Pumpkinhead (body performer)
- Lyle Conway and the Gump
- Deep Roy as the Tin Man
- John Alexander as the Cowardly Lion
Production
Development
Walter Murch began development of Return to Oz in 1980, during a brainstorming session with Walt Disney Productions production chief Tom Wilhite. Murch told Wilhite he was interested in making an Oz film and Wilhite "sort of straightened up in his chair". Unbeknownst to Murch, Disney owned the rights to the Oz series and wanted to make a new film as the copyright was soon to expire.[3] In September 1981, Disney president Ron W. Miller announced that the studio would be making the film, not as a sequel or continuation of the 1939 movie, but instead an entirely new story with a different look to the original film.[4]
Return to Oz is based on the second and third Oz books,
Murch took a darker take on Baum's source material than the 1939 adaptation, which he knew would be a gamble. Between the development period and actual shooting, there was a change of leadership at the Walt Disney studios (with Wilhite replaced by Richard Berger), and the film's budget increased.[7] Despite an original $20 million budget, this eventually rose to $28 million.[8]
The film was developed and produced without the involvement of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the studio behind the 1939 film. No approval was necessary because, by 1985, the Oz books on which it was based were in the public domain, and the subsequent Oz books had been optioned to Disney many years earlier.[9] The ruby slippers were created by MGM specifically for the 1939 film to replace the Silver Shoes of the original stories[10] and, as the slippers remained MGM's intellectual property, a fee was paid.[9] Another carry-over from the 1939 film was the framework in which real characters from Kansas reappeared in Oz, which Murch kept in order to keep harmony between the two films.[8]
Casting
Fairuza Balk was one of 600 from Vancouver chosen to audition for the role of Dorothy. Having spent four days in Los Angeles during November 1983, she learned she had secured the role the following month. Speaking of the audition process, Balk said "I just burst with tears because I was so happy. It was a really big thing for me even to get an audition for a real feature film."[11] In casting the relatively unknown Balk, who was the second youngest auditionee from around 1,000 children auditioned across eight cities,[12] Murch said he "wanted to find somebody who might be Judy Garland's cousin once removed."[8] Maslansky believed Balk was born to play the role, saying "She is Dorothy as described by Baum. She is also Dorothy as I think Judy Garland would have loved to play her if she were that age."[13]
Emma Ridley was cast in the role of Ozma, which she described as "a dream come true". In preparation for the role, she would watch visual adaptions of the story and analyzed the opinions of critics of Ozma.[14] Ridley described how she tried to make her Kansas character "very calm, very studious", opting to wear little makeup and perform barefoot,[15] while wanting a complete difference for Ozma, who was shown with a transformed appearance and attire. There was a gap of several months between Ridley filming the Kansas scenes to the Oz scenes.[16] Ridley, who was born in London, had her voice in the film dubbed by Beatrice Murch, daughter of Walter Murch, so that the character of Ozma would have an American-sounding voice.[17]
Leo McKern and Christopher Lloyd were each considered for the role of Dr. J. B. Worley/The Nome King before Nicol Williamson was cast.[9]
For the role of Billina, around 40 real chickens were available during filming, each that were good for different things. Cages were tagged with the chicken's purpose, including perch, sit, carry and run to name a few, as well as chickens that would attack and others to run towards cast members. As Balk's small arms could not handle carrying a full-size chicken, a smaller one was used for those scenes.
Filming
Principal photography began on February 20, 1984, and wrapped in October 1984.[21] Originally, filming was to be shot 75% on location, including Oz-like locations in Algeria and Italy; however, due to budget restraints from Disney,[19] the movie was filmed entirely in the United Kingdom at Elstree Studios. Kansas scenes were filmed at Salisbury Plain, which was described as a "natural choice" by Maslansky due to it being flat and within close proximity to London.[22] The temperature at Salisbury Plain during filming was described by Maslansky as "freezing", saying of Balk that "she would cry from the cold, from the pain of the cold – but she would never complain."[13] The original cameraman, Freddie Francis, quit after shooting the Kansas scenes due to impatience with Murch.[19]
Once shooting began, Murch began to fall behind schedule, and there was further pressure from the studio. Five weeks into production, Disney was unhappy with the footage.[3] By then, mostly the Kansas scenes had been shot; however, Murch was looking unwell and was fired from the role without protestation. Murch later recalled the experience, saying "had I fought back... they might have said OK, but I couldn't fight back. I felt what the soul feels after it's left the body after a car accident — pain but tremendous relief."[8] High-profile film-makers including George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola supported Murch in discussions with the studio, and Murch was reinstated and finished the film.[3][7] Lucas guaranteed that he would step in as replacement if any further problems emerged.[3]
Balk and Ridley, the only two child actors on set, had limited working hours per day. Balk, who was in around 98% of all scenes, was permitted to work no more than three-and-a-half hours each day,[8] restricted to between 9:30am to 4:30pm which included breaks and private educational tuition. Balk's privacy was carefully guarded and she was not available to meet with journalists.[6] Whilst Balk did her own stunts, Ridley had a stand-in. Filming for the river scenes took place in a sound stage, described by Ridley as being "like a hot Jacuzzi".[15]
Various scenes, in particular those with the Nome King, used
The Emerald City scenes towards the end of film had to be fully reshot, as the character of Ozma was originally dressed in a gold lace dress which was deemed unsuitable during post-production. The scenes were re-shot with the actress wearing a white and green dress,[17] described by Ridley as being "very itchy and very uncomfortable", as she had grown by the time filming took place.[16] At one point during filming these scenes, Balk collapsed due to the high on-set temperature.[24]
Post-production
On describing the movie compared with the 1939 version, Balk said "it's a different story and a different picture, and I didn't try to copy anything Judy Garland did. It's not that much scarier, but it isn't as bright." She enjoyed working with the cast of 30 chickens, describing them as "really sweet" and praising their acting ability.[13] Jean Marsh said she thought 'Return to Oz' would be easy to film, noting "I thought this picture would be a breeze, but it's difficult to hit it absolutely right." She trusted Murch's direction in making his dream a reality, describing him "like a mad, vague professor. He's totally original."[25]
Release
Theatrical
Return to Oz had its world premiere in the United States on June 21, 1985, opening in 1,300 theaters including the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[8] Disney spent approximately $6 million on printing and advertising to promote the film,[26] as well as adding a scene on a Return to Oz float, including characters from the film which appeared as part of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade.[27] The film was released in London theatres on July 11, 1985.[20] This was the first film to use the Walt Disney Pictures logo from 1985 to 2006, which would later receive a fanfare, based on "When You Wish Upon a Star", composed by John Debney, with The Black Cauldron.
Home media
The film has been released to
In 2004, Disney released their own DVD, which dropped the Anchor Bay disc's fullscreen version and added anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 TVs for the widescreen version, upgraded the audio to 5.1 surround, retained the Anchor Bay disc's extras, and added four TV spots and a theatrical trailer. In 2015, Disney released a 30th Anniversary Edition of the film on Blu-ray exclusively through the Disney Movie Club, featuring a newly remastered and cleaned up transfer and DTS Master Audio 5.1 sound, but none of the bonus features from the 2004 DVD.
It is featured in the "From the Vault" Film section of Disney's streaming platform, Disney+.
Reception
Box office
It earned $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place[28] and $6.5 million in the 10 days after release.[29] After the opening weekend, Commonwealth Theaters reported that some venues took between just $300–$400, considered at the time to be poor. Jeff Love, city manager of the theater chain, believed it may have been due to a bad release time, suggesting that "they should have released it when people didn't have anything to do. It should have been before people got out and started going on vacation". Love went on to suggest that the perception of it being a children's film was another problem".[30] It ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America.[31]
Critical response
Receiving mixed reviews, the
However, many critics described its tone and overall content as too dark and intense for young children. "Children are sure to be startled by its bleakness," said The New York Times' Janet Maslin.[34] Ian Nathan of Empire gave the film three out of five stars, saying: "This is not so much a sequel but an homage and not a good one."[35] Canadian film critic Jay Scott felt the protagonists were too creepy and weird for viewers to relate or sympathize with: "Dorothy's friends are as weird as her enemies, which is faithful to the original Oz books but turns out not to be a virtue on film, where the eerie has a tendency to remain eerie no matter how often we're told it's not."[36] "It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying," added Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader.[37] Amelie Gillette of The A.V. Club frequently refers to its dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children[38] although it had been one of her favorite movies growing up.[38] Other reviews described the movie as "a horror show flying under the banner of family entertainment."[39]
Neil Gaiman reviewed Return to Oz for Imagine magazine, and stated that "Terrifying and visionary, funny and exciting, Return to Oz is one of the very best fantasy films I've ever seen."[40]
By the time of the film's release, the only surviving cast member from the
Censorship
The film was banned for a very short period of time in Ingham County, Michigan, due to reports of protests over its "restricted" rules at the Ingham County Library near Lansing. At the time, the library decided not to bring its sale to the film because it couldn't comply with the school board that "G-rated films were only allowed to be shown only." The ban was lifted soon afterward.[42]
Accolades
The film received an
See also
References
Citations
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the originalon 2013-06-16. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-84150-415-5.
- ^ a b c d Chambers, Bill (May 9, 2000). "A Conversation: FFC Interviews Academy Award-winning editor Walter Murch". Film Freak Central. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Disney crews plan next 'Oz' film release". Bangor Daily News. 18 September 1981. p. 147.
- ^ Ondaatje, Michael (2002). The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Gosh! Just look what they've done to our Oz!". The Sun. 28 July 1984. p. 37.
- ^ a b "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Return To Oz: New Disney Movie Has A Tough Act To Follow". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. 21 June 1985. p. 19.
- ^ a b c Arnold 2013, p. 537.
- ^ Wolf 2016, p. 186.
- ^ "Off to the Land of Oz". The Sun. 6 December 1983. p. 35.
- ^ "Making films is fun for 'Oz' star but Fairuza would rather be rich". The Montreal Gazette. 25 June 1985. p. 27.
- ^ a b c "Fairuza Balk, the new Dorothy, is a serious-minded 11-year-old". The Day. 2 July 1985. p. 9.
- ^ Norman 2017, p. 214.
- ^ a b Norman 2017, p. 215.
- ^ a b Norman 2017, p. 216.
- ^ a b "Return to Oz - Emma Ridley "Ozma" Interview by Ryan Jay". YouTube. September 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ Orlean 1984, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Orlean 1984, p. 10.
- ^ a b "The star with a wet nose". London Evening Standard. 10 July 1985. p. 26.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (June 16, 1985). "AFTER 46 YEARS, HOLLYWOOD REVISITS OZ". The New York Times.
- ^ "Dorothy's back – with a talking chicken". Calgary Herald. 13 June 1985. p. 86.
- ^ "Return to Oz : I Killed The Nome King : Claymation Documentary 2020 Edition : Doug Aberle". YouTube. March 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ Arnold 2013, p. 536.
- ^ "Bizarre dual role attracted PBS star". The Calgary Herald. 22 June 1985. p. 70.
- ^ "Simmer Was Anything But Hot For Movie Makers". The Dispatch. 4 September 1985. p. 15.
- ^ "Electrical parade, dance center to open at Disneyland". Eugene Register-Guard. 16 June 1985. p. 34.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for June 21-23, 1985 - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com.
- ^ "'Oz' Isn't For Children, And That's Its Big Problem". Toledo Blade. 18 July 1985. p. 44.
- ^ "'Oz' gets the blahs at box office". Hutchinson News. June 28, 1985. p. 75.
- ^ "Return to Oz (1985) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com.
- ^ "Return to Oz (1985)". Rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ "Harlan Ellison's Watching 2" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1985-06-21). "A New 'Oz' Gives Dorothy New Friends". New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ "Return To Oz". Empire. 2006.
- ^ Scott, Jay. "Return to Oz". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ Kehr, Dave. "Return to Oz". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ a b "Childhood Scares". A.V Scares. April 10, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ "'One Magic Christmas' Not Fit for Children". Daytona Beach Sunday News Journal. 8 December 1985. p. 14.
- Imagine(review) (29). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd.: 45.
- ^ "Ray Bolger is the final surviving cast member of 'Wizard'". The Robesonian. 7 July 1985. p. 10.
- ^ "Michigan library near Lansing bans Disney movie due to "restricted" rules". The Danville Times. Danville, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. October 19, 1985. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ISBN 9781476609669 – via Google Books.
Sources
- Arnold, Mark (2013). Frozen in Ice: The Story of Walt Disney Productions, 1966-1985. BearManor Media.
- Norman, Jason (2017). Before the Camera Rolled. BearManor Media. ISBN 9781629331232.
- Wolf, Mark (2016). Revisiting Imaginary Worlds: A Subcreation Studies Anthology. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317375944.
- Orlean, Susan (26 June 1984). "Hello, Yellow Brick Road: You Can Go Back to Oz Again". Boston After Dark: Arts & Entertainment.