We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto

The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time. Recently a friend gave me Return to Oz. I actually hadn't seen it before, although I do remember begging my grandma to rent it at the video store when I was about 5 yrs old. The Wheelers scared me and she wouldn't let me watch the rest of it because she thought I would have nightmares. Probably a good call, grandma. Haha. Anyway, here's my take on the film.

Return to Oz was made by Disney in 1985. It has an awkward charm; weird but completely enjoyable. The thing you have to remember about Return to Oz is that the director didn't intend for it to be a direct sequel to (or really, anything at all like) the Judy Garland musical. Although, ROz is based on the 2nd and 3rd Oz books by L. Frank Baum.

It's definitely darker than WOz, but totally entertaining in a quirky sort of way. Dorothy has been back in Kansas for awhile and talking about Oz, making Auntie Em think she's gone mad. Dorothy has to escape from the evil electro-shock therapy clinic and ends up floating on a river to Oz. There're no cheerful Munchkins or Glinda, the good witch, dressed in a sparkly bubblegum colored dress, but there is Tik-Tok the robot, Jack Pumpkinhead, Gump--a mounted moose head attached to a couch for most of the movie and Billina the talking chicken (who would be much less annoying if she didn't talk). They have to save the land of Oz, Princess Ozma and the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. The villains in this movie are by far the strangest part. There's Princess Mombi who has a room full of heads that she pops on and off like wigs, The Wheelers (who still kind of creep me out: see pic)--think rollerblades for hands and feet along with bad makeup, crazy clothes, and cackling laughter, and the claymation stone cross-dressing Nome king, who is wearing the ruby slippers.

Bits and pieces of this movie remind me of Narnia. Dorothy returns to Oz to find the Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City in ruins. All of the people of the Emerald City have been turned to stone (and some decapitated for Mombi's collection). The Nome king lives on a snow covered mountain, and the rocks are all spies for the king--remniscent of the trees in Narnia. Interesting coincidences.

I enjoyed it although WOz is several (decapitated) heads above in ranking, and if you're interested in watching it with me I'll probaby watch it again soon (maybe along with WOz). See it if: you like dark and quirky 80s movies with ridiculous characters, claymation, animatronics, and have no expectations of it being anything like WOz. Don't see it if: you're 5 yrs old.

[Take home lesson from the end of ROz: Behold the power of the incredible edible egg.]