I've have fond yet horrific memories of Return to Oz, which I watched in my early teen years. Like many films from the 80s (such as The NeverEnding Story, The Dark Crystal, The Secret of NIMH and Labyrinth) the film didn't patronise the youthful target audience; the film was a darker, more macabre children's film than had often been portrayed on the screen.
The story is quite interesting as we see Dorothy six months after the tornado took her house to Oz. Her aunt and uncle don’t believe her when she recalls her adventures and so seek advice from a clinic. After nearly undergoing electric-shock therapy, Dorothy escapes with a mysterious girl in the middle of a stormy night and finds herself back in a much-changed Oz; the yellow brick road and the Emerald City are in ruins and the land is under the control of the Nome King. With her new friends, Tiktok, Jack Pumpkinhead and The Gump, she sets off to rescue the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion. Along the way she faces the Wheelers (a rolling band of Mad Max-style costumed henchmen) and the horrifying Princess Mombi, who collects and wears the heads of the maidens of the land.
Back when this was released in 1985, I'm guessing people were clutching their pearls as they were used to the happy, singalong, technicolor Wizard of Oz movie which had turned into a bona-fide classic. I think in this day and age, where children are used to films such as Coraline, Monster House and Frankenweenie, something like Return to Oz would find a much more appreciative audience. The fact that this film was from the House of Mouse must have been additionally surprising, but people often forget that before the Disneyfication of fairy stories, the original source material was often much darker. Just think about the core themes behind Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty; they are all horrific tales which support the status quo and the subservient role of women. Something like Return to Oz, where Dorothy fights against the patriarchy, must have been shocking in the macho 80s but Frank L. Baum’s stories are creepy as heck and, remembering them from my youth, quite trippy in places.
Adults nowadays know that children can handle being a little scared and aren't as fragile as they seem, in fact, many like being a little frightened and boy does this film have these moments:
- Dorothy being tied down to a gurney to receive electric shock therapy,
- The creepy wheelers with their 80s Mad Max style fashion, just with less leather,
- Princess Mombi chasing Dorothy whilst all her heads come alive,
- The Nome King appearing from out of the cliff face.
As well as these practical special effects, which give the film the same timeless quality as Jim Henson's The Storyteller or The Green Knight, and you have a film that really has stood the test of time extremely well.
Whatever the reason the film flopped, I don't care- I love it and think it deserves a reappraisal.