Trailer:
The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
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An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road.

It's an all-new live-action fantasy - filled with Disney adventure and magic.

If there's one thing you must do this summer, it's "Return to Oz..."

Return to the land where the adventure began.


This '80s follow-up to The Wizard of Oz is based upon two of L. Frank Baum's later Oz books. In Return to Oz (a version that may be a bit too scary for young children), Auntie Em sends Dorothy to a sanitarium where hopefully she will clear her head from all of the "Oz nonsense." This doesn't work, for soon Dorothy manages to return to Oz, but things have definitely changed. She finds her old friends turned to stone and discovers that the awful Nome King has taken over Oz.


Return to Oz is a 1985 fantasy adventure film based on L. Frank Baum's Oz books, mainly The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz. The plot begins with Dorothy's return to the Land of Oz, and her discovery that the land has been destroyed. Upon her return, Dorothy, alongside her chicken Billina, is befriended by a group of new companions, including Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead, who help her restore Oz to its former glory.
Directed by Walter Murch, an editor and sound designer, Return to Oz stars Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, Matt Clark, and introducing Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale. Released on June 26, 1985, it performed poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics. However, Return to Oz is considered by fans as a more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 1939 film, and has since established a cult following.[2][3] The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.


The movie received mixed reviews from critics, who described the film's content as too dark and intense for children. "Children are sure to be startled by the film's bleakness," said The New York Times's Janet Maslin.[7] Canadian film critic Jay Scott felt the protagonists were too creepy for viewers to 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."[8] "It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying," added Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader.[9] The film earned $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place.[10] The film ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America.[11] Return to Oz currently holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, but lost to Cocoon. Fairuza Balk and Emma Ridley were nominated for Young Artist Awards. The film received two Saturn Award nominations for Best Fantasy Film (lost to Ladyhawke) and Best Younger Actor for Fairuza Balk (who lost to Barret Oliver for D.A.R.Y.L.).
The film’s interpretation of Oz is featured in the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction at Disneyland Resort Paris. Amelie Gillette of the The A.V. Club frequently refers to the film's dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children[12] despite it being one of her favorite movies growing up. The film inspired a fan-made documentary titled Return To Oz: The Joy That Got Away, made especially for the Internet

Release date: June 21, 1985


Distrib: Walt Disney


Boxoffice: $11,137,801 2014: $24,597,300