Return to Oz

PG

Released Jun 21, 1985

1h 50m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

List

58%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

71%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

Dorothy discovers she is back in the land of Oz, and finds the yellow brick road is now a pile of rubble, and the Emerald City is in ruins. Discovering that the magical land is now under the control of an evil empire, she sets off to rescue the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion with the help of her new friends.

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Critics Consensus

Return to Oz taps into the darker side of L. Frank Baum's book series with an intermittently dazzling adventure that never quite recaptures the magic of its classic predecessor.

Read Critics Reviews

Roxana Hadadi

Crooked Marquee

Taken altogether, the experience of watching Return to Oz, with its myriad nightmarish offerings, almost feels like thumbing one's nose at the prudish Disney of today.

Jul 1, 2020

Full Review

Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

Return to Oz doesn't soar when it so clearly should.

Dec 13, 2018

Full Review

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

The basic problem with Return to Oz is its unrelieved oppressiveness, an atmosphere resulting mainly from our sense of Dorothy's constant plight.

Dec 13, 2018

Full Review

Joseph Robinson

Fish Jelly Films (YouTube)

Return to Oz is a slightly disappointing effort that occupies a space far from the 1939 classic Wizard of Oz while not being close enough to the more grim source material.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 5, 2023

Full Review

Richard Schertzer

ScreenAnarchy

The look of Oz is very dreary and depressing when compared to the 1939 film, but it certainly makes up for it with its sense of adventure and fun. ... a nostalgia ride into a blissful time of innocence and care-free wonder.

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Entrancing in a very different way from its bright Technicolor ancestor.

Rated: A

Dec 2, 2022

Full Review

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Lucas t

Very weird requel. 6.7/10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/26/24

Full Review

josh d

Excellent 80s fantasy movie. Quite under appreciated.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/08/24

Full Review

Alec B

Nightmare inducing, terrifying, yet oddly faithful to the OZ in Baum's novels? The Return to Oz may have been a commercial failure, but true Oz superfans have made a cult classic out of this creepy 80s film for its absolute faithfulness to the characters, visuals, dialogue, and plot lines of Baum's own sequel novels. While only a select few will remember this film, I find it to be a rare hidden gem in the collection of Oz media.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/26/24

Full Review

Chris M

Some people complain how dark in tone this version is. But it’s closer to the original book which I heard are very dark in tone. Even down to the design of the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man look like they walked right out of the books. Auntie Em was too hard on Dorothy. But other than that, it was scarring in all the best ways.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/15/24

Full Review

Alec B

A delightful oddity. With the exception of the presence of the Ruby Slippers, just about everything in the movie runs counter to the iconic 1939 film, which makes "Return to Oz" a sequel to nothing. The movie is even darker than the Baum books its based on.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Holly

Why hasn't this got a higher rating.. it's brilliant!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/23

Full Review

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Walter Murch

Director

Fairuza Balk

Dorothy

Nicol Williamson

Dr. Worley

Jean Marsh

Nurse Wilson

Piper Laurie

Aunt Em

Matt Clark

Uncle Henry

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Synopsis

Dorothy discovers she is back in the land of Oz, and finds the yellow brick road is now a pile of rubble, and the Emerald City is in ruins. Discovering that the magical land is now under the control of an evil empire, she sets off to rescue the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion with the help of her new friends.

Director: Walter Murch
Producer: Paul Maslansky
Screenwriter: Walter Murch, Gill Dennis
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Oz Productions Ltd., Silver Screen Partners II
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround

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