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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 0013131081831 Format: Color, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, NTSC Label: Starz / Anchor Bay Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Starz / Anchor Bay Release Date: August 10, 1999 Running Time: 113 minutes Sales Rank: 1324 Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay Theatrical Release Date: June 21, 1985
Amazon.com: You don't fool with Mother Nature, spit into the wind, remake Casablanca, or trash the land of Oz. Perhaps that is why the 1985 live-action sequel split critics and audiences alike. The 1939 classic musical is so beloved that it's almost impossible to imagine seeing Dorothy in shock therapy, a crumbled yellow brick road, the ruins of Emerald City, and the Tin Man turned into stone. But L. Frank Baum, the author of the original Oz books, portrayed just that with his continuing stories of Dorothy. When you get by these tough facts, the film version is solid entertainment for the over-7 set.
Dorothy (a 10-year-old Fairuza Balk in her debut) is back in Kansas, where Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) is at the end of her rope: her niece is not sleeping and going on about a place called Oz. Therapy may be the answer, but luckily the scary clinic goes dark before Dorothy can be, er, cured (but the lead-up will scare the munchkins out of most kids). She wakes up in the land of Oz, now in tatters, and searches for its king, the Scarecrow. A new set of friends, including a tin soldier, a talking chicken, and a pumpkin man, help her against new villains, including Princess Mombi (Jean Marsh)--complete with a set of detachable heads--and the evil Nome King (Nicol Williamson with a great assist from Will Vinton's Claymation). The sole directorial effort of Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch is stuffed with marvelous effects that foreshadow later works by Tim Burton and the Henson non-Muppet films. --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - 10 yr old twins: 1 loved it - 1 hated it
OK - My kids loved Wizard of Oz so I picked this up for them. I have 10yr old boy/girl twins and a 4yr old boy. The boys LOVED it but my daughter HATED it! It is MUCH darker than the original movie, but follows the book much closer. I think my daughter was expecting the singing/dancing of the original movie. She was scared to death of The Wheelers and the whole head changing issue. The boys thought the whole movie was "cool" and not babyish. They liked that it was weird. My personal opinion of the movie? I have to go with my daughter on this one! Didn't like it a bit! I'd take the original Wizard ... Read More
Rating: - Enjoyment
I haven't actually viewed my purchase yet, but the condition I received it in was quite satisfactory. I am positive that I shall enjoy it. THANKS! :)
Rating: - Astonishing, Original, and Funtastic Movie!
100 Snazzes on the 100 point Snazz-o-scale. Perfect!
-Return to Oz is a fantastic and phenomenal movie. It did flop at the time of its release, I'm sad to say. I recall one critic calling it grim and gloomy, saying they could have at least had a little "Over the Rainbow" in it. I also saw a Return to Oz float once at Walt Disney World, during the Main Street Electrical parade. It's a great parade but I think most people looked at the float and thought "What is THAT?"
-But it is a great movie nevertheless. The characters are wonderful; from Dorothy to her friends, Jack and Tic-Toc, to ... Read More
Rating: - Return to Oz is the real deal!
This movie is the real deal! Check out "Ozma of Oz" and "The Land of Oz," which take place after the events in the "Wizard of Oz" to see how L. Frank Baum envisioned Oz and then compare them to this movie. Walter Murch, not only got the look and feel of Oz right, but he also got the personalities of these new characters correct. Watch this movie to learn what Oz was really like. Jack Pumpkinhead deserves our love as much as the Scarecrow! Bettina the chicken is more Dorothy's pet than Toto. Enjoy the diversity of L. Frank Baum's imagination! You won't be disappointed. This is a GREAT film!!!
... Read More
Rating: - Dorothy Takes A Little Trip Back 2 OZ!!!
Return to Oz is pretty good, but it can NEVER beat the original! Dorothy recieves a key from the scarecrow and tries to get back to Oz. No one believes her, so Auntie Em takes her to an asylum to help her. During a lightning storm, 'someone' helps Dorothy escape, and she gets transported back to Oz. With the help of totally new friends, Dorothy flies to the Nome King's mountain to figure out what happened to the Scarecrow. Soon, the Nome King challenges Dorothy and her new friends to a little game; Scarecrow has been turned into an ornament, and if they pick the right one, the Scarecrow will come back, ... Read More
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