Stream it now Return to Oz 1985

 

I loved this film. Am currently directing the stage version of The Wizard of Oz and have watched just about every available version or variation thereof of Oz movies - from silents, to black and whites to this. As I sat watching Return to Oz I thought - well, this isn't for everyone. But young people today watch very bizarre and very scary movies -so why should this put them off? And what a surprise, I found Return to Oz to be by far the best!
I loved the naturalness of Dorothy's character - great acting. I appreciated the blend of the stories - delightful! A must see for those who want to go beyond the rainbow and really visit Baum's original characters. Although Princess Mombie was an extreme interpretation from the real Old Mombie, I accepted it. The Wheelers were fascinating to watch - ugly, threatening, wonderfully costumed.
And that last scene as the characters re-entered the Emerald City - look at all the characters. Look carefully for you will see many brought in from Baum's other books. Supreme.

Probably the most underrated movie ever...I loved it worlds better than the original, personally...

This is another of those films I had forgotten from my childhood. I must have seen it on TV in the mid 80's or possibly a friends place, I can't recall. It is an alright film which makes me want to read the books. Of course it is not the classic the original Wizard of Oz film still remains more than 80 years later.

This film is supposed to be darker but I remember that Wicked Witch and her flying monkies and gorilla men as being quite scary as a child. Overall it is it's own version/continuation of the first film, even using the ruby slippers instead of Silver slippers I guess are in the original books.

Worth a watch for Oz or fantasy fans, an ok family movie.

this film was a welcomed sequal in my book.It is much more like the actual story.The cast is pretty dead on.The special effects are wonderful for the time not really the claymation but what ever.The scarecrow,tinman and lion look like they jumped from the story book pages.The funniest thing is it doesn't connect directly with the original but they did continue with the ruby slippers that where silver in the book and dorthy being a brunette.The story is adventure filled and scary at a quiet a few times. The headless scene is pretty much like the dinner table scene in pans labyrinth .The music is adictive i find my self humming it all the time.So if you haven't seen and have an open mind this is your type of fantasy...

One of my favs when i was a kid. Darker than wizard. The fx and costumes are really cool.
Cool to see a more inside look into oz and the emerald city. Great Movie!! I don't even mind Bellina that much:)

It may not be as a kid-friendly movie but I remember this watching when I was 8 and I thought it was a pretty great film.

Its such a shame that most people see this film as a flop, I loved this film when I first watched it, I must have been about seven when it came on television. I was amazed how great and wonderful Return to Oz was!

Watching it again nearly twenty years later, this film still stands out as a classic children's film that few today can even hope to match. I feel that a lot of children's films today such as Narnia and the endless onslaught of remade classics lack any charm and the characters all seem woodern and lifeless!

Return to Oz was a commercial flop, maybe because it was too dark a story to show to children, but sometimes children need to see the darkness to fully understand the light and this is great film that many children and adults will enjoy and appreciate more today than back then.

The characters were really well cast and the story that mixes two of the latter books about Oz was done perfectly although I feel more of Oz could have been shown and a bit more of the story could have been told but in the end I am just nit picking!

Do not watch this film as a sequel but as standalone film where the first story of Dorothy has yet to be told and you won't be disappointed.

I hope if they make another film about Oz it will be as magical and full of charm as this film was and still is. No CGI here which is a blessing!

I have not seen this in years but i can still remember it very well as the visual design was/is top draw.

Return to Oz is a fantastic sequel. Incredible special effects for it's time, and a strange, creepy, but amazing setting. Anyone who liked the first film must see this.

In reviewing Return to Oz, you can't help but compare it to the famous 1939 Wizard of Oz. The young Fairuza Balk can't help but feel like an inferiour Dorothy than Judy Garland, but she does a decent job. Perhaps the Scarecrow's face now being a mask rather than makep is creepy, but Return to Oz has some great special effects and appeals to a more mature audience than the original did.