Return to Oz - wikipedia Return to Oz For other uses, see Return to Oz ( disambiguation ). Return to Oz Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan Directed by Walter Murch Produced by Paul Maslansky Written by Gill Dennis Walter Murch Based on The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum Starring Nicol Williamson Jean Marsh Piper Laurie Fairuza Balk Music by David Shire Cinematography David Watkin Freddie Francis ( uncredited ) Edited by Leslie Hodgson Production company Walt Disney Pictures Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Release date June 21, 1985 ( 1985 - 06 - 21 ) ( United States ) July 10, 1985 ( 1985 - 07 - 10 ) ( United Kingdom ) Running time 113 minutes Country United States United Kingdom Language English Budget $28 million Box office $11.1 million ( USA ) Return to Oz is a 1985 fantasy adventure film directed and written by Walter Murch, an editor and sound designer, co-written by Gill Dennis and produced by Paul Maslansky. It stars Nicol Williamson as the Nome King, Jean Marsh as Princess Mombi, Piper Laurie as Aunt Em, Matt Clark as Uncle Henry and introduces Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale. It is based on L. Frank Baum 's Oz novels, mainly The Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1904 ) and Ozma of Oz ( 1907 ), yet is set six months after the events of the first novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1900 ) took place. The film is an unofficial sequel to the 1939 Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer film, The Wizard of Oz and also borrows a few elements of it such as the ruby slippers. The plot focuses on an insomniac Dorothy, who returns to the Land of Oz only to discover that the entire country and its inhabitants are facing near extinction at the hands of a villainous king who dwells in a neighboring mountain. Upon her second arrival, she, alongside her pet hen, Billina, befriend a group of new companions, including Tik - Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the flying Gump. Together they set out on a quest to save Oz and restore it to its former glory. Development of a film adaptation of Oz by Disney began after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, when Walt Disney planned to produce an animated film based on the first of Baum 's Oz books, until Baum 's estate had already sold the film rights to the first book to Samuel Goldwyn, who re-sold it to Louis B. Mayer in 1938. The film was ironically approved due to the success of Snow White. The project was developed by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer into the well - known musical adaptation and released the following year. In 1954, when the film rights to Baum 's remaining thirteen Oz books were made available, Walt Disney Productions acquired them for use in Walt Disney 's television series Disneyland which led to the live - action film Rainbow Road to Oz, which was abandoned and never completed. In 1980, Murch was interested in doing `` another Oz story '' when approached by Disney to direct Return to Oz. After Return to Oz, Disney lost the film rights to the Oz books, and they were subsequently reverted to the public domain. Released on June 21, 1985 by Walt Disney Pictures, the film performed poorly at the box office, grossing $11.1 million in the United States against a $28 million budget, and received mixed reviews from critics. However, it performed well outside the U.S and is considered by fans as a more faithful adaptation of the book series than the 1939 classic, and has since acquired a cult following. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 5 Release 6 References 7 External links Plot In October 1899, six months after returning home from the Land of Oz, Dorothy Gale is melancholic. Her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry take her to Dr. Worley, known for his electrotherapy treatments, and leave her under the care of Nurse Wilson. During a thunderstorm, the lab suffers a blackout and Dorothy is saved by a mysterious girl, who reveals to Dorothy that Dr. Worley is using his machines to brain damage the patients. They escape with Nurse Wilson in pursuit, and fall into a river. Dorothy clambers aboard a chicken coop, but the other girl appears to have vanished underwater. Upon awakening, Dorothy finds herself back in Oz in the Deadly Desert with her chicken Billina, who can now talk. They find the Emerald City in ruins and its citizens ( including the Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion ) turned to stone. Pursued by Wheelers ( humans who have wheels instead of hands and feet ), Dorothy and Billina hide in a room accessed by a glyph key Billina earlier had found. They meet a mechanical man, Tik - Tok, who explains that King Scarecrow has been captured by the Nome King, a rock dwelling evil spirit who is responsible for the Emerald City 's destruction. The three visit princess Mombi in hopes of getting more information, but she is working with the Nome King and imprisons them. Dorothy, Billina, and Tik - Tok meet Jack Pumpkinhead, who explains he was brought to life via Mombi 's Powder of Life. Dorothy uses the powder to vivify the Gump, the head of a green moose - like animal whose body they put together using two sofas, palm leaves, a broom, and rope. Using the Gump as transport, the group escapes and flies across the Deadly Desert to reach the Nome King 's mountain. Mombi sends the Wheelers after them, but half the pack are killed via being turned to sand in the Deadly Desert. In his underground domain, the Nome King tells Dorothy that the Scarecrow stole the emeralds from him to build the Emerald City, and should be punished. He does not listen when Dorothy protests that the emeralds preceded the Scarecrow at the city. The Scarecrow has been turned into an ornament, and the group has three guesses each to identify which one he is, or they will be turned into ornaments themselves. The Gump, Jack and Tik - Tok each fail and are turned into ornaments. The Nome King gives Dorothy the chance to go home unscathed since he has her discarded ruby slippers, but Dorothy refuses to use them to leave her companions. Meanwhile, the surviving half of the Wheelers return to Mombi 's castle, and then Mombi makes them take her to the Nome King 's mountain via a tunnel underneath the deadly desert. Mombi arrives minutes after Dorothy goes into the ornament room to make her guesses. On her last guess, she locates the Scarecrow, having deduced that people from Oz turn into green ornaments. The hunt for green ornaments yields Jack and Gump, but the enraged Nome King, angry at Mombi for allowing Dorothy to escape, traps Mombi in a cage, and confronts Dorothy and company and transforms in a monstrous form where he eats the Gump 's couch body. He tries to eat Jack, but Billina, hiding in Jack 's head, lays an egg in fright and it falls into the Nome King 's mouth. Due to eggs being toxic to Nomes, the Nome King and his subterranean kingdom crumble to pieces all around Dorothy and her friends. Dorothy finds the ruby slippers and wishes she and her friends be returned to a restored Emerald City. There, they mourn the loss of Tik - Tok until Billina notices a green medal stuck to one of the Gump 's antlers ; Dorothy uses one more `` guess '' and Tik - Tok materializes. At a celebration, Dorothy is asked to be Queen of Oz but refuses, realizing she must return to Kansas eventually. She learns that the girl who helped her escape the hospital is Princess Ozma, Jack 's long - lost creator, and the rightful ruler of Oz, who had been enchanted by Mombi at the Nome King 's request. Ozma forgives the no - longer - magical Mombi. She takes her place on the throne and Dorothy hands over the ruby slippers. Billina opts to stay in Oz. Ozma sends Dorothy home, promising that Dorothy is welcome to return. Back in Kansas, Dorothy 's family finds her on a riverbank. Aunt Em reveals that Worley 's hospital was struck by lightning and burned down, and Worley died trying to save his machines. They see Nurse Wilson, arrested and locked in a cage on a horse buggy. Upon returning to the farmhouse, Dorothy sees Billina and Ozma peering at her through her bedroom mirror. When Dorothy entreats Aunt Em to come to her room to see Ozma, Ozma silently instructs her to keep her and Oz a secret. Cast Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale ( a composite of both herself and Tip from the books ) Nicol Williamson as Dr. Worley / Nome King Jean Marsh as Nurse Wilson / Princess Mombi ( a composite of the characters Princess Langwidere and the wicked witch Mombi from the books ) Piper Laurie as Aunt Em Matt Clark as Uncle Henry Michael Sundin & Tim Rose as Tik - Tok ( puppeteers ) Sean Barrett as Tik - Tok ( voice ) Mak Wilson as Billina ( puppeteer ) Denise Bryer as Billina ( voice ) Brian Henson & Stewart Larange as Jack Pumpkinhead ( puppeteers ) Brian Henson as Jack Pumpkinhead ( voice ) Lyle Conway & Steve Norrington as The Gump ( puppeteer ) Lyle Conway as the Gump ( voice ) Justin Case as the Scarecrow John Alexander as the Cowardly Lion, Wheeler Deep Roy as the Tin Woodman Emma Ridley as the Girl at the hospital / Princess Ozma Pons Maar as Lead Wheeler, Nome Messenger, and one of Nurse Wilson 's assistants Sophie Ward as Mombi II Fiona Victory as Mombi III Bruce Boa as Policeman Tansy as Toto Production Walter Murch began development on the film in 1980, during a brainstorming session with Walt Disney Productions production chief Tom Wilhite. `` It was just a fishing expedition on both of our parts, '' Murch remembered. `` But one of the questions he asked was, ' What are you interested in that you think we might also be interested in ? ', and I said, ' Another Oz story. '... And Tom sort of straightened up in his chair because it turned out, unbeknownst to me, that Disney owned the rights to all of the Oz stories. And they were particularly interested in doing something with them because the copyright was going to run out in the next five years. '' The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1904 ) and Ozma of Oz ( 1907 ). The element about Tik - Tok being `` The Royal Army of Oz '' derives from Tik - Tok of Oz ( 1914 ), in which he is made the Royal Army of Oogaboo, and also makes frequent cries of `` Pick me up ! '' That book was itself based on a dramatic production, The Tik - Tok Man of Oz ( 1913 ). Murch also used the book Wisconsin Death Trip as a historical source for the film. Murch took a decidedly darker take on Baum 's source material than the 1939 adaptation, which he knew starting out would be a gamble. Between the development period and actual shooting, there was a change of leadership at the Walt Disney studios ( with Wilhite being replaced by Richard Berger ), and the movie 's budget increased. Once shooting began, Murch began to fall behind schedule, and there was further pressure from the studio, leading to Murch being fired as director for a short period. George Lucas and other high - profile filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola supported Murch in discussions with the studio, and Murch was reinstated and finished the film. The film was developed and produced without the involvement of Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer, the studio behind the 1939 film. No approval was necessary, because by 1985, the Oz books on which it was based were in the public domain, and the subsequent Oz books had been optioned to Disney many years earlier. A large fee was paid, however, to use the ruby slippers, which were still the intellectual property of MGM at the time ( as they had been created specifically for the 1939 film to replace the Silver Shoes of the original stories ). The production company Family Films Productions is producing an independent film documentary, about the history of `` RETURN TO OZ ''. This is the first time all the main actors and most crew have been on a film to speak about the movie in over 30 years. The film is titled, Remembering Return to Oz, and is being produced by Aaron Pacentine, and director Aaron Schultz. Reception The film received mixed reviews upon its release. The film - critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes records 55 % positive reviews based on 22 reviews. Those who were familiar with the Oz books praised its faithfulness to the source material of L. Frank Baum. However, many critics described its tone and overall content as slightly too dark and intense for young children. `` Children are sure to be startled by its bleakness, '' said The New York Times ' Janet Maslin. Canadian film critic Jay Scott felt the protagonists were too creepy and weird for viewers to relate or 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. '' `` It 's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying, '' added Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader. It earned $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place. It ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America. 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. It 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 Paris. Amelie Gillette of The A.V. Club frequently refers to its dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children despite it being one of her favorite movies growing up. Release The film has been released to VHS, beta, laserdisc, DVD, and Blu - Ray over the years. The initial release, to VHS, laserdisc, and Beta, occurred in December 1985 shortly after the theatrical release, with the VHS initially priced with a list price of $79.95. Disney reissued it in 1992 with alternate cover art. In 1999, Anchor Bay Entertainment, who had obtained the home video rights to several titles from Disney 's live - action catalogue, issued the film on full - screen and letterbox VHS, as well as a DVD release featuring both versions. All three releases featured an intro by Fairuza Balk before the film and an interview featurette with her after it. All three versions went out of print shortly after their release. In 2004, Disney released their own DVD, which dropped the Anchor Bay disc 's fullscreen version and added anamorphic enhancement for 16 : 9 TVs for the widescreen version, upgraded the audio to 5.1 surround, retained the Anchor Bay disc 's extras, and added four TV spots and a theatrical trailer. In 2015, Disney released a 30th Anniversary Edition of the film on Blu - Ray exclusively through the Disney Movie Club, featuring a newly remastered and cleaned up transfer and DTS Master Audio 5.1 sound, but none of the bonus features from the 2004 DVD. References Jump up ^ `` Disasters Outnumber Movie Hits ''. South Florida Sun - Sentinel. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 05. Jump up ^ Geraghty, Lincoln ( 2011 ). American Hollywood. Intellect Books. p. 187. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84150 - 415 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Flashback Exclusive : A ' Return to Oz ' ''. ET Online. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Chambers, Bill. `` A Conversation with Walter Murch ''. Film Freak Central. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 13. Jump up ^ Ondaatje, Michael ( 2002 ). The Conversations : Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. p. 6. ^ Jump up to : Lakeland Ledger - Jun 23, 1985, page 65, retrieved 11 - August - 2012 Jump up ^ `` Remembering Return to Oz '' Jump up ^ http://www.disneysreturntooz.com Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet ( 1985 - 06 - 21 ). `` A New ' Oz ' Gives Dorothy New Friends ''. New York Times. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 13. Jump up ^ Scott, Jay. `` Return to Oz ''. Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 13. Jump up ^ Kehr, Dave. `` Return to Oz ''. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 13. Jump up ^ June 21 -- 23, 1985 Weekend Jump up ^ Return to Oz @ Box Office Mojo Jump up ^ `` Childhood Scares ''. A.V Scares. April 10, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2012. External links Oz portal 1980s portal Film in the United States portal Official website Return to Oz on IMDb Return to Oz at AllMovie Return to Oz at Rotten Tomatoes Return to Oz at Box Office Mojo The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Canonical books L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1900 ) The Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1904 ) Ozma of Oz ( 1907 ) Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz ( 1908 ) The Road to Oz ( 1909 ) The Emerald City of Oz ( 1910 ) The Patchwork Girl of Oz ( 1913 ) Tik - Tok of Oz ( 1914 ) The Scarecrow of Oz ( 1915 ) Rinkitink in Oz ( 1916 ) The Lost Princess of Oz ( 1917 ) The Tin Woodman of Oz ( 1918 ) The Magic of Oz ( 1919 ) Glinda of Oz ( 1920 ) Ruth Plumly Thompson The Royal Book of Oz ( 1921 ) Kabumpo in Oz ( 1922 ) The Cowardly Lion of Oz ( 1923 ) Grampa in Oz ( 1924 ) The Lost King of Oz ( 1925 ) The Hungry Tiger of Oz ( 1926 ) The Gnome King of Oz ( 1927 ) The Giant Horse of Oz ( 1928 ) Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz ( 1929 ) The Yellow Knight of Oz ( 1930 ) Pirates in Oz ( 1931 ) The Purple Prince of Oz ( 1932 ) Ojo in Oz ( 1933 ) Speedy in Oz ( 1934 ) The Wishing Horse of Oz ( 1935 ) Captain Salt in Oz ( 1936 ) Handy Mandy in Oz ( 1937 ) The Silver Princess in Oz ( 1938 ) Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) Others The Wonder City of Oz ( 1940 ) The Scalawagons of Oz ( 1941 ) Lucky Bucky in Oz ( 1942 ) The Magical Mimics in Oz ( 1946 ) The Shaggy Man of Oz ( 1949 ) The Hidden Valley of Oz ( 1951 ) Merry Go Round in Oz ( 1963 ) Yankee in Oz ( 1972 ) The Enchanted Island of Oz ( 1976 ) The Forbidden Fountain of Oz ( 1980 ) The Ozmapolitan of Oz ( 1986 ) The Wicked Witch of Oz ( 1993 ) The Giant Garden of Oz ( 1993 ) The Runaway in Oz ( 1995 ) The Rundelstone of Oz ( 2000 ) The Emerald Wand of Oz ( 2005 ) Trouble Under Oz ( 2006 ) Alternate Dorothy of Oz ( 1989 ) Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage ( 1995 ) Locations and elements Land of Oz Emerald City Munchkin Country Gillikin Country Winkie Country Quadling Country Yellow brick road Oogaboo Deadly Desert Nonestica Forest of Burzee Land of Ev Merryland Mo Ix Nome Kingdom Noland Ruby slippers Silver Shoes The Oz Film Manufacturing Company Characters Created by L. Frank Baum Dorothy Gale Toto Aunt Em Uncle Henry Princess Ozma The Wizard of Oz Scarecrow Tin Woodman Cowardly Lion Glinda, the Good Witch of the South Good Witch of the North Wicked Witch of the East Wicked Witch of the West Billina Glass Cat Hungry Tiger Jack Pumpkinhead Jellia Jamb Jinjur John Dough Mombi Munchkins Boq Ojo the Lucky Nine Tiny Piglets Nome King Pastoria Patchwork Girl Peter Brown Pigasus Polychrome Queen Lurline Shaggy Man Soldier with the Green Whiskers Tik - Tok Trot Winged monkeys Woggle - Bug Created by other writers Jinnicky the Red Jinn Kabumpo Other writers Authors John R. Neill Jack Snow Rachel Cosgrove Payes Eloise Jarvis McGraw Dick Martin Alexander Volkov Gregory Maguire Sherwood Smith Roger S. Baum Illustrators William Wallace Denslow Frank Kramer Dirk Gringhuis Dick Martin Eric Shanower William Stout Adaptations and other derivative works Films The Fairylogue and Radio - Plays ( 1908 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1910 ) Dorothy and the Scarecrow in Oz ( 1910 ) The Land of Oz ( 1910 ) John Dough and the Cherub ( 1910 ) The Patchwork Girl of Oz ( 1914 ) The Magic Cloak of Oz ( 1914 ) His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz ( 1914 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1925 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1933 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) Return to Oz ( 1964 ) The Wonderful Land of Oz ( 1969 ) Ayşecik ve Sihirli Cüceler Rüyalar Ülkesinde ( 1971 ) Journey Back to Oz ( 1974 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1975 ) The Wiz ( 1978 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1982 ) Return to Oz ( 1985 ) Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz ( 1987 ) The Dreamer of Oz : The L. Frank Baum Story ( 1990 ) Lion of Oz ( 2000 ) The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz ( 2005 ) Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz ( 2011 ) Dorothy and the Witches of Oz ( 2011 ) After the Wizard ( 2011 ) Oz the Great and Powerful ( 2013 ) Legends of Oz : Dorothy 's Return ( 2014 ) Ozland ( 2014 ) Guardians of Oz ( 2015 ) Tom and Jerry : Back to Oz ( 2016 ) Stage The Wizard of Oz ( 1902 ) The Woggle - Bug ( 1905 ) The Tik - Tok Man of Oz ( 1913 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1942 ) The Wiz ( 1974 ) The Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1981 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1987 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 2000 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 2011 ) The Woodsman ( 2012 ) Television Tales of the Wizard of Oz ( 1961 ) Off to See the Wizard ( 1967 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1986 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1990 ) The Oz Kids ( 1996 ) Lost in Oz ( 2002 ) Once Upon a Time ( since 2011 ) The Wiz Live ! ( 2015 ) Lost In Oz ( 2015 ) Emerald City ( 2017 ) Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz ( 2017 ) Comics Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1904 -- 05 ) Adventures in Oz ( 1986 -- 92 ) The Enchanted Apples of Oz ( 1986 ) Oz Squad ( 1991 ) Lost Girls ( 1991 -- 92 ) Oz ( 1994 ) Dorothy of Oz ( 2006 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 2009 ) Video games The Wizard of Oz ( 1993 ) The Wizard of Oz : Beyond the Yellow Brick Road ( 2008 ) Emerald City Confidential ( 2009 ) Parodies The Wozard of Iz Os Trapalhões eo Mágico de Oróz The Wonderful Wizard of Ha 's Wizard of Odd Reimagining The Wizard of Mars ( 1965 ) Hunter ( 1973 ) Zardoz ( 1974 ) Oz ( 1976 ) The Number of the Beast ( 1980 ) A Barnstormer in Oz ( 1982 ) The Wizard of A.I.D.S. ( 1987 ) The Wonderful Galaxy of Oz ( 1990 ) Twister ( 1994 ) The Dark Tower IV : Wizard and Glass ( 1997 ) Tin Man ( 2007 ) Dorothy Must Die ( 2014 ) The Wicked Will Rise ( 2015 ) The Wicked Years Wicked Son of a Witch A Lion Among Men Out of Oz Wicked ( musical ) Characters Others Rainbow Road to Oz MÄR The Wizard of Oz ( pinball ) The Wizard of Oz ( arcade game ) Ozma ( album ) Related The International Wizard of Oz Club The Baum Bugle Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Return_to_Oz&oldid=856258955 '' Categories : 1985 films English - language films 1980s adventure films 1980s fantasy films 1980s sequel films American films American fantasy adventure films American sequel films British films British sequel films Dark fantasy films Directorial debut films Films shot at Elstree Studios Fantasy adventure films Films using stop - motion animation Films about psychiatry Films based on American novels Films based on fantasy novels Films based on multiple works of a series Films set in 1899 Films set in Kansas Films with live action and animation Oz in stage and film productions Walt Disney Pictures films Films set in psychiatric hospitals Apocalyptic films Witchcraft in film Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cymraeg Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska 8 more Edit links This page was last edited on 23 August 2018, at 23 : 54 ( UTC ). 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Question: who played the gnome king in return to oz
Answer: Nicol Williamson