Return to Oz (DVD, 2004)

Return to Oz was a great movie. It would of been the movie that L. Frank Baum would I'm sure like to have see. Based off the book Ozma of Oz. This film captured the book better than the 1939 MGM film. Made really as a loose sequel and separate film to The Wizard of Oz. Speaking in terms of movie production, this movie captured the true dark nature of the book that I think Baum wanted to portray. Dorothy returns to a twisted Oz unlike the one she visited before. Now she faced with the task of trying to figure things out. And hopefully getting Oz back to the wonderful place she visited before. With the characters looking more like there artistic renderings from the Oz books. The characters we're more visually appealing than they we're in other adaptations. And it made the movie exciting. In the Oz stories the slippers were "Silver" but in Return to Oz they used "Ruby" slippers. I think to show that this movie indeed was an nod to the MGM 1939 Oz film. But at the same time and loose sequel as I mentioned before. This movie still has some of the whimsical qualities that make and Oz film or adaptation what it is. But it has more of a dark tone. In which Disney seems to be great at bringing out. Considering a lot of stuff Disney makes is more on the bright side. All in all this movie is great. Would of been nice, if The Wizard of Oz movie was made more in the style of this movie. All in all I so recommend this movie. Some parts may be a little scary to young children. But still a great movie for the whole family!

If you have never seen this movie, don't go into it expecting a cutesy musical that is all sweetness and light like the 1939 MGM musical version. First, let me address something concerning the original movie "The Wizard of Oz" and that is, that IT DIDN'T FOLLOW THE BOOK, EITHER! MGM took liberties with the content of the book in order to make their movie, the way that some reviewers here have complained about Disney taking liberties with this movie. That's the way that Hollywood works. Period. Even if the author is working on the writing team! Second, let me point out that, historically, not all children's stories are CUTE and FUNNY and HARMLESS. If you've ever read the Grimm's fairytales, you will see that people get killed, cheated, punished, etc. This movie is just that, a modern fairy tale set in a world created by L Frank Baum, and VERY true to his work in many ways. Just because they took several of the early books and selected characters and scenes from them and blended the works does not mean that it is untrue. I have read most of the Oz books and I find this work to be a perfectly fine story utilizing characters and events from those other Oz books. The fact that the events or characters were altered slightly, or that other footage was added to link them together is merely a necessity to make it fit with the film maker's vision. The special effects were top notch for this time period. The characters are, true to children's films, either very likable or very nasty. The "scary" stuff that people are complaining about is very low key and I've watched this many times with my kids (at a young age) who found nothing wrong with it and never had a nightmare from it! The "younger Dorothy" in this movie is MUCH truer to Baum's Dorothy, as she was SUPPOSED to be a little girl, not a near-woman dressed in pigtails and gingham! Certainly, though, get yourself a copy (or a rental if you can find it -- good luck, I tried for quite some time to find it in DVD after our VHS died) and watch. It IS worth your time and I think that all but the literary snobs among you will find that it has merit on its own, whether it perfectly follows the Baum books to a "t" or not. I found it a charming, funny, and original film. I've just NEVER understood why it didn't gain the popularity of other Disney live-action films. I suppose too many people wanted more singing and dancing midgets and saccharine sweetness. Try this, I think you'll like it!

It's not the happy, dancing characters down the yellow brick road of MGM, but it is a true adaption of the second installment of the 16 books that L.Frank Baum wrote about the wonderful land of Oz.
This version has the characters looking more like the drawings in the original books and it is a more darker, scarier story than the original one.

It's not that the characters aren't intriguing its just that the beloved characters we know don't show up until the final few minutes.
But if you love Dorothy, and want to go on a completely different adventure with her, and her chicken Belina, then this movie is for you!
It could be scary for younger children so I would advise you watch the movie on your own before airing it for them, I would say over the age of 9 they could handle the darker scenes with no problem.

For those of you that haven't seen this Oz movie, you might want to read the books first, as this is NOT Judy Garland, with all of the musical numbers, etc.. I had this on VHS a long time ago and the first time that I saw it, I wasn't to excited about it and I had already read the books, but, with this DVD and a better T.V. set, it is a good movie. Some of the scenery didn't seem right for OZ, but, not having been there, what do I know. It is a good clean movie and if your children have not seen the MGM version, they might like this one. The only problem that I can see for very young children, is the room full of cabinets that have many heads and no bodies as the Princess Mombi would use them for herself and there is the scene where she is sleeping without a head and snoring(?). +JMJ+

Many people are under the impression that this movie follows the books more closely than the original Wizard of Oz. This is untrue--Return to Oz combines the second and third Oz books and takes several liberties with the content therein, namely adding the beginning of the movie and changing things around so that it focuses on Dorothy rather than princess Ozma, which makes sense. I mean, if you're watching this movie you'd probably rather watch Dorothy and not some weird princess, right?

Anyway, this movie is awesome, but you'll have to watch until Dorothy gets back to Oz before you'll like it. The beginning they added where Dorothy is in Kansas about to get electroshock therapy is extremely depressing and too frightening for little kids. After that part, the whole movie is a treat for the eyes, and much more appropriate for little kids, at least in my opinion.

The special effects are done by the Jim Henson team, with Brian Henson playing the part of Jack Pumpkinhead, and boy are they awesome. There is a lot of stop-motion claymation that looks really good, and several animatronic creatures like the Gump that are really well-done.

It doesn't follow the books exactly, but I've read them and love them, and I think this movie is great. It may be too scary for little kids, so watch it first to make sure it's not too much for any kids you want to show it to.