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Return to Oz

Return to Oz

List Price: $14.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Wonderful Family movie!
Review: I saw this movie for the first time when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I watched it so many times that I literally wore out the tape that my parents bought me. I am thrilled that it will be re-released because I will enjoy this movie for many more years to come. Its a great movie for kids to enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!
Review: I saw this movie when I was 2yr. old(1989).I am so glad that it will be re-realesed!!!!My favirote characters were:Dorothy,Jack PumpkinHead,Tick-Tock,and The Gump!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: it continues the classic oz story and surpasses the original
Review: it has an appealing weirdness that goes throughout the movie,the original dorothy was better than this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Film!
Review: This is a great film. It was my childhood favourite! I am sooo looking forward to seeing it again. I just loved the lunch-pails and Jack Pumpkin Head! I even named my first dog Toto after the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The BEST Return to Oz I have Seen!
Review: My dad helped me order this DVD of my favourite movie, and even though it was "out of stock", I STILL GOT IT IN 1 WEEK FROM WHEN I ORDERED IT!! Iwas SO excited!! The movie was fantastic, the music is brilliant, and the Menu is excellent. when you play this movie, it first ask 'would tou like to see this in Full-frame or Widescreen?" - I pick the Widescreen - and then just before the opening credits of the movie, Fairuza Balk (now grown-up, 1999) says Hi to us and comments on us seeing the movie. The Ruby Slippers were SO BEAUTIFUL - MUCH BETTER THAN MGM!! And teh Emearld City was PERFECT!! The music sounds like a mix-up of the Neverending Story, the Worst Witch and a bit of Pokemon. You can really hear the violins/fiddles in the music. The picture of the movie was SO CLEAR and COLOURFUL too.
The Main Menu came up after the movie finished and has the best effect by a rotating OZ symbol and flashing the faces of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, Toto, Dorothy's friends and the wicked people.
The "Fairuza Returns to Oz" Interview is 1999 and she talks about what it was like for her to be in the movie, talking about the Special Effects, Director Walter Murch, Cast, the Parade Scene and the other things releated to the movie - like how people asked "where's the video?" and such. We don't see any flashbacks to the movie in the interview, we only see her face.
However, I'm disappointed that this DVD did NOT include the THEATRICAL TRAILER, something I was really looking forward to. I'm aslo a bit disappointed that Glinda wasn't in this movie, asd she appeared in both the 'Marvelous land" and "Ozma" books. I LOVE this movie and I ENJOYED the DVD.
At the moment, I'm working on a letter to Disney Studios about making a "Disney's return to Oz: 20th Anniversary Edition" DVD for 2005. I hoep they approve of this and agree to make it, being disappointed at teh 2004 DVD - which I don't have.
Hope you enjoyed my DVD Review.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Scary . . . careful with kids
Review: I haven't seen this DVD edition yet so I can't really comment on it, but I just wanted to put in one word about the movie. I saw it at age 5 or so when it was in the theaters, and it scared the stuffing out of me. There were a few parts that gave me nightmares and still make me shiver. It's probably not as bad as I've made it out to be, but do use caution letting younger kids watch this.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Beautiful to Look At
Review: This movie is a visual treat, but be warned--it is not a spiritual sequel to the classic MGM version of "The Wizard of Oz." This movie is much more in keeping with the tone of L. Frank Baum's original novels than the beloved Judy Garland movie and may be too disturbing for young children.

The story takes place after the twister devastated the Gale house. Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) is depressed, and no one wants to believe her stories about her trip to Oz. Finally, in hopes of curing her of her delusions, Auntie Em (Piper Laurie) takes Dorothy to see a psychiatrist in the big city. The psychiatrist convinces Auntie Em that all Dorothy needs is a bit of shock treatment to make her better.

Auntie Em leaves Dorothy in the Doctor's care, but before he can give her the treatment, a fierce electrical storm cuts off power to the hospital. Dorothy escapes with the help of a mysterious girl, and gets swept down a raging river. She winds up back in Oz where she if befriended by a talking hen, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the robotic Tick Tock. Oz has fallen on bad times, overrun by the Gnome King (Nicol Williamson, happily chewing the scenery) and his ally, the evil Princess Moombi (Jean Marsh, who gives a fun performance). It is up to Dorothy and her friends to restore Oz to what once it was.

The real stars of this movie are the design and the puppetry. The movie is a visual feast. However, it is also slow going. I can't imagine kids sitting through it easily. It's hard enough for adults. The pacing is awkward and Fairuza Balk (in her screen debut) doesn't have the charaisma to be sufficiently entertaining to keep the viewer's interest in the slow parts.

It's hard to strongly recommend this movie to casual viewers, but those who enjoy beautiful set design, effective camera work, excellent special effects, and superb animation may be sufficiently entertained.

The DVD allows you to choose between letterbox and fullscreen presentation. It also includes an introduction by Fairuza Balk (she doesn't have anything terribly interesting to say, unfortunately) and an interview featurette. I suspect that people who enjoy the movie for its technical achievements will be disappointed by the featurette, especially if they are seeking more insight into the work that went into making the movie.

If you enjoy this movie, you may also like "James and the Giant Peach", "The Iron Giant", "The Nightmare before Christmas", and "The Wizard of Speed and Time".

(C)2001 Joe Edkin

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Flawless and perfect Sequel to the Great Wizard of Oz.
Review: In the summer of 1985, a film called " Return to Oz" bombed at the box-office, failed with critics but it did recieved a cult following including with Children of the 80's. the plot starts with " Dorothy Gale" ( Fariuza Balk) who goes back to Oz and finds it in the hands of Princess Mombi and The Nome King. Now it's up to her with new pals " Tic-Tok", " Gump" and " Jack Pumpkinhead" to restore the whole mess that is going on in Oz. One of my top fantasies of all time with it's prequel Wizard of Oz, it's great for Kids but it gets a little scary and dark at times, but Who cares! it's still a good time for the whole family.

Recommendations: The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Last Unicorn, Wizard of Oz, The Evil Dead, City of Lost Children, Brazil, Time Bandits, Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Fifth Element, Total Recall, Neverending Story, The Black Cauldron, Willow, and Sword in the Stone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: In the spirit of L. Frank Baum
Review: I admit I went to see "Return to Oz" because I loved "The Wizard of Oz" so much. But producer Gary Kurtz, director Walter Murch and writer Gil Dennis (working from L. Frank Baum's original novel, "The Marvelous Land of Oz") sensibly decided -not- to create a sequel "in the spirit" of the original movie, but to return instead to Baum's own darker vision. The result is a story which is by turns scary and delightful, and one where the marvelous clay and stop-motion animation contributes to the sense of the fantastic. There are frightening parts of this movie -- the early scenes of Dorothy in a sanitarium, about to undergo shock treatment are particularly intense -- but they provide a great catharthis and introduction to what follows.

Fairuza Balk, as Dorothy, was exceptional, displaying the perfect blend of fear, wonder, determination and ingenuity while foiling the plots of the Nome King (Nicol Williamson) and Mombi the Witch (Jean Marsh). The new characters of Tik Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and Gump are delightful as well.

You may wish to watch this with your (age seven and older) children, or just sit back on a scary night and watch it alone. For those who enjoy the fantastic, "The Wizard of Oz" has the edge in whimsy, but "Return to Oz" brings the touch of fearful reality that gives true fantasy its edge.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disney wrost movie.
Review: Why bother making a sequal movie like this. Disney should never made a update movie after Wizard of OZ.


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