Disney & Oz Part II: How Return To Oz became an on and off-screen nightmare
Disney's Return to Oz has become an infamous production, but the story behind it is even wilder!
As noted, Disney had long held the rights to the Oz books but didn't do anything with them. As the property moved into the public domain, there were a few attempts at a sequel. That included 1979's Journey Back to Oz animated movie, which did have the clever casting of Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli, as Dorothy. But it suffered from a bad production to be a flop.
The property maintained its popularity as the TV airing of the 1939 movie became an annual mainstay that always garnered high ratings. By 1980, with Disney Productions in a serious downturn after some expensive flops, someone decided giving the Oz books another try was worth it.
And so the road to Return to Oz began but no one dreamed of the nightmare it would become.
Why Return to Oz is so dark
There's no getting around how the movie is amazingly dark. The plotline is that Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) is seen by her aunt and uncle as mentally ill thanks to her talk on visiting some wondrous fantasy land. So they send her to an asylum where she's nearly lobotomized and electrocuted by the sinister doctor and nurse (Nicol Williamson and Jean Marsh). Escaping in a storm, Dorothy is taken back to Oz along with a pet chicken, Billiana, who can now talk.
Dorothy discovers a ruined Yellow Brick Road leading her to an Emerald City where everyone (including the Lion and Tin Woodsman) has been turned to stone. It's filled with the Wheelers, terrifying creatures who go around on all fours with skates and answer to Madame Mombi (Marsh), who keeps the severed heads of women in glass cases to wear like hats.
Dorothy soon gathers a strange band of followers in the robotic Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Gump, to rescue the captured Scarecrow from the evil Nome King (Williamson, thus keeping to the original movie's idea of real-world people popping up in Oz).
The movie's imagery has become the subject of scores of videos that all share that this was simply pure nightmare fuel for a generation. There's the Wheelers with their screeching and masks. The scene of Mombi's heads all screaming out while the headless Mombi chases Dorothy puts most horror movies to shame. There's the way the Nome King shifts from human to a stop-motion creep, and the "watery" effects for how his minions talk in walls are off-putting while the stop-motion animation is far more gripping than CGI could be.
That's without mentioning the Deadly Desert, which turns anyone into sand, or how downright scary Jack could seem. Then there's the lack of music or cheer as the magic of Oz is mostly gone. The sequence of the Nome King turning Dorothy's allies into objects as a test can trigger anyone who's struggled through a tough school exam. Of course, there's the entire opening sequence of Dorothy in the hospital, the way she's treated as insane and a little kid about to be subjected to inhuman tortures to "cure" her.
In short, this movie is shockingly dark for anyone used to Oz via the 1939 film. But anyone who's read the books knows that movie watered down the property big-time. The original Baum novels were just as troubling and nightmarish, especially in the later volumes, as he'd insert some of his political and cultural beliefs into things. Disney knew trying to emulate the 1939 movie was a poor idea (especially as movie musicals had hit a low point by 1980), so capturing the feel of the books seemed best.
However, getting that story was the easy part of the entire process.
The chaos of Return to Oz was mind-blowing
It was Walter Murch who first wanted to do the film as his big directorial debut. Highly respected as a film editor and sound designer, Murch had worked on THX 1138, American Graffiti, both Godfather films and had just won an Oscar for his editing on Apocalypse Now.
Murch brought his idea to then-Disney production head Tom Wilhite who, needing a new hit for the company, agreed. Murch worked on the script, mixing elements of a couple of Oz books for the tale, and production was underway with a then pretty high budget of $20 million.
Production got underway fast, and some pretty big ideas were developed to use animatronics on the various characters. But the first wrinkle was when Wilhite was replaced by Richard Berger who was concerned that the movie was already $7 million over budget and they were barely into filming it. He also wasn't happy with the plans to film abroad in Spain and Algiers. He thus ordered the budget trimmed, meaning the film was only shot in England. More importantly, it meant cutting down on the FX, which is why Jack's face is stuck in just a pumpkin, among other problems.
Said problems added to the troubled shoot from how it took multiple puppeteers to bring Jack to life to the hot sets. Balk could only work a few hours a day due to labor laws and once fainted under the hot lights while also nearly drowning during a stunt in a river. There were scores of complications, from a cameraman quitting in disgust filming in Kansas to the costume designers creating too-lavish outfits.
Murch's almost firing and surprising friends
The whole thing was taking its toll on Murch, not helped by how he had no directing experience. That added to the various woes and Disney wasn't happy with the initial footage. So, with the movie still going over budget, Berger decided it was best to cut the losses and fired Murch with the expectations of then canceling the entire movie.
Thankfully, Murch's long experience meant he had friends in high places. No sooner did word come that Murch was "stepping down for health reasons" than Berger's phone blew up with calls from Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, all supporting Murch. Lucas even went so far as to offer to come to the set and, if need be, step in. Which meant we nearly got a Disney Oz movie directed by George Lucas.
As stubborn as Berger could be, he knew that when the three most famous and successful Hollywood directors of the time were backing someone, it was best to cave in. So Murch was back and, after an exhausting eight-month shoot, it was finally done but still needed several months of post-production work and that's where yet another wrench was thrown in.
How Disney ruined Return's opening
By the time the film finished filming, Disney had a big management turnover, with Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg taking over. Neither was happy to inherit an overburdened movie that was frankly a marketing nightmare. It couldn't be a direct sequel to the 1939 movie, yet it also seemed a bit much for the Oz book fans, not to mention a "family film" that was so amazingly sinister. True, this was a period of dark fantasy films like The Neverending Story, but it's little wonder Disney was wary of how to promote this.
They tried with a merchandising blitz of tie-in novels, toys, children's material, etc, and a lavish opening at Radio City Music Hall. They even had an Oz float for the Main Street Electrical Parade. Yet the way Disney seemed to already treat the movie like an afterthought led to accusations they were trying to bury it.
A fun trivia note is this was the first movie to feature the now-iconic Disney "rainbow castle" logo that's since become standard. Unfortunately, the critical reaction was mixed with some praise for Balk and the production, but far too many felt it was too dark for audiences. Their worries were true as the movie opened at seventh place and grossed $11 million against its budget, which some claimed was up to $35 million by the time it was done. In short, all that effort led to one of the bigger flops of 1985.
Return's fun legacy
The entire ordeal was a sign to Murch that directing was not his forte. He went back to sound and editing for a good career that included winning two more Oscars. Balk has kept acting, including a starring role in the cult classicThe Craft.
As for Return, while dismissed at the time, the movie did find an audience on home video. As time has gone on, it's been better appreciated as a daring experiment that faltered. Some are still a bit scarred by the scary moments, but others appreciate its deeper themes in Dorothy facing adulthood and the old-school special effects. Also, fans of the original Baum books actually prefer this to the brighter 1939 movie as truer to the spirit of the novels.
Given the movie's reception at the time, it's no surprise Disney held off on anything else to do with Oz. An exception was the beloved Great Movie Ride at the Disney-MGM Studios using a climax involving the Wicked Witch, one of the most advanced AA ever seen.
But it was inevitable Disney and Oz would mingle again and in some rather surprising ways…
Return to Oz streaming on Disney+.