'Oz' remakes and spinoffs
1985's 'Return to Oz'
Credit: Disney
"Return to Oz," a partial sequel to "The Wizard of Oz," was based on L. Frank Baum's second and third Oz books, "The Marvelous Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz." The film starred Fairuza Balk as Dorothy. In the film, after returning home from Oz, Dorothy becomes depressed because of her obsession with her memories of the magical city. Aunt Em decides shock therapy is the answer for young Dorothy but when the hospital loses power, Dorothy is rescued by a mystery girl who helps her escape. Dorothy wakes up in Oz but it is not the Oz she remembers. The yellow brick road is crumbled, Emerald City ruined and the Tin Man turned to stone. Dorothy, along with her new friends, who include a talking chicken and a tin soldier, battle a new witch and the Nome King to restore the land. The film got mixed reviews from critics and performed poorly at the box office. One of the biggest criticisms was that the film was too dark for children. But the film had incredible production design and scored an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects. At the premiere of the film, a then-11-year-old Balk told Entertainment Tonight she was sick of being compared to the original Dorothy, Judy Garland. "She did a wonderful movie, and now I'm doing a wonderful movie, and sometimes it's probably hard for people that have grown up with 'The Wizard of Oz' to adjust to a new movie. I mean, not everybody's going to like it," she said.
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