Pure Cinema: Sharing My Letterboxd Likes Day 46

Young Dorothy Gale (and her pet chicken Billina) ends up once again in the land of Oz, only to discover her friends missing, the Emerald City destroyed, and violent marauders patrolling the streets.

RETURN TO OZ scared loads of kids and parents upon its release, with a much darker story and tone than the revered MGM musical. The lack of songs, nightmarish imagery, and horror-adjacent sequences earned the film an infamous reputation. Much like THE NEVERENDING STORY, there’s plenty to appreciate beneath the scary stuff. Ingenious puppetry, exquisite stop-motion work, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it homages to the original books give the movie a special “only in the 1980s” feel. The redesigns of iconic characters more closely resemble illustrations from Baum’s stories. Child actress Fairuza Balk turns in a capable performance. This one has been gaining in popularity over the years, but still isn’t as well known as it should be.

RETURN TO OZ is streaming on Disney Plus, available for rent or purchase elsewhere.