Return to Oz was the best Oz movie I've seen. As being an mixed adaptation of The Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz, it worked really well. The effects were great The characters were great The story was great It was really great a restoration of Oz. I really wondered what the deadly desert looked like, it was mysterious. I spotted A lot of characters in the coronation scene such as Polychrome, Tommy Kwikstep, Scraps, the braided man of pyramid mountain and Santa Clause. It wasn't too colorful but that made it unique. I would recommend it I would give about 9 1/2 to a 10 Really great unique definitely 10/10 just one of the best movies I've seen

I don't see why people got into such a hubbub about Return to Oz when it came out... actually, that's not correct for a couple of reasons. For one, sadly, it didn't do well at the box office, so presumably a lot of children didn't see it who might have. But for those that reviewed it, the consensus was it was "too dark" for kids. Hogwash. Kids can actually take much more dramatic and terrifying things than we think - maybe some may be more sensitive than others, but so are adults - and a response to feats of imagination are always eye-catching to them. If it was about the story and characters, that's another matter.On an artistic, sensory-visual level Return to Oz is mostly spectacular work, with a plethora of eye-catching and inspired practical effects (one of which I have to imagine the character of Jack Skellington was the inspiration for), matte paintings, marionettes and puppets, claymation, the works, with an Emerald city that looks like a Russian communist block from that time period (and I mean that in a complimentary way - it's exquisitely run-down) . And I liked how dark and weird it got, that was fine.If I didn't care for something it was most of the supporting characters who become Dorothy's companions. They didn't have the strong-memorable personalities or sense of enchantment (or even just good acting) of the three that accompanied Dorothy in 'Wizard' - or, hell, even the companions in Oz: The Great and Powerful, which I'd argue is maybe a more inspired film than this, albeit with CGI. And the villain - aho is appropriately bad-*ss and deranged, is only most effective by the third act, with a one-dimensional shrieking witch (albeit with wonderful multiple heads to choose from) in the rest of the film.So, Return to Oz is a really good movie. If it's a lost classic? Depends who you ask, I suppose. Nevertheless, Balk is fun to watch in a role where she's constantly thinking and reacting well in her acting - a sophisticated acting job young or otherwise.

"Return to Oz" is not the sort of film I'd normally watch. However, my daughter insisted I needed to see it simply because the movie was so incredibly dark and child-unfriendly. This had my curiosity piqued--and I finally got around to seeing this film.Soon after the film started, I saw just how dark it was. In this semi- sequel to "The Wizard of Oz", it picks up several weeks or months after the previous film. However, continuity and realism is the key--the Gale family home is NOT magically restored like in the previous movie but WAS destroyed in the storm. As a result, Dorothy's uncle has PTSD! But even worse, when Dorothy regales her aunt with her stories of Oz, Auntie Em thinks Dorothy has lost her mind. Eventually, she takes Dorothy to an ultra-creepy clinic where a psychiatrist is planning on giving her shock treatment to stop these delusions!! Just after Dorothy is strapped down and she's about to receive a bazillion volts of electricity, a little girl shows up and saves her--and whisks her magically back to Oz.Oz has changed a lot since Dorothy left. The Nome King and Mombi (who are Oz incarnations of the evil psychiatrist and his nurse) have destroyed everything and the Emerald city is in ruins. So, it's up to Dorothy and some creepy new friends to right everything and make the kingdom a happy one once again.If this doesn't sound like a good film for your kids, you are correct. It's a film I would never dream of showing to younger kids--this would be like child abuse. But, for older and more cynical folks, it's a neat re-imagining of the books. However, there IS one major problem regardless--and reason I disliked the film. Dorothy's companion from home is NOT Toto (who is a Border Terrier in this film instead of a Cairn) but a super-annoying chicken. The voice is just awful and the comments are very often obvious and banal. I truly hated everything about this character--even if she did, inexplicably, help to save the day. I'd have just roasted her!!Also, because Kansas is so dull and awful, why in the heck did Dorothy want to return?! She MIGHT have gotten shock treatment or been lobotomized!!!

"Return to Oz" was the Disney Company's first attempt at a sequel or prequel to the classic 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz." It resembles nothing of the MGM classic and is almost no comparison in regards to achievement or style. Nonetheless the film has been endured as a family-friendly version of Oz and has achieved cult status. "Return to Oz" is the black sheep of the Oz film family in this writer's eyes.In honor of Roger Ebert, who passed earlier this week, I would give this film one thumbs up, as it sparked my interest enough to watch it, but not enough to take it seriously after seeing the 1939 classic it is a sequel of. It has a hint of Disney magic, but nothing full flair like many Disney adaptations today, such as "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" or the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, "Return to Oz" does build on a classic and that is why it is still remembered today.I was only glad to hear that Disney Corp had decided to make "Oz the Great and Powerful" as a prequel to the 1939 classic. May it stand the test of time like "The Wizard of Oz" has for many generations to come.