Happy Halloween, everyone!
We are delighted to present you with our first foray into the world of podcasting: just in time for the festive and frightening season, it’s Sarah and Nick, breaking down national barriers and joining each other in time, space, and virtual reality to talk about one of their favorite movies: Return to Oz (1985). We’ve been planning it for some time – did you catch Nick’s hint in the last blog? – but we weren’t sure it was going to work. Believe it or not, it’s been almost as much of a surprise to us as it is to you!
If you grew up with the movie – or if you were there when it opened over three decades ago – leave us a comment and tell us what you think. Did it deserve its critical mauling? Is it true to the spirit of Baum’s Oz books? And most important of all, which Baum characters have you found in that coronation scene?
Have a great and safe Halloween, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, where we’ll be releasing exclusive content at the end of the week. See you in November for Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz!
https://www.podomatic.com/embed/html5/episode/8242066?style=normal&autoplay=false
BURZEE 
Well done. I REALLY enjoyed that. Brightened up my dreary wet Scottish Afternoon. And thank God I’m not the only one who sings and hums the theme music like you do at the end 😅
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I personally liked the movie. In fact, i own it on DVD. I also like the movie with Zoey Dechannele “The Tin Man” both of these movies provide a darkish feel which i liked.
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I had already read most of the Baum books by the time Return To Oz was released so I was so excited to see it. Right before opening day there was a great “making of” special that aired on tv in the early evening showcasing all the cool special Fx and characters. I lost my mind and how awesoem it seemed. I also got the paperback version from The Troll book club at school and loved it. The movie is an interesting combination of books 2 & 3 of the original Oz series- morphing them into a really interesting story replacing a little boy named Tip with the original character Dorothy. I absolutely loved the movie!!!!!! But To understand the backlash the movie received you must first examine the changing landscape of the times. There were numerous movies with similarly darker themes that came out marketed for kids before this- but by the time that AIDS had hit America, and the rise of the religious right- as well as corporate money in the industry, everything changed in entertainment especially for kids. 1985 was the year the whole country changed our of fear and greed. At which point adult themes were stripped from americas youth. No more Secret of Nimn or Watership Down, the most emotional honesty kids were exposed to would be Fival the mouse searching for his friend in Disneys An Ametican Tail the next year…yawn
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