Once upon a time… they lived happily ever after. These tried-and-true phrases are often associated with the beginnings and endings of many beloved childhood movies. It evokes a sense of hope (good triumphs over evil again!) and promises that this story will continue to live on happily long after the end credits stop rolling. However, not every children’s movie ends up following this uplifting fairy tale formula. In fact, one might say that some children’s movies are so scary that they might make even the most composed adults cringe in fear. And, in my opinion, there is no film better than 1985’s Walt Disney Pictures’ Return to Oz. Or, as I like to refer to it, this movie should pay for my therapy.
For those unfamiliar with the premise, Return to Oz As a follow-up story to Dorothy Gale, detailing her life after traveling along the Yellow Brick Road. The film is not considered an official sequel to its predecessor The Wizard of Ozinstead offers a new, darker story about everyone’s favorite girl in ruby slippers and what happens when she returns home to Kansas. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t go well.)
Several storylines and characters are complete nightmares in their own right, so much so that now, even rewatching it as an adult, I can’t believe this movie only has a PG rating. Return to Oz This is truly one of the scariest children’s movies in existence, and we need to talk about it.
if i only had a brain
If you thought collapsing houses and melting evil witches were a bit too graphic for kids, that’s nothing compared to the treatment Dorothy got from her own family, who were fed up with it Her endless stories about her so-called journey to Oz. Believing that the whole ordeal was just a figment of Dorothy’s imagination, they sent Dorothy to a facility to receive electroshock treatments in the hope that they would eliminate any remaining thoughts of Oz from her mind. Yes, my friends—Aunt Em has turned into a total villain.
Fortunately, Dorothy is saved by a mysterious girl and finds her way back to Oz before she suffers any physical damage to her brain. But what about the emotional damage that comes from being betrayed by a loved one? Now, this is a completely different story.
cut off your head
While Dorothy’s first trip to the Emerald City was filled with song-and-dance beauty, the place she returned to was almost unrecognizable. The Scarecrow who became the ruler of Oz has gone missing, and his absence has left the once magical place in complete chaos and ruin. The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion have been turned to stone, and there are also beings known as “Wheelers” wandering around who have wheels for their hands and feet (although in my opinion, the really scary thing is their masks ).
And, of course, there’s Princess Mombi, who seems friendly at first until she takes Dorothy to see her collection of heads. That’s scary on its own, but this movie takes it to a whole new level by giving Princess Mombi the ability to wear these different heads at her leisure as if they were hats. So when does she go to bed? Headless! This is how she hunts Dorothy when she tries to escape. If that scene doesn’t make your heart beat faster, nothing will.
Between a dilemma and a dilemma
Dorothy finally comes face to face with the Nome King, who kidnaps the Scarecrow and declares himself the new ruler of Oz. He’s not that scary at first, giving Dorothy a chance to save her friends. However, once she starts winning, he becomes enraged and transforms into this creepy rock monster. (Some men really need to work on controlling their feelings. They are too emotional.)
He ultimately failed – due to an egg allergy, I guess? — but the graphics department did a great job making him a terrifying character. I think maybe I built it in my head as a kid, but even as an adult, that guy was a scary rock. He’s about to eat all of Dorothy’s friends? It’s really chilling.
Which came first, the chicken or Toto?
To be honest, that’s not the “scary” part of the movie per se. However, it was an interesting choice to have Dorothy’s pet companion be a talking farm chicken named Bilina instead of her adorable dog Toto. Why is Bilina allowed to speak in Oz but not Toto in the original novel? This plot point confused me more than anything else, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. With all the other horrible things happening in this movie, I could really use some Toto cuteness. Just saying.
all in all, Return to Oz It’s wild, and definitely a darker take on Dorothy’s story and Oz in general. Does that make it a bad movie? Not necessarily – I guess it just depends on what type of vibe you want. Or maybe it falls into the category of being so bad it’s actually pretty good. Either way, I will send them my treatment bill. We’re not in the usual family-friendly state of Kansas anymore, Toto.
