Trivia for
Return to Oz (1985)

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• A gymnast stood upside-down (with legs bent) inside Tik-Tok's body to move the legs.
  
  
• The movie is based on the second and third Oz books: "The Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz". Elements from the former include the introduction of Jack Pumpkinhead, the witch Mombi and her powder of life, the conquest of the Emerald City, the escape by flying sofa, and the search for Princess Ozma. From the latter comes the return of Dorothy, the talking chicken Billina, the wheelers, the discovery of Tick-Tock, a princess with interchangeable heads, the introduction of the Nome King, and the ornament room.
  
  
• In order to include the ruby slippers as part of this film, Disney had to pay royalties to MGM, the studio which had produced The Wizard of Oz (1939). The ruby slippers did not appear in the original novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"; they were invented for the 1939 film to better take advantage of the newly developed Technicolor process. Interestingly enough, in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," Dorothy wore a pair of magical silver shoes which were actually destroyed when she used them to return to Kansas. In the subsequent novel "Ozma of Oz," one of the books on which this film is based, Dorothy and her friends meet the Nome King who possesses a magical belt with properties similar to those of the silver shoes. Early drafts of the script for Return to Oz reflect this, with the Nome King possessing a magical ruby belt which had been created from the ruby slippers.
  
  

• While filming the sequence near the end of film where Dorothy rides atop the Cowardly Lion, actress Fairuza Balk became so overwhelmed by the temperature that she passed out on the sound stage.
  
  
• Fairuza Balk did all her own stunts.
  
  
• The scene where Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) falls onto the couch with a thud and onto the Nome King's mountain was done in 11 takes
  
  
• Director Walter Murch invited friend George Lucas to visit the set one day. During that visit Lucas wandered to different sound stages where he came across producer Rick McCallum working on a small film. The two became friends and later collaborated on the "Star Wars" prequels.
  
  
• Several major characters from the Oz books make cameos in the final parade scene, including the Shaggy Man, Patchwork Girl, and H.M. Wogglebug, T.E.
  
  
• Walter Murch never intended for this film to be viewed as a direct sequel to The Wizard of Oz (1939); rather, he intended it as a partial sequel with some direct references (the ruby slippers, actors playing characters in Oz and the "real world") but in closer similarity to the Oz novels (the appearance of the Oz characters, Oz being a real place as opposed to a dream). The misconception that the film was ever meant to emulate the MGM musical probably contributed to its failure at the box office.
  
  
• Emma Ridley, who plays Ozma, also auditioned for the role of Dorothy.
  
  
• Pons Maar who plays the Lead Wheeler, one of the asylum orderlies, and provides the voice of the Nome Messenger also served as a movement coach on the film, working to develop the postures and movements of the Scarecrow and Jack Pumpkinhead.
  
  
• Originally the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and Cowardly Lion were to have more prominent roles in this film, however, budget cuts forced their appearances to be reduced to mere cameos.
  
  
• Fairuza Balk's ruby slippers were specially handmade with imitation rubies and rotoscoped in post-production to give them a magical look. The rubies were actually glass beads imported from Austria and individually attached to the shoes with a special spray adhesive. This later proved problematic, as the hot stage lights melted the adhesive, and the young actress' fidgety movements would often knock the beads off. Tired of chasing after detached beads, the wardrobe staff finally ordered the shoes to be worn only when visible on camera.
  
  
• Fairuza Balk actually performed most of the film barefoot, as she found her black shoes uncomfortable, and the ruby slippers were very fragile and easily damaged. Thus, the actress only wore shoes when they would be visible on camera.
  
  
• Leo McKern, who bore a strong resemblance to the character in the original Oz illustrations, was the first choice for the role of the Nome King. McKern turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts.
  
  
• The Scarecrow was originally supposed to have a fully articulated animatronic face, akin to that of the Gump, however budget cuts forced the puppeteers to reduce his face to a series of masks with fixed expressions.
  
  
• Several additional scenes filmed for the opening Kansas sequence, including a face-painting scene between Dorothy and Aunt Em, Billina running through the farmhouse kitchen and Uncle Henry reading newspaper clippings detailing Dorothy's disappearance after the cyclone, were cut from the final film.
  
  
• To create the stop-motion puppets of the nomes, Nicol Williamson and Pons Maar were photographed against a background grid. Will Vinton then watched the footage frame by frame and manipulated the puppets based on the movements and expressions of the actors.
  
  
• The film received a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records as the sequel that was made the longest period of time after the original--it was released 46 years after The Wizard of Oz (1939).
  
  
• In the late 1950s the Disney studio did toy with the idea of making an "Oz" movie of its own using some of the Mouseketeers from "The Mickey Mouse Club" (1955), but they decided to make Babes in Toyland (1961) instead.
  
  

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