Return To Return To Oz... (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

I have always liked RETURN TO OZ tremendously. I seemed to be the only person championing the film when it was first released, but then again, hardly anyone else I knew went to see it. It is not merely unfair but also rather moronic to try to compare it to the '39 film, as this one clearly attempts to hone in on the atmosphere and storyline of its source material with much greater fidelity than did WIZARD.
I know this will sound like blaspheme, but Balk's Dorothy is truer to the author's vision than Garland was, in age if not in personality, and nixing the songs (while probably one reason why the film tanked) allowed the uneasiness and creepiness of OZ to show through with less distraction. I find it wonderful, and I never grow tired of Nicol Williamson's Nome King and the outstanding claymation effects of Will Vinton. Director Walter Murch was much maligned for this and has never (yet) directed another movie, although his true calling is sound design. I hope lots of you buy this DVD when it appears...I would assume in widescreen, Jonathan's post notwithstanding!

 

[Josh Simpson]

I love this movie as well and have the Anchor Bay disc. Throw in anamorphic and some extras and I would gladly double dip on this one.

 

[Jonathan Dagmar]

My post was of course a joke, Dick, I think you got that, but you can never be sure, emotions don't always come through when typed..

I too am awaiting this release, having actually read "The Wizard of Oz", unlike most people I am able to see how much truer it is to the source than the MGM movie (which I also love).

 

[Brian Kidd]

Were there songs written and filmed for RETURN TO OZ? I didn't think that it was filmed as a musical!

 

[Josh Simpson]

Never heard anything about songs written. I do love the score, however.

 

[Dick]

RETURN TO OZ was never intended as a musical. And, yes, the score (by David Shire, and unfortunately out of print) is wonderful.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Now that this is supposedly out, can anyone confirm what is actually on this new edition. Is it indeed anamorphic? Does it have the Fairuza interview? The trailers and TV spots? Websites have had pretty limited info.

I was going to look for this Tuesday, but I guess I got kind of excited about finding a copy of Ed Wood.

 

[Christopher Carr]

On DVDempire.com the back cover image shows the features as follows:

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Fairuza Balk Returns to Oz
Original TV Spots
Original Theatrical Trailer
French Language Track

SPECS:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Widescreen (1.85:1)- Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions

I'm wondering whether or not I should update the Anchor Bay one since recently my family just got a widescreen TV- the only problem is, I wouldn't be able to watch it on that until I go back home from college :frowning: o well...

I would also like to say a thank you to Disney who has been very good with recent movies being presented in their original aspect ratio, unlike other studios who think DTS is more family friendly than widescreen...

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

So it's confirmed that this is an anamorphic transfer?

Can anyone comment on the video quality in comparison to the intial release and whether there are any additional trailers and/or tv spots, etc?

Is this worth a second purchase?

Also, it'd be really nice to see what the disc art looks like since that's the only thing I'd be replacing if I were to double-dip on this title...

Does anyone own this DVD yet?

 

[MikeEckman]

Hooray! It is 16x9!! I ordered mine through Deepdiscountdvd for around $13, but its out of stock! :frowning:

 

[Dick]

The only additional material (unless you count an anamorphic transfer as "material," is the trailer, which the AB disc lacked. Also, the Fairuza Balk Returns To Oz" segment might or might not be the same short interview as her "Intro" the the AB edition. Still, nice this is back in print.

 

[Josh Simpson]

If it's anamorphic and has a trailer, it's worth a repurchase for me. I'd love more extras, but I'm not complaining.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Can anyone scan a picture of the disc art?

 

[ChrisBEA]

Just picked up a copy today. Don;t remember a lot about this movie, but the talk here got my curiosity piqued.
Cover is up at dvdempire

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Found it at Best Buy, with a "New to DVD" sticker on it. The trailer is okay; the TV spots aren't worth much, but it's nice that they included them. The interview with Fairuza Balk is the same as on the Anchor Bay release.

The transfer seems to be slightly warmer and brighter than the AB disc, which works in some scenes. However, the starker look of the AB transfer was actually more appropriate in other spots. Still the differences seem pretty minimal, except for it being anamorphic and all, and that is nice, of course.

I don't usually worry about cover art and menus and such, but I really have to say the AB menus (complete with motion scene selections and creepy sound effects from the mental hospital) are much better than Disney's. There were also twice as many chapter stops on the AB release. And of course, Disney's cover art is pretty bad; at least AB used the original poster art.

However, that's all pretty minor if you want a nice (but not flawless) anamorphic transfer.

 

[Mark_Wilson]

Has anyone confirmed if its Anamorphic?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

If anyone has a scanner or digi cam, would you mind posting a pic of the disc itself?

Thanks!

 

[MikeEckman]

I just got this today and yes, it is 16x9 anamorphic widescreen.....the outdoor scenes are very sharp, with minimal edge enhancement. Colorization is pretty decent, not too saturated or muted.

The darker scenes are very grainy, and some of the older effects shots dont hold up too well, but thats to be expected of a movie of this age. You can clearly see that this didnt get a "George Lucas style frame by frame restoration" but as a whole, it doesnt really need it.

The 5.1 audio is heavily centered in the middle, but some effects sounds do extend to the back, although theyre not directional, so I would more likely call this a converted Pro Logic soundtrack. I dont remember my subwoofer being too active throughout the film. There are a couple nice pans throughout the movie. Dialogue is clear and music sounds full without sounding overly tinny or muddy.

You can tell, Disney did not put too much effort into releasing this film, in terms of upgrading the audio or video, however, the 5.1 track and a anamorphic picture do the movie justice, and I am very pleased to have this in my collection.

I would have liked more supplements, but the movie is really enough for me.

Definitely recommended to anyone who is a fan of the film.

Note to anyone who hasnt seen it, this movie is very different from the original Wizard of Oz. Its less magical, and more sinister. Theres all new characters, none of which have human faces like the original. I would go as far as to say, some scenes of this film could scare small children.

Think more along the lines of Labyrinth meets The Dark Crystal meets The Wizard of Oz.

 

[MikeEckman]

On second thought, I dont think the rear channels are active at all....this is a very front channel heavy movie. So, I guess its more like a 2.1 soundtrack.

But anyway, to the guy who wanted to see the disc art, I didnt bother to scan it in, but its basically the exact same thing as the coverart, with the goofy Dorothy face. Just picture the center of the coverart with a disc shaped circle cut right out of the middle. The center hole of the DVD is right above Dorothy's head, but below the O of Oz. Thats about it.

 

[Brian Kidd]

That's so odd that they altered Dorothy's face on the cover when the rest of the characters seem to be from photographs. It couldn't be because they couldn't use Balk's image. Weird. Dorothy looks like a mongoloid.