4:35 BRO! This is the best compositing effect I think you've ever done. You go full out with the costume, you get the camera angle right, you remove the actor completely, and you even get that bit of shadow overlaying onto the shock device. This is damn impressive.

Weird Movies With Mark is one of the most comforting channels on KZfaq. Keep up the great work, buddy. I always look forward to these uploads. Champagne and Bullets is still my favorite. I've probably watched it a hundred times.

I saw this in the theater when I was 5. Twice. The price I paid was high. Therapy for most of my adult life, fears of sand and roller-skates, and getting into the goth scene. I still try to talk to every chicken I see.

This is a great secret horror movie, I loved it growing up haha

Always have a laugh with Mark. But the trivia about the ruby slippers is a true gem.

I'm right with you, Mark! My opinion of Return to Oz has changed because I see the events through Aunt Em's eyes. Recovery from the tornado will not happen with Uncle Henry injured and Dorothy obsessing about the Land of Oz - Aunt Em can't run the farm alone and Dorothy has to get over Oz. The darker and surreal qualities of Return to Oz is a good move and fits nicely with the shift in audiences since the 1939 musical. What a joy to have your take on this movie. Thank you, Mark.

That insert was so smooth and left me cackling 👏🏻🤣👏🏻

I went to see this movie as a child on a daycare field trip. A lot of the practical effects were done by the Jim Henson Creature Shop, so I guess the new characters all count as Muppets or something. You can't go wrong with Muppets.

Saw this at a real young age and loved it. It haunted me for years. Started to think it was just a dream and now I know it’s real. Thank you Mark.

This film seriously creeped me out as a kid....especially the Wheelies 😱. Also, crazy that little girl is the actress from The Craft...never connected that as a teen

They showed us this movie IN SCHOOL about a year after it came out. I was 13 but it was still way more upsetting than any horror movie I was in to.

I was REALLY hoping Mark was going to end his doctor scene with "But yeah, this going to hurt. A lot."

I got so excited when I saw that you were doing Return to Oz! It's one of my favorite family movies ever. Solid acting, gorgeous cinematography, and a tremendous score by David Shire. I was just talking movies with a friend and we got to how neutered family films have become. There's never any real sense of danger anymore and the plot armor is a mile thick. We kids growing up on family movies from the '80s knew nothing was necessarily off the table. We were disturbed at times, but art should make you feel something, regardless of age.

2 seconds in and I’m already giggling with anticipation for In-the-Movie-Mark™️.

I remember watching this movie many times on a vhs copy as a kid. I actually prefered it to the original from 1939. I'm so glad you reviewed it, Mark. This is my favorite KZfaq channel, and I always look forward to new videos that you make. You are very talented.

I'm glad you did this one. I was working in entertainment at Disney at the time, and we added a Return to Oz unit to the Main Street Electrical Parade that year as part of the promotion of the film. But the film didn't do well at the theaters, as you pointed out, so the unit was removed. I actually really liked the film, though.

i love how you insert yourself in movies. it never gets old. never stop!

That doctor looked a lot like Ian Anderson. I expected him to pull out a flute and sing Thick as a Brick to Dorothy.

Sonofabitch, 1939-1985 is 46 year apart, I'm 46. Thanks for making me feel old. Thank for reviewing this and all the videos you do.

Great review! This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. It came out when I was about eight or nine. I watched it probably over 100 times, much more than the original. To me, it wasn't dark or really scary, but I was a weird kid.

I always thought it was super cool that Jack Pumpkinhead was voiced/operated by Brian Henson, and the Tin Man was played by Deep Roy. That dude was in so many movies that I never realized he was in. He was also the Snail Rider in Neverending Story. :)

This movie used to scare me, and I adore it now. A perfect opener to the year, Mark!

Having a bad time with money and lack of self worth etc etc, This channel legitimately makes me feel better which is leagues above all others. Thank you Mark, genuinely, thank you for being so entertaining.

I let my niece watch return to oz when she was 6. She was horrified when the headless princess chased Dorothy. She cried hysterically and was inconsolable for like 20 minutes. She's 20 now. She still won't watch it.

My grandmother had all the OZ books which my sister duly read one after the other. I asked her what she thought of this movie and she said 'much more faithful to the text than the Garland movie, but...the books are way too complex and grim for most people today.'

I LOVED this movie as a kid. Re-watched it as an adult and it still holds up. Great video!

Judy Garland never convinced me she was Dorothy. This version, they seem to have got it just right.

Literally, the very first book I ever read was the third one in the Oz series, "Ozma of Oz." This movie basically blends that with the second in the series, "Land of Oz," and I think does so incredibly creatively. The MGM movie made a bunch of changes, including making Oz a dream. All the books and RTO make it a real place, where Dorothy eventually in the series, takes Aunt Em and Uncle Henry there to live. (Oz gets toned down over time to a much nicer place, as Dorothy ruthlessly wipes out the villains.) From "Ozma," we get the chicken coop floating in the ocean, Billina, the lunchpail tree, the Wheelers, Tick-Tok, the princess with the removable heads (blended with Mombi the witch in the "Land"), the Nome King, his nomes, the ornaments, and the King's aversion to eggs. From "Land," we get Jack Pumpkinhead, Mombi with her powder of life, Ozma, and the flying Gump. The books (and "Return") are very dark. In the original novel, at one point, the group on the road are attacked by a hundred crows. The scarecrow seizes each one in turn and wrings its neck to kill it. Just one of many bloody narrow escapes. Despite how dark the novels, though, the author, L. Frank Baum, was besieged by children writing to him, begging him for more. As mentioned, he claimed Dorothy's relocation to Oz meant no more stories. Eventually, he gave in as one girl suggested Dorothy could communicate with the outside world by the newly invented wireless telegraph. You don't have to read the books to appreciate this movie. The books were richly illustrated and you can find them on line because they are long in the public domain. Even simpler, just type the name of the character into Google to see how Baum envisioned his creations. Return also reimagined the characters from the MGM movie to closely match what he imagined them. (In the MGM movie, the characters had to fit a human each inside the costume. Not so in "Return.") Us cult-members consider "Return to Oz" a sort of love-letter to the books. It takes nothing away from the MGM movie, either.

Return to Oz was one of my childhood favorites.

OMG...the Skit after "will it hurt?" is just chefs kiss insert humor. I bow to you Mark!

I love this movie! It IS more faithful to the books. The first movie never really felt like there was ever any sort of danger for Dorothy. In Return to Oz, there’s a real sense of dread and uncertainty about her safety. Seeing the Gnome Kings mountain off in the distance still gives me goosebumps (kind of had the same feeling when I first saw Twin Peaks in Breath of the Wild😂)

This movie was exquisite nightmare fuel in my childhood. I still have fond memories of it though

11:22 I wondered if the Claymation (clay stop-motion animation) was done by Will Vinton and sure enough, it was. He and his studio are best-known for the Claymation for those California Raisins commercials and TV specials in the 1980's as well as the feature-length animated movie, 'The Adventures of Mark Twain' which is truly fantastic.

Wow. That edit was amazing and hilarious. Talking Dorothy into getting electrocuted. Lol. I watched the video where you showed how long it takes to make those. It was well worth it. I was cracking up.

I love this movie! I have also actually read the entire book series. This movie is definitely closer to the book series. Most people don’t realize how dark and bizarre the entire book series is.

Glad to see you have respect for the technical skills behind the movie. Can see why this dark piece didn't play well in theaters, but still cool to see a content creator who can be objective.

Now I remember, I really loved this film growing up and it stuck in my head, I kept thinking it was Willow with the village turned to stone, but this is the film. It is so great to have films that help develop imagination. It's like David Bowie's Labyrinth.

This has always been my adaptation of Oz. I love how dark the story is compared to the original. It's definitely a repeat watch for me.

The fact that your shadow falls on the mind erasing machine at 5:10 is just *chef's kiss*.

You should totally review more movies you enjoy -- it comes through in the quality of the review!

The Gnome King animation reminds me of the claymation “The Adventures of Mark Twain”, in which Satan has a supporting role. That’s some creepy-ass shit right there.

I look forward to your videos way too much. Loved it. There were actually nine live action black and white short films between 1908 and 1925, three of which are lost. Many were produced by Baum himself and they are as creepy as all hell.

Man, the 80's era of children's fantasy films went HARD. We need to bring that back.

"Do you want friends Dorothy?" Is my new favorite catchphrase

I enjoyed watching Return to Oz as a kid. A lot of the darker elements flew over my head, much like the Neverending Story, but it was fun. Great review of the movie!

The electro shock scene earned this a huge thumbs up :)

Fairuza Balk from “The Craft” as Dorothy. The Original Jack Skellington lol this movie has everything

As a kid I never understood why she was younger in the sequel.

"Kids movies" in the 80s was basically horror movies with muppets. Return to OZ, The Dark Crystal, The Labyrinth, Three men and a Baby

I watched this movie all the time as a child. I loved that dark theme.

This thing freaked me out as a kid but yeah they did do a lot of things for "kids" that were dark. Lord of the Rings freaked me out with the rotoscope so I avoided that as much as possible. Still makes me uncomfortable. Now I really like it. It's a very unique world in this movie than the original. I still think it's funny how dainty the gnome kings feet are when he shows off those slippers lol.

I barely remembered this film. I saw it on TV when I was little. Bring back the good dark fantasy films!!!

I watched this movie as a kid, and it was absolutely terrifying.

I absolutely adore this movie to this day. Mark sounding like Charlie Day when he cut himself in as the doctor was the cherry on top of this review.

My wife yelled at me to stop saying change….i had to tell her it was the video. True love 10/10. Great to have you back Mark!!

This freaked me out as a kid but I really liked it. It's always stuck with me through the years.

I watched this movie for the first time last year, and it's now one of my new favorites! 🤩 Also, for those watching this review who have yet to see the movie for themselves, I think it's worth clarifying that it's mentioned throughout the movie that Belinda the chicken's presence in Oz is a threat to the Nome King, though the exact reason is kept a mystery until the end when the Nome King accidentally swallows Belinda's egg and he explains that eggs are poisonous to nomes as he's dying; so it's not as though that plot point comes completely out of nowhere.

I love this movie man!! So happy you’ve made a video on it. It’s got such a unique feel to it very sinister especially watching as a kid expecting the wizard of oz 2. Love it man

Happy New Year, Mark!! It's so nice you're back. Yours is one of the most enjoyable channels on KZfaq. Looking forward to more issues.

Channels’ taking off. Look at all those thousands of views! Congrats mark! I’ve been watching for years. Let’s celebrate 🎉

I grew up with this. I had it on VHS tape, and wore that shit out. The Wheel-people and the headless woman freaked me out, but the electro-schock therapy at the beginning scarred me for life.

Very cool you chose to cover this movie! I so enjoyed this movie. I've tried finding it to watch as an adult. I'm glad you've brought attention to it. Thank you.

Completely with you on the quicksand. After this and the Neverending Story I assumed that as soon as you werent walking on concrete, you were at risk of quicksand.

Mark, the scene where you replace Nicol Williamson's doctor is one of the best you have ever done.

Does anyone else say the “TO,” when Mark does the “welcome back to,” I do it every time!

My favorite thing about this movie as an adult is how every element Dorothy sees in Oz is shown in some form in the real world. The electroshock machine is what becomes Tick Tock, and so it's never clear if Oz is real, or if Dorothy is crazy.

My mom decided to take me to this movie when I was a little kid because I had recently seen the original Wizard of Oz and this movie blew my mind. It looked like an AI image fever dream before that even existed. The amount of practical effects is amazing as is the art design.

I loved/was terrified of this movie when I was young! I’m so glad to see it covered!!!

You're getting so good at puting yourself into these clips. It's hysterical.

Wow, I saw this movie in the theater with my grandmother when I was 10 years old. When I was a kid, my parents would send me to stay with my grandparents for a couple of weeks every summer. I remember being so bored that I begged my grandma to take me to a movie, and this weird ass flick is what she thought would be appropriate. She slept through the whole thing while I sat there freaked out by this insane fever dream. Seriously…I really think I blocked this movie out of my mind for the past 39 years.

I might have this burned on dvd somewhere. Me and my sister would watch this a lot on Disney back in the 90s and would always be creeped out by the roller goons and the claymated segment near the end. My younger sister would be creeped out by the queen

"Once we shoot you full of electricity, that pesky imagination of yours will be gone", Mark really knows how to summarize a situation. Also, I think that this line would have been perfectly suited for your skit that you did seconds later. I think that your skits are getting better and better. I think you should take an old movie and remake it with all the characters played by you. Some of these old movies could use a remake and I would watch that over things coming out of Hollywood these days.

I completly forgot that i saw this movie as a kid until i saw the wheelers. This must be what therapy feels like

Man, these clips really do look so much higher quality than the version available on Disney+.

I remember watching this on the Disney Channel in the late 80s and it scaring the Coco Puffs out of me 1/13/24

I like the silly costumes and effects from this era, especially fantasy genre. Everything looks so fantastical and great, seriously, it makes me want to write a fantasy epic.

Funny story. As a kid in Nigeria in 2001, i first watched the original Wizard of Oz on TCM and fell in love with the movie. A year later, as i came from school and was channel skipping for stuff to watch, i saw Return to Oz playing and just thought it looked cool and familiar and decided to watch it😂 It was weird and scary! But so memorable. I had no idea it was a sequel.

This is your best compositing work yet, sir. Well done! That scene with you as the doctor was pure gold.

He speaks for us all about the trauma of the childhood fear of Quicksand. As far as I knew, it was everywhere that did not have pavement, tarmac, or just something solid. Quicksand could sneak right up to your door. And you wouldn't know it.

This movie goes hard. Truer words seldom spoken. The early unauthorized silent movies were bizarre too. MGM seemed to take those costume silents and created a fantasy musical out of it. It was not super Oz-faithful, but it was evocative of Oz. In reality, The Wizard of Oz was more a metaphor of 1920s and 1930s Hollywood than anything else. Dorothy the starlet, the comics and dancers under contract, the wicked jealous actresses, the accomplished actress with a good heart, the lying conman of a producer

This was so great! Love to see you back, Mark.

If anyone wants to go through the Oz books but doesn’t have the time, Marvel Comics made some miniseries of the first few that are both faithful to the original and really well illustrated. Definitely worth a read.

Thanks for highlighting this film; I wish I could see it on the big screen again. A brilliant run down of the plot by the way!

The edit with the shock therapy is one of the all-time moments of this channel 😂😂😂…well done sir

Bought this recently on dvd as I read it was excellent. It does not disappoint, it’s really well well done! Keep up the great work, this channel is great!

I'm always still blown away that I realized recently Dorothy in this movie is played by Fairuza Balk. She of American History X and The Craft fame.

Best Mark movie bomb so far. You are getting so good at doing those man. Great as always.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's so damn weird and creepy and the sets are way better than they deserve to be. The Wheelers are awesome baddies and Princess Mombi's collection of heads is so cool. Fairuza Balk is the perfect Dorothy for this story too. I could go on and on. Thanks for covering this movie. Hopefully more people will watch it! I miss weird fantasy movies aimed at a younger audience and we need more.

I might point out that the Nome King being defeated by an egg is technically consistent with Baum's original works. He's like allergic, or otherwise vulnerable to eggs for some reason.

Loved this movie as a kid. As a child, I was super into horror movies. Most of the kids I knew growing up in the late 80s/early 90s were into slasher flicks, so the dark tone of this movie was really cool to me.

Mark, thank you for the laughs, man. Youre one of the channels i go to when im feeling down because i KNOW youll make me laugh, and we all know how much it helps to laugh when dealing with shyte. Just.. thanks, man. I wish i could convey, or express correctly, how much it means to me to be able to laugh even when im at my worst. I hope youre well, brother man.

This may be my favourite insert gag of them all! Well done, Mark.

I saw this on TV as a young teen at like 2am. No one knew wtf I was talking about. I couldn't find anything about it. I convinced myself it was some sort of elaborate fever dream for like 10yrs before someone else mentioned it.

I love watching your videos on occasion. Your dry sarcastic sardonic and witty humor puts me at ease.

The headless lady chase scene had me hiding under my covers for a while when I was little

Fun fact: Dorothy is played by Fairuza Balk, who would later play a witch in "The Craft"

This is my favorite channel! I look forward to every video from Mark!

I love Return to Oz. I was born in 1981 so I watched this as a kid growing up. Holds a special place in my heart… like many bad 80’s media come to think of it 🤔

This review unlocked a memory of seeing a Return to Oz tie poster at a Dunkin' Donuts with my father. I still haven't watched this movie yet.

So awesome when Mark edits himself into the movies