In the summer of 1985, a movie called Return To Oz came and went.
Made by Disney, with the producer of Star Wars, the design team of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and marketed as a sequel to one of the most beloved films in history...it was a flop.
It's new look, strange characters, and disturbing/somber tone seemed to alienate audiences. Many saw it as a byproduct of the unstable leadership at The Walt Disney Company of the time.
Over the years, Return To Oz began to build a cult following.
In 2007, recent film graduate Gabe Rodriguez began to make a fan documentary about this unusual film. The focus was intended to be not just a "Behind the Scenes" story, but a portrait of Oz fans, and a look at the lifespan of any film, from conception through premiere.
This is the ONLY documentary in history to include footage of both The Wizard of Oz and Return To Oz. It also features original interviews with real fans, including author/historian John Fricke, who provided a commentary track on The Wizard of Oz DVD.
This documentary was screened on 27 October, 2007 at an Oz public event in Spartanburg, SC. It has won acclaim by all who've seen it.
Since then, Rodriguez has shown it to different festival heads, as well as the Oz Museum in Wamego, KS. But the best home for it is probably the Internet.
To watch the full hour-long documentary, click here.
To see our IMDb page, click here.
