Journey Back to Oz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Journey Back to Oz |
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Original theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Hal Sutherland |
| Produced by | Preston Blair Fred Ladd Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer |
| Written by | Fred Ladd Norm Prescott Bernard Evslin |
| Starring | Milton Berle Herschel Bernardi Paul Ford Margaret Hamilton Jack E. Leonard Paul Lynde Ethel Merman Liza Minnelli Mickey Rooney Risë Stevens Danny Thomas Mel Blanc Dallas McKennon Larry Storch |
| Music by | Walter Scharf (score and song arrangements) Jimmy Van Heusen (songs) Sammy Cahn (lyrics) |
| Editing by | Joseph Simon |
| Studio | Filmation |
| Release date(s) | December 14, 1972 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Journey Back To Oz is a 1972 American animated adventure musical fantasy film produced by Filmation. It is loosely based on L. Frank Baum's second Oz novel, The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), although Baum received no screen credit.
The film was not a hit in theaters, but did well on television, premiering on ABC on December 5, 1976.
For television broadcast, Filmation produced live-action segments with a celebrity playing the Wizard, flying in his balloon with a parrot and two Munchkins, Sprig and Twig. The first version featured Bill Cosby. Filmation only contracted with Cosby for two airings, so when the film aired in syndication later, the company reshot the live segments with Milton Berle. The Cosby-hosted version would eventually air in syndication.
Contents
Plot
After a tornado in Kansas causes a loose gate to knock Dorothy unconscious, she re-appears in the Land of Oz with Toto, and encounters a talking Signpost (voiced by Jack E. Leonard), whose three signs point in different directions, all marked "Emerald City". They later meet Pumpkinhead (voiced by Paul Lynde), the unwilling servant of antagonist Mombi – cousin of the deceased Wicked Witches of the East and West. Toto chases a cat to a small cottage where Dorothy is captured by Mombi's pet crow (voiced by Mel Blanc) and Mombi (voiced by Ethel Merman) herself. Pumpkinhead sneaks into the house in Mombi's absence, and discovers her creation of green elephants, to use as her army to conquer the Emerald City. Pumpkinhead frees Dorothy, and they flee. After finding Dorothy gone, Mombi threatens that their warning the Scarecrow will not help when her green elephants "come crashing through the gate".
Dorothy and Pumpkinhead acquire Woodenhead Stallion III (voiced by Herschel Bernardi), a former merry-go-round horse (a combination of the Sawhorse from The Marvelous Land of Oz and the title character of the last Oz book of all, Merry Go Round in Oz), who takes them to the Emerald City, where Dorothy warns the Scarecrow (voiced by Mickey Rooney) about Mombi's green elephants. Mombi arrives moments later, and Toto and the Scarecrow are captured. Dorothy, Pumpkinhead, and Woodenhead flee to Tinland to convince the Tin Man (voiced by Danny Thomas, who spoke, and Larry Storch, who sang) to help them. He declines upon being afraid of the green elephants and suggests that they ask the Cowardly Lion (voiced by Milton Berle), who promises to slay the elephants, but suggests consulting Glinda the Good Witch (voiced by Rise Stevens), who appears to them with a "Glinda Bird" that uses its Tattle Tail to show what is occurring at the palace. She then gives Dorothy a little silver box, to open only in the Emerald City, and only in a dire emergency.
Mombi, having seen their progress in her crystal ball, brings the nearby trees to life; whereupon Glinda sends a golden hatchet to Pumpkinhead. One of the trees snatches it from him, but changes its fellows and itself into gold and turns them from bad to good. Woodenhead carries Dorothy and Pumpkinhead back to the Emerald City, where Mombi's elephants surprise them. When Dorothy opens Glinda's box, mice emerge, scaring the elephants. Mombi brews a potion to shrink Toto to mouse-size so she can feed him to her cat; but when startled, miniaturizes her crow and cat instead. Thereafter Mombi disguises herself as a rose with poisonous thorns, which the elephants trample over and themselves disappear, prompting the Scarecrow to explain that Mombi's magic has died with her. Unfortunately, Pumpkinhead, another product of Mombi, also dies; however, he is revived by one of Dorothy's tears.
The Scarecrow makes Woodenhead the head of the Oz cavalry and knights Pumpkinhead; and Dorothy and Toto leave Oz by another tornado (created by Pumpkinhead and Glinda), promising to return.
Cast
- Liza Minnelli as Dorothy Gale
- Don Messick as Toto
- Paul Lynde as Pumpkinhead
- Herschel Bernardi as Charelsworth Pinto "Woodenhead" Stallion III
- Ethel Merman as Mombi
- Mickey Rooney as the Scarecrow
- Danny Thomas as the Tin Man
- Milton Berle as the Cowardly Lion
- Risë Stevens as Glinda
- Jack E. Leonard as the Signpost
- Margaret Hamilton as Aunt Em
- Paul Ford as Uncle Henry
- Larry Storch as Amos, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's farmworker
- Dallas McKennon as Omby Amby
- Mel Blanc as Mombi's crow
Songs and score
The film contains twelve original songs by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. The arrangements and some of the film's score was by Walter Scharf. The original songs (which were featured on a soundtrack album released around the time of the film's television release) include the following:
- "A Faraway Land" - Dorothy
- "Signpost Song" - The Signpost
- "Keep a Happy Thought" - Dorothy
- "The Horse on the Carousel" - Woodenhead
- "B-R-A-N-E" (sic) - Scarecrow
- "An Elephant Never Forgets" - Mombi
- "H-E-A-R-T" - Tin Man
- "N-E-R-V-E" - Cowardly Lion
- "You Have Only You" - Glinda
- "If You're Gonna Be a Witch - Be a Witch" - Mombi
- "Return to the Land of Oz March" - Dorothy
- "That Feeling for Home" - Dorothy
However, a majority of the film contains library music from other sources. One particular piece of music, heard in the opening titles, is The Awakening, a Johnny Pearson composition that was recorded in 1967 (three years after production on this film began). While largely familiar to U.S. audiences for its use in this film, it is otherwise known to British viewers as the theme for ITN's News at Ten. Coincidentally, another well-known Pearson composition, "Heavy Action" (also known as the theme of Monday Night Football), served as the theme to the syndicated SFM Holiday Network, which ran this film for many years.
Television version
While the film was a failure in its theatrical release, it would find its audience in its television showings. Filmation sold the broadcast rights to ABC in 1976. By this time, Bill Cosby was in the midst of his success with Filmation's TV series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, as well as starring in a new, but short-lived TV series for ABC. Filmation decided to expand and reformat the film to a Christmas television special. The film's theatrical running time was extended to include new live-action connecting segments with Cosby as the Wizard, a character otherwise not seen in the original theatrical release. The live-action subplot was to get two lost children home to spend Christmas with Dorothy, while helping to move the plot along. This extended TV version would later air in a successful syndication run via the aforementioned SFM Holiday Network. The last known airing of this version was in 1984 and it has not been available since then. SFM also made available another television version for airing during the year (when it obviously was not Christmas) with cast member Milton Berle filming new linking interstitials in place of the Cosby segments.
See also
In Spanish: Regreso a la Tierra de Oz para niños
