What is the title of the 1985 film sequel to The Wizard of Oz?

The title of the 1985 film sequel to The Wizard of Oz is Return to Oz.

Directed by Walter Murch, Return to Oz stars Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale in her film debut. Rather than imitating the bright MGM musical, it takes a darker, more unsettling approach to Oz and draws mainly from Baum’s second and third books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz.

The film was released by Walt Disney Productions on June 21, 1985. Its story sends Dorothy back to Oz, where she encounters Princess Mombi, the Wheelers, Tik-Tok and the Nome King. The visual style and practical effects were praised by some critics, although its frightening imagery surprised audiences expecting another colorful musical.

It is often called an “unofficial sequel” because it is not a direct continuation of the 1939 film’s production or continuity. Disney had to pay to use the ruby slippers associated with the earlier movie, but Return to Oz’s plot and character designs are much more closely connected to Baum’s books than to MGM’s screenplay.