Return to Oz Witch Return to Oz is a 1985 fantasy film that serves as a sequel to the classic 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. In the film, Dorothy returns to the magical land of Oz, only to find it in ruins and ruled by the evil Nome King. One of the main antagonists in the film is the powerful and terrifying witch known as Mombi. Mombi is a character who first appeared in L. Frank Baum's second Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz. In the book, she is an old and wicked witch who steals Princess Ozma's throne and tries to take over the Emerald City.
In the book, she is an old and wicked witch who steals Princess Ozma's throne and tries to take over the Emerald City. In Return to Oz, Mombi is portrayed as a truly menacing and evil character, with her main goal being to keep the land of Oz under her control. Mombi's appearance in the film is striking and memorable.
WTF Moments: Return to Oz's closet full of severed heads
Dorothy Gale's second cinematic trip to the magical land of Oz was far darker and bleaker than her first. It also managed to be far more bizarre and scarier than anything Dorothy encountered in the classic 1939 MGM film.
An unofficial sequel produced by Disney, released in 1985, Return to Oz pulled from the second and third books in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz. They got real dark — think a kitchen sink full of nightmarish foes, characters, and quests Dorothy must contend with if she hopes to return to Kansas, which makes for a number of WTF Moment candidates.
Now played by a young Fairuza Balk, Dorothy isn't quite able to adjust back to life in Kansas. Set six months after the events of the first film, Dorothy suffers insomnia. This in conjunction with her constant babble about yellow brick roads, wicked witches, and wizards has her Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) and Uncle Henry (Matt Clark) doubly worried. They decide the best course of action is to turn her over to Dr. J.B. Worley (Nicol Williamson) and his mean nurse Wilson (Jean Marsh) for some experimental electrotherapy. Just as Dorothy's strapped to a table and on the cusp of having her brain scrambled by Worley's electrical device, a storm knocks out the power and a mysterious girl frees Dorothy.
From there, a flooded river soon carries Dorothy back to Oz, but it's far from how she left it. The Emerald City is in ruins, and its citizens turned to stone, including her friends Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, though the Scarecrow is nowhere to be found. She doesn't even have her trusty pup Toto; a sassy hen named Billina takes his place instead. In Dorothy's search for Scarecrow, she winds up forging new friendships — this time in the most harrowing of places.
Among them is Tik-Tok, a wind-up soldier who pushes her toward a new direction in her journey, but not before encountering the Wheelers, super creepy henchmen with high pitched, manic laughter and wheels for hands and feet. Wheelers outrank Flying Monkeys any day on the fear meter and could count as a WTF Moment on their own. As could the overall central villain Nome King (also played by Williamson), a subterranean ruler comprised of rock and mountain.
Yet, the prize winner for most WTF Moment of all belongs to secondary villain Princess Mombi, a witch with an affinity for collecting heads. When we first meet her, she's a young woman serenely playing the lyre within the Emerald City castle. But Princess Mombi decides that's too casual of a façade and takes Dorothy with her to her sprawling closet to change into something more befitting of the occasion.
Her closet isn't filled with ornate dresses, though, but a stretching corridor crammed full of display cases of many bodiless heads. They all turn their gaze on Dorothy when she enters the room with Mombi, and it's jarring. Mombi gives the viewer a momentary reprieve by opting to lock Dorothy away in a room where she meets her next ally, Jack Pumpkinhead.
Jack is a gangly scarecrow type with a jack o' lantern head; an inanimate being brought to life by the very thing Mombi uses to create her massive head collection — the Powder of Life. The WTF Moment is finally here in full. Realizing it's her ticket out of there, Dorothy steals the key to the cupboard in which the Powder of Life is kept from a now headless, sleeping Mombi, and sneaks into her closet. All of the many heads are fast asleep. The moment Dorothy unlocks the cabinet at the end to retrieve the Powder, she's startled to find Mombi's original head hidden inside. The head wakes up, alerting the other heads with her guttural yelling, which in turn wakes Mombi's body. And cue the headless body chasing after Dorothy. WTF.
The land of Oz is a surreal place to be sure, but this scene traumatized a generation. A witch with an interchangeable head collection is all fun and games until the lead heroine is forced to sneak past said heads and outrun a headless villain. A villain that declared up front that she wanted Dorothy's head for her own. By comparison, the Nome King just wants to be human. Sure, it's at the expense of everyone in the Emerald City, but he doesn't quite manage to feel as dangerous as his cohort Princess Mombi thanks to this terrifying scene. I should also add a reminder that this is a movie aimed at children. Children! Not even most horror movies aimed toward adults manage to be as scary.
When you think of the stories of Oz, its meek heroine Dorothy Gale, and Disney, you think kid-friendly fantasy with saccharine messages of family and friendship. Return to Oz ultimately achieves its happy ending, but first you have to contend with an unfamiliar take on Oz, a bleak opener that threatens to submit its heroine to electrotherapy, ominous foes, and one key WTF Moment to end all WTF Moments.
She is depicted as a decrepit and haggard old woman with long, pointed nails and sunken, glowing eyes. She wears a black robe and an eerie, wide-brimmed hat, completing her sinister and intimidating look. Throughout the film, Mombi's actions and behavior further emphasize her malevolence, as she captures characters and transforms them into lifeless statues. What makes Mombi particularly terrifying is her collection of interchangeable heads. She has a collection of 30 different heads, each one more grotesque and unsettling than the last. In the film, she uses these heads to change her appearance, keeping those around her fearful and off guard. Mombi's main function in Return to Oz is to serve as a foil to the protagonist, Dorothy. While Dorothy is portrayed as innocent and kind-hearted, Mombi represents the dark and dangerous forces at work in Oz. Through her actions and demeanor, Mombi seeks to instill fear and maintain control over the land. Although Mombi is a formidable villain, she is ultimately defeated by Dorothy and her friends. The film highlights the power of courage and determination in overcoming evil. It also serves as a reminder that appearances can be deceiving, as Mombi's terrifying exterior masks her vulnerability and weakness. Overall, Mombi is a memorable and sinister character in the world of Oz. Her role as the main antagonist in Return to Oz adds tension and suspense to the film, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. Through her design and actions, Mombi cements herself as one of the iconic witches of Oz, reminding us of the enduring appeal of this timeless and beloved story..
Reviews for "The Return to Oz Witch: A Feminist Perspective"
1. John - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the portrayal of the witch in "Return to Oz." She lacked the terrifying presence and charisma that made the original wicked witch from "The Wizard of Oz" so iconic. Instead, we got a character that felt one-dimensional and lacked any real depth. It just felt like a generic villain without anything unique or memorable about her. Overall, I found the witch in "Return to Oz" to be forgettable and a missed opportunity to create a truly captivating antagonist.
2. Sarah - 1/5 - The witch in "Return to Oz" was a complete letdown for me. She was supposed to be this fearsome and powerful character, but she came across as more annoying than anything else. Her constant whining and melodramatic gestures quickly became irritating, and I couldn't take her seriously. Additionally, her motivation and backstory were poorly developed, leaving me with no emotional connection to the character. Overall, the witch in "Return to Oz" failed to capture the essence of a true menacing villain, and I was left wanting more.
3. Michael - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to seeing a captivating and spellbinding witch in "Return to Oz," but unfortunately, she fell short of my expectations. The portrayal lacked the complexity and depth that drew me to the original classic. The witch felt like a cookie-cutter villain with little substance, and her actions lacked any real impact. I was left feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied with her character development. Overall, the witch in "Return to Oz" failed to capture my imagination and fell flat compared to the original film.