The Making of Walt Disney Productions' Return to Oz (1985)

This PBS documentary hosted by Mason Adams aired in 1985 to coincide with the release of Walt Disney productions' Return to Oz. Return to Oz was one of the most ambitious films ever made with many of the who's who of Hollywood working on it behind the scenes. Because more people knew Oz from the MGM film and not the Oz books, the film didn't find an audience and bombed. It was still a well-produced film inspired by the books even going a little bit darker with some of the concepts in them. The behind the scenes material in this obscure documentary is rare and well worth seeing.

The documentary covers the entire Oz phenomenon up to that time. Like Walt Disney, L. Frank Baum is a figure the militant left and revised the history of and perverted his works. Most people are only aware of the 1939 MGM film but Oz was so much more. Oz was the first successful fantasy novel and the most successful fictional book series of all times spanning over 70 years of official volumes and nearly 60 books. There were also multiple Oz silent films, 2 competing coming strips, storybooks, stage plays, animated cartoons, and tons of merchandise. Walt Disney grew up alongside the releases of the original Baum Oz stories and actively pursued making a film adaptation of his own.

The rainbow jihad co-opted the Oz stories and characters and many of their trappings originate from them. Activists claim they use the rainbow because of drag queens and Judy Garland who sang the famous song standard from the film, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. "Friend of Dorothy" became code for members of the gay community to recognize and acknowledge each other. Many hardcore Oz fans despise America as founded, Christianity, heterosexual relationships and more. Many of the pop culture appropriation going on today originated with Oz.

It's important that we rediscover how Oz is America's forgotten fantasy land and should be reclaimed from the revisionists who've defiled it. This documentary is a good place to start. Like Walt Disney, L Frank Baum would be disgusted by what's been done to his creations.

Original air date June 1985

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.