Return To Oz
- Studio
- Rankin-Bass Productions, Videocraft International Production, Crawley Films
Synopsis
This story takes up with Dorothy- still in possession of the shoes- as she clings to an apple tree during a tornado which takes her back to Oz. Socrates the Strawman, Rusty the Tinman and Dandy Lion have had their gifts destroyed by the restored Wicked Witch, who plans a deadly homecoming, threatening the four friends. The four set out for the Emerald City to seek help from the Wizard of Oz, who is ineffectual as usual. Lightning bolts, black magic and flying crocodiles threaten the travelers on their journey to save the Wizard from the Witch's evil spells.
Characters
Dorothy Gale, Rusty the Tinman, Socrates the Strawman, Dandy Lion, the Wizard, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, Wicked Witch of the West, Munchkins
Credits
Directing
- Director
- F.R. Crawley, Thomas Glynn, Larry Roemer
Producing
- Producer
- Arthur Rankin Jr, Jules Bass
Writing
- Writer
- Romeo Muller
- Based on the Original Novels By
- L. Frank Baum
Animation
- Animator
- Barrie Nelson, Rod Willis, Bill Mason (as William Mason), Blake James, Don Stearn, Vic Atkinson, Milton Stein, George Ruble
- Assistant Animators
- Jack White, Michael Pacey, Ganny Fripp, Margret Falconer, Norman Drew, Angelo Terricone, Ron Smith, George Germanetti
Voices
- Voice
- Susan Conway (Dorothy), Larry D. Mann (Tin Man), Alfie Scopp (Straw Man), Carl Banis (Dandy Lion, Wizard), Peggi Loder (Glinda, Wicked Witch of the West), Susan Morse (Munchkins)
Music
- Music
- Gene Forrell, James Polack, Edward Thomas
- Additional Music by
- George Wilkins
Crew
- Background Artists
- Bob Borg, Patrick Conison, Desmond Hennessy, Dennis Pike
- Continuity Design
- Howard Beckerman
- Camera
- Ron Hames, Gary Morgan, Bill Clark
- Sound Recording Supervisor
- Bernard Cowan
- Recording Engineers
- Phil Ramen, Peter Husto
- Orchestrations
- Kermit Levinsky, Maury Laws
- Orchestra Conducted by
- Edward Thomas
Production notes
This show first aired on NBC-TV as past of "The G.E.Fantasy Hour."
Songs: "I Wanna Go Back," "Moonbeam" (Dorothy), "We're Munchkins, Naturally" (Dorothy, Munchkins), "You Can't Buy a Brain" (Socrates), "Wickedest, Wicked Old Witch" (Witch), "I'm Heartless, Through and Through" (Rusty), "Dan, Dan, Dandy Lion" (Dandy).
This (not Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer!) was the first animated network TV special produced by Rankin/Bass, which had previously done commercials for the General Electric Company.
Except for Dorothy and Toto, Return to Oz had the same characters as the 1961 Rankin/Bass TV series The Tales of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy was redesigned for the special to bear a greater resemblance to a real little girl.
This cartoon marked the first collaboration of the Maury Laws-Jules Bass songwriting team.
Songs: "I Wanna Go Back," "Moonbeam" (Dorothy), "We're Munchkins, Naturally" (Dorothy, Munchkins), "You Can't Buy a Brain" (Socrates), "Wickedest, Wicked Old Witch" (Witch), "I'm Heartless, Through and Through" (Rusty), "Dan, Dan, Dandy Lion" (Dandy).
This (not Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer!) was the first animated network TV special produced by Rankin/Bass, which had previously done commercials for the General Electric Company.
Except for Dorothy and Toto, Return to Oz had the same characters as the 1961 Rankin/Bass TV series The Tales of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy was redesigned for the special to bear a greater resemblance to a real little girl.
This cartoon marked the first collaboration of the Maury Laws-Jules Bass songwriting team.