Along the way, she picks up some new companions, including windup mechanical man Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead—a man made of sticks with a pumpkin for a head.
At one point, they create a creature called The Gump with the head of a moose, a body made of two couches, and palm fronds for wings. The entire movie is one long fever dream and I absolutely love it.
Writer and director Walter Murch started out as a sound editor on classic films like The Godfather Part II and American Graffiti before choosing Return to Oz as his directorial debut.
Making the film was such a harrowing experience, however, that he never made another film. Between budget cuts and pressure from the studio to make the film “lighter,” Murch almost didn’t finish the movie.
At one point, Disney was all set to replace him as director when George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg showed up to set to advocate for their friend. Lucas even offered to take over director duties if Murch completely broke down.
After that, there was no more talk of replacing Murch on Return to Oz.
