Disney Movie Club to release "Swiss Family Robinson"(1960) & "Return To Oz"(1985)on BD 4/14/15

Not yet posted on their website, these were announced in a mail pamphlet as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive for release on blu-ray April 14th, 2015...other titles in the series already available include "Pollyanna", "Old Yeller", "The Apple Dumpling Gang", "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes", "The Love Bug" & "Herbie Rides Again"...MSRP is $24.95 but I generally bundle my purchases of these titles with their upcoming A-title releases...looking forward to getting these...

 

Yet still no 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Tragic.

 

I suspect that it will eventually be released under this new Disney Club Exclusive program as a blu-ray...the 4k restoration work is already completed...

 

A beautiful HD restoration exists. I dunno what they're waiting for. The studio has cancelled plans to do a huge remake of this film several times.

Return to Oz is a strange, disturbing film.

 

Which I absolutely adore and quote often.
"You'll be sorry for treating me like this, I'm a Terrrrrrrr-i-ble person!"

 

Some of those Disney titles I think would sell well with a general release instead of having to join the Disney club.

 

I saw Return to Oz as a kid but don't remember anything about it. I'd like to rewatch it as I've heard good things about it.

 

Apparently Disney's marketing folks have sales data that indicate otherwise...none of these titles are going to sell like "Mary Poppins" or any of their animated classics, unfortunately. I'm just grateful that they're still being released AT ALL in HD physical media...

 

I agree. Not quite sure exactly what they were striving for with this film.
A very strange choice of young actress for the main character, who did a very poor job of acting.
And a very dark and weird film (example: the wheelers!) Exactly who was supposed to be the target audience for this film?

 

Filmmaker Walter Murch, who's one of the greatest living film editors and film sound mixers, did Return to Oz as his first foray into directing, and it did not go well. I think he wanted to get much closer to the darker, weirder tone of the original Frank Baum novels, as opposed to the lighthearted kids' story of the Wizard of Oz musical. Unfortunately, I think it went way, way too weird for most people and did not do well. I remember at the time reading a review that wondered if the film was meant to show the nightmarish thoughts of an insane little girl inside a mental institution...

 

I thought Fairuza Balk was amazing for a first timer. Her Dorothy was the correct age for starters. And the look of the film was like my old OZ books. Tick Tock and Jack Pumpkinhead were right at home, and it brought in Ozma and Mombi. It was heaven for an OZhead.
Fairuza's memories are an awesome feature.
Disney never thought much of this one palming it off to Anchor Bay at one time.

 

I love Return To Oz. A real cult classic. It's one of those not-well received films by critics that nonetheless made a mark on kids through video. Perhaps too much of a mark, my little sister was frightened by The Wheelers. I think I was old enough to appreciate the darker tone.

 

Probably waiting for Johnny Depp's dance card to be free.Disney will have him play Captain Nemo,where he can pull out his Keith Richard impersonation again to recreate the role originally played by James Mason.
I smell a new theme ride for Disney World.

 

Is Return to Oz based on a particular Oz book? I am pretty immersed in them having read about 30 aloud to my kids over the past few years.

 

From Wikipedia: "Return to Oz is a 1985 fantasy adventure film based on L. Frank Baum's Oz books, mainly The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Oz

 

I agree - as in "that's gonna leave a mark" or more realistically a mental scar!

 

Return to Oz was one of the very first films I ever saw at the cinema, and I loved it, although I preferred it when I could watch it on VHS at home and those terrifying Wheeler things weren't quite so large.

Fun fact - without really realising it at the time, Fairuza Balk was my first ever crush (she's older than me, it was ok...)

 

Am I the only one who wonders how the Wheelers were able to DO that? Put wheels on hands and feet and the usual result is a faceplant splat.

 

If you watch the movie, they had major extenders on their hands (kind of like stilts that you'd wear on your feet). So the center of gravity was spread between hands and feet. They also hand controlled brakes on the hand-wheels.

Still, it would take a lot more coordination than I could ever muster to stay on the wheels and not on my face!

 

For those of you that want to see how it looks before you plunk down cash for the BR.

 

Both movies are now available for pre-order at Disney Movie Club's website for $24.98 MSRP...I bundled mine with a club special discount for their live-action remake of "Cinderella" and got "Swiss Family Robinson" & "Return To Oz" for $9.98 each...

 

I'm a huge Wizard of Oz fan but I love Return to Oz. It's weird and wonderful and dark and I agree that Balk was amazing as Dorothy.

 

I'm not 100% sure on this, but it would appear you can get the HD version from the iTunes store:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/20-000-leagues-under-the-sea/id296750750

 

Bumping this thread, Intrada is releasing a 2-CD expanded soundtrack of the Return to Oz soundtrack.