Customer Reviews

Escape from the Witch's Castle (Walt Disney Pictures: Return to Oz)

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Return to Oz Pt. 2: The Escape from Mombi.
This book continues from where the previous Little Golden 'Return to Oz' Book "Dorothy Returns to Oz" ended. Dorothy, Tik-Tok and Billina are searching through Oz looking for King Scarecrow, and unable to find him in the Emerald City Ruins, they come before a huge, dark castle. Inside, they meet Princess Mombi, who plans to take Dorothy's head for her own. Tik-tok's running down prevents him from saving Dorothy, and although Billina also attacks Mombi, Dorothy is unable to escape Mombi's grasp and the two are locked up in the tower. There, a jack-o-lantern named Jack Pumpkinhead believes Dorothy to be his mum, but she tells him that she isn't, and learns about how his mother made him to scare Mombi and how she used some magic powder to bring him to life. With this idea, they manage to escape the tower room. After Dorothy takes Mombi's key, gets the Powder of Life and manages to escape Mombi's headless body, they all put together some furniture, palm-leaves and the Head of a Gump as a means of escape. Dorothy uses the Powder of Life on their 'put-together' and they fly off, away from the awful Mombi, hoping to eventually find the Scarecrow . . .
This book is nicely illustrated, though it doesn't have as much detail (like shadows, light, etc.) as the other 3 books, but the colours are still good. Dorothy's look sometimes changes from a bit of Tobey Maguire, Warner Bros.' Superman and a bit of Pocahontas, but she still looks like a pretty girl. One of the changes in this book is that Mombi is not living in the Emerald Throne Room like in the movie and other books (the next book "Dorothy in the Ornament Rooms" says that she was in the ruined Emerald City). Dorothy's friends, although nicely illustrated, are not entirely life-like or properly designed, but it doesn't matter. The scenes taken out of this little adventure are Tik-Tok's battle with the Wheelers, Mombi's head-changing and Dorothy being helped by the magical reflection in one of the mirrored-walls.
This is the first time I have seen this book and I'm glad to have gotten it for the 20th Anniversary of "Return to Oz" in June 21.