Journey Back To Oz - Production History

Production History

The movie began production in 1962, but ran out of money and was halted for more than four years. It was only after the Filmation studio had made profits on their numerous television series that they were able to finish the project, copyrighted 1971, released in 1972 in the UK and in 1974 in the US. It features the voice and singing debut of Liza Minnelli as Dorothy Gale (played in the previous 1939 film by her late mother Judy Garland). Other voices were by Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Paul Lynde, Herschel Bernardi, Paul Ford, Danny Thomas, Margaret Hamilton (also from the 1939 film, but now playing Aunt Em rather than the Wicked Witch of the West), and opera singer Risë Stevens as Glinda.

For the film's U.S. release, Filmation partnered with a company called Seymour Borde and distributed it through a process called four wall distribution, whereupon the studio rented venues to show it and kept all of the box office revenue.