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Return to Oz poster

Movies that feel likeReturn to Oz (1985)

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, finds herself back in the land of her dreams, and makes delightful new friends, and dangerous new enemies.

If you loved Return to Oz, the closest films we have are The Dark Crystal (1982), Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and The NeverEnding Story (1984). All three share Return to Oz's epic and warm feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Escape to Witch Mountain (1975).

πŸ… 59% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Walter Murchepicwarmcozydreamlike
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Disney Plus

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If Return to Oz hit the spot, these will too

The Dark Crystal poster
The Dark Crystal
1982 Β· dir. Frank Oz
πŸ… 78%β˜… 7.1adventure Β· family Β· fantasyPeacock

Epic and warm in the same breath

On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world, before the grotesque race of Skeksis find and use the crystal for evil.

Jason and the Argonauts poster
Jason and the Argonauts
1963 Β· dir. Don Chaffey
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.3adventure Β· family Β· fantasy

The same mix in both: comfort, then dream logic

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Jason, a fearless sailor and explorer, returns to his home land of Thessaly after a long voyage to claim his rightful throne. He learns, however, that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. To do so, he must embark on an epic quest fraught with fantastic monsters and terrible perils.

The NeverEnding Story poster
The NeverEnding Story
1984 Β· dir. Wolfgang Petersen
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.3adventure Β· fantasy Β· family

Both lean on scale more than on adventure

While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.

Peter Pan poster
Peter Pan
2003 Β· dir. P.J. Hogan
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.8adventure Β· fantasy Β· family

Family with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland.

The Amazing Mr. Blunden poster
The Amazing Mr. Blunden
1972 Β· dir. Lionel Jeffries
β˜… 6.8family Β· fantasyPrime Video

Cozy fantasy in both cases

The difference: Trades the scale of Return to Oz for an angle of its own

Mysterious old solicitor Mr. Blunden visits Mrs. Allen and her young children in their squalid, tiny Camden Town flat and makes her an offer she cannot refuse. The family become the housekeepers to a derelict country mansion in the charge of the solicitors. One day the children meet the spirits of two other children who died in the mansion nearly a hundred years prior. The children prepare a magic potion that allows them to travel backwards in time to the era of the ghost children. Will the children be able to help their new friends and what will happen to them if they do?

Escape to Witch Mountain poster
Escape to Witch Mountain
1975 Β· dir. John Hough
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.3adventure Β· fantasy Β· science fictionDisney+

Adventure built on dream logic, twice over

The difference: Leans harder into science fiction than Return to Oz does

Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.

Pete's Dragon poster
Pete's Dragon
2016 Β· dir. David Lowery
πŸ… 88%β˜… 6.7adventure Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

Epic family, and it commits to that

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace, who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales... until she meets Pete, a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. With the help of Natalie, an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.

The Black Stallion poster
The Black Stallion
1979 Β· dir. Carroll Ballard
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4family Β· adventure

Fantasy with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer. Together they begin training the horse to race against the fastest ones in the world.

The Secret Garden poster
The Secret Garden
1993 Β· dir. Agnieszka Holland
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.3drama Β· family Β· fantasy

Family with a pulse of comfort, in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Return to Oz does

A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

Kleks Academy poster
Kleks Academy
2024 Β· dir. Maciej Kawulski
β˜… 4.5fantasy Β· adventure Β· familyNetflix

Dreamlike adventure in both cases

A seemingly ordinary girl finds her way into the eponymous Academy to explore the world of fairy tales, imagination and creativity. With the help of a crazy, talented teacher, she develops her unique abilities and also stumbles upon a clue that will help her unravel the biggest secret of the family...

A Little Princess poster
A Little Princess
1995 Β· dir. Alfonso CuarΓ³n
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.6drama Β· family Β· fantasy

Fantasy of the same temperament

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader poster
πŸ… 49%β˜… 6.3adventure Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

Both know what they want from adventure

This time around Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world.

In the mood for more epic?

all epic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Return to Oz’s defining feeling.