An Interview with Sasha Maslansk

1. How old were you when they were filming Return to Oz?

I was 13 or 14. It was during the summer and I was born in Feb of 69 - so you would know better if it was filmed in 84 or 85 I traveled there from Key West, Florida to spend some time with my father and watch what was happening on the set.

2. Can you tell us what you remember of the cast and crew.

Fairuza Balk was like a porcelain doll – there really was such a vibe around her for so many reasons because of this historic role. She was so young and was cast well for the movie because in actuality, there was a kind of a darkness to her that ended up working for the movie. There was a lot of pressure on her and she was holding up well. I had dinner with her years later in Vancouver with my father and I believe her mother and she was really cool. I was an avid skateboarder at the time and the guys trying out the wheeler characters were fun to watch. They were having a real hard time at first getting it together but eventually were ripping around the lot. I also knew Matt Clark. I grew up with him as a child in Malibu and he was a very close family friend .

3. What was your first impression of the film?

I thought that it was an artistic triumph and an amazing film . . I was blown away with the claymation and the animatronic characters. I don’t think it would be possible to go into seeing this film without some bias or strong personal feelings of what a suto-sequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ is supposed to be, so it was hard in a way to see something such a universe away.

4. Do you remember any interesting stories of what happened on the set?

I was privy to a lot of conversations being just a kid sitting in the hotel room with my dad being the producer. Obviously there was a lot more going on than anything that someone of my age could comprehend with the difficulties of making the film.

5. Did you enjoy the film upon its release?

Absolutely...But as referred to above it evoked strong feelings, maybe even confusion in a sense. It’s so age dependent as well. The argument that it was too scary for kids becomes less valid when the WIZARD OF OZ is watched again and you put yourself in the mind of a ten year old back when the film was released. It too had really dark and scary moments.

6. Many of the fans feel was highly underrated. How did you feel when it came out in theaters?

I was living in Thailand at that time and it wasn’t released there when it was here. I don’t think I saw it until the summer of 1986. I knew that it didn’t do particularly well in theaters and that most people went into the movie expecting something very different and they couldn’t handle it.

7. Finally, do you think that anything could have been done differently to make this film more of a mainstream success?

It is what it is and I think when you go back and take a look at it, no matter how you approach it, it stands out as a great film. Its not easy being perceived as the sequel to The Wizard of Oz.