Dorothy Gale (Disney)

Dorothy Gale is the main protagonist of the 1985 film Return to Oz, based on the Oz book series by the late L. Frank Baum. She is young girl from Kansas, USA who returns to the magical land of Oz, only to find it in need of her aid.

She was portrayed by Fairuza Balk.

Biography[]

Dorothy Gale was the orphaned daughter of John and Annie Gale, taken in and raised on the farm of her Uncle Henry and Aunt Emily. As a teenager, Dorothy would try and aid around the farm, but would often end up getting in the way or in trouble.

One day, Dorothy was caught in a twister and was sent to the magical realm of Oz. There she met the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion, who took her to see the Wizard of Oz and ruler of the land's capital, the Emerald City. They were tasked with defeating the Wicked Witch of the West to have their requests granted, and succeed. Despite the Wizard being revealed to be a sham, he helps the group out, and with the aid of Glinda the Good Witch, Dorothy uses a pair of magical Ruby Slippers to return home, with Scarecrow taking the mantle as king.

Dorothy is obsessed with Oz and discusses it with her family constantly. Though at first believing it to be nothing more than playing and dreams, Dorothy's constant talking about it makes them concerned for her wellbeing. Dorothy is taken to a sanatorium, where a doctor named Worley and his cruel assistant Nurse Wilson attempt electroshock therapy on her. However, a sudden power outage delays the procedure, and Dorothy is rescued by another patient. They flee, but are caught in a rainstorm, with Dorothy falling unconscious into a chicken coop and floating down a river.

When Dorothy wakes up, she is back in Oz. The chicken still in the coop, named Billina, can now talk, and Dorothy exists to explore. She comes across the destroyed Yellow Brick Road and finds the Emerald City in ruins, with many of its citizens turned to stone. While she explores and finds her old friends also turned to stone, she is accosted and attacked by creatures called Wheelers. As she flees, she comes across a robot called Tik-Tok that saves her, told by the Scarecrow to aid Dorothy should she ever return.

Tik-Tok captures a Wheeler and forces him to take them to the castle of their leader, Princess Mombi. Mombi explains that Oz was taken over by the Nome King, who also captured the Scarecrow. Mombi has been collecting heads to switch her own out with as she pleases, and wants Dorothy's head when she grows up. She locks Dorothy in a tower, where she and Tik-Tok meet Jack Pumpkinhead, another prisoner of Mombi. Dorothy devises a plan to steal Power of Life from Mombi, and breaks out to retrieve it. However, she disturbs the head collection, which all scream and alert Mombi. Dorothy and her new friends manage to hold her off as they construct a creature out of junk and bring it to life with the Powder, creating the Gump. The Gump helps them all escape and set off for the Nome King's mountain.

After a brief mishap where the Gump falls apart, the group make it to the Nome King's mountain and demand an audience with him. He welcomes them, and tells them that the Scarecrow he transformed into an ornament for his collection. He offers a challenge: if the members of the group can go one at a time into his ornament room and correctly guess which ornament the Scarecrow is within three guesses, he will let them all go free. Each member goes in, but does not come out. soon only Dorothy remains, and the Nome King reveals that he obatined her Ruby Slippers when she first left Oz, which allowed him to use their magic to conquer the land. He offers to use them to send her home then, but she refuses, deciding to stay and save her friends.

Dorothy enters the ornament room, and on her third guess, correctly chooses and frees the Scarecrow. Dorothy realizes her friends were all turned into green ornaments, and frees them all as well. Furious, the Nome King attacks and tries to kill them all. However, Billinda lays an egg that falls into the Nome King's mouth. As eggs are toxic for nomes, he dies. Dorothy retrieves the Ruby Slippers and uses their magic to restore Oz back again.

A celebration is thrown, and though the Ozians encourage Dorothy to become their queen, she declines. She is approaced by Ozma, the true queen of Oz, who welcomes her back any time she likes. Dorothy is sent back to Kansas, where she learns that the sanatorium burned down. She is taken home, and plays with her dog Toto.

Appearances in Other Media[]

Dorothy was featured in other Disney properties. However, these versions were all parodies/homages to the version from the 1939 MGM film and not connected to the version in Return to Oz.

Timon & Pumbaa[]

Dorothy makes a cameo appearance in the season three episode "Broadway Bound and Gagged".

Once Upon a Time[]

See Dorothy Gale (Once Upon a Time)

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse[]

The Wizard of Oz is parodied in the season four episode "The Wizard of Dizz", with Minnie Mouse playing the role of Dorothy. Minnie was voiced by the late Russi Taylor.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz[]

A version with the Muppets was featured in the 2005 film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In this version, Dorothy is an adult, and a waitress at her family's diner who aspires to become a singer before coming to Oz. This version was portrayed by Ashanti.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Disney had to pay MGM for the rights to use the Ruby Slippers in the film, as in the original book they were silver, but the 1939 film's interpretation had become more recognizable and iconic by the time Return to Oz was made.
Disney almost adapted the Oz novels sooner, with a version proposed in the 1950s titled Rainbow Road to Oz. This version would have featured Mouseketeers from the Mickey Mouse Club in the roles, including Darlene Gillespie as Dorothy.

Navigation[]

Heroes

Disney-Hyperion Books
Gum Girl | Super Chicken Nugget Boy

Heroes

Return to Oz
Tik-Tok | Billina | Jack Pumpkinhead | The Gump | Princess Ozma

Legends of Oz: Dorothy Returns
Wiser | Marshal Mallow | China Princess | Tugg

Book characters
Hungry Tiger | Patchwork Girl | China Girl | Queen of the Field Mice

Oz Kids
Dot Hugson | Andrea

Wicked
Elphaba

Heroes Wiki