How Did This Get Made? – Last Looks: Return to Oz

Release Date: February 6, 2026
Hosts: Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas
Episode Focus: Listener feedback and deep-dive on Return to Oz

Overview

This “Last Looks” installment centers on Return to Oz, following HDTGM’s main episode on the film. The hosts read and react to the audience's passionate corrections, factual additions, and emotional defenses of this polarizing yet cult-favorite sequel to The Wizard of Oz. Paul fields calls and Discord submissions, unpacking everything from practical effects to queer readings. Jason joins midway for a candid, humorous chat about Broadway, TV picks, and the ongoing feud between the hosts and Return to Oz defenders.

Listener Corrections & Omissions: The Great Return to Oz Debate

[05:04 – 24:21]

George Lucas and the Wild Production Saga

• Listener Sean McBee explains why George Lucas earned special thanks: Disney fired director Walter Murch, but Lucas, Spielberg, and Coppola flew out to support Murch, saving his job. Lucas further advised the film, encouraging “crazier” ideas.
  • Paul: “Basically, George Lucas came in, advised, said, go crazier with it, and then was like, not mine.” ([05:04])

Tik-Tok, Practical FX Marvel

• Operated internally by trampolinist Michael Sundin (legs and arms) and with Tim Rose (head), who also puppeteered Admiral Ackbar and Howard the Duck ([07:29] Liz, Wisconsin).
  • Being inside the suit was so hot and punishing, “Michael couldn’t be in there for more than two and a half minutes at a time.” ([05:50])
  • Tim Rose’s connections: “Admiral Ackbar and also was Howard the Duck. Just wanted to share that.” – Liz ([07:34])

“Creepy” vs. “Whimsical”: Are the Books This Dark?

• Caller John from Texas pushes back:
  • The books are “full of whimsy and fun.” While some characters are “maybe a little creepy,” the tone is light.
  • The movie is “a much, much darker tone”; as a kid, John was “gaslit” by his family into doubting the sequel existed.
  • Quote: “They literally told me, ‘I think you just dreamt it up, John. I think you dreamed it up.’ And I was gaslit for years.” ([10:22])
• Matthew from Atlanta: “In terms of tone, no, no, the books are not this dark... There is weirdness, a lot of weirdness. But it’s all in service of the adventure.” ([11:14])
• Paul, summing up: “They took all these characters, they threw them into a blender… it was failed from the start… let it go.” ([12:43])

Copyright Constraints Shape the Movie

• Spencer, Chicago (Law Professor): Disney had to deliberately make the film look different to avoid MGM copyright issues (“the blue gingham dress, the more familiar Scarecrow” etc.).
  • “Disney in the 80s probably had to decide to avoid copyright and trademark issues by… presenting a whole different kind of tone and style and visuals.” ([17:07])
  • Ruby slippers: Disney paid up to a million dollars to MGM just to use them.
  • Paul: “Damn slippers. You didn’t even need them. Honestly didn’t add that much.” ([18:10])

Is Dorothy’s Whole Trip a “Jacob’s Ladder” Twist? (Fan Theories)

• Erin & Zoe (Seattle): “She either got the electroshock and died, or she died in that river looking for a child who wasn’t there… I believe whoever wrote this movie went through electroshock therapy, and I think the moose did not want to be there in the first place.” ([18:56], Zoe’s take: “They did him dirty. That’s from a 13-year-old.”)
• Paul echoes: “This movie did the moose dirty. Amen. That’s the shirt.” ([19:55])

Talking Animals in Oz Canon

• Dana: Toto can talk in Oz in the books, but “he just chooses not to… It’s a huge grift. And Dorothy doesn’t figure it out until book eight.” ([20:21])
• Paul: “That’s an attitude. Wow. What a funny, weird… thing to make your dog a dick.” ([20:54])

Osma: A Queer Lit Icon

• Discord user Johnny Unusual & Mav (English Lit Prof):
  • Princess Osma is “often pointed to as a pioneering trans character in children’s lit… very important in queer studies.”
  • Paul: “Now that is… now I’m interested. Now I’m getting some information beyond this shit show of a movie.” ([21:22])

Faithful Adaptations

• Joe Walker, via email:
  • Suggests Marvel’s 2009 adaptations of the first six Oz books by cartoonist Skottie Young. “Rank with Darwin Cooke’s Parker series as the best prose-to-comics adaptation ever published.” ([22:00])

Listener of the Week: Mav

• Paul awards Mav a literal chicken’s egg, presented in-character by “Belina the Chicken” in a skit:
  • “Time for me to squeeze out your prize… Oh, I should have eaten more fiber…” ([23:48])
  • “Mav, enjoy this beauty of an egg. Straight from a pooper.” ([24:07])
  • “I know you were just yoking. Get it? Yolk.” ([24:10])

Paul and Jason’s “Just Chat” – The Childhood Movie Nostalgia Wars

[27:26 – 46:46]

Dealing with Angry Fans

• Paul: “People love Return to Oz… People get butt-hurt when we do a movie that they decided when they were kids was good.” ([28:26])
• Jason: “There are movies that meant something to you at a time when things really were meaningful… This movie definitely meant something to people… but it didn’t for any of us.” ([28:34])
• Paul: “Stop being butt-hurt is what we’re saying… Stop your complaining.” ([30:32])

Selective Memory and "Bad Movie Immunity"

• Jason: “Maybe this is how I felt when you guys did Con Air, which I think is a great movie… But I can look at Con Air and be like, this is crazy, that’s crazy.” ([29:52])
• Paul: “They like crappy stuff, and I don’t try to sway them out of it… At one point, my son was like, ‘I want to watch the new Space Jam…’” ([30:52])

Analog TV Kid Memories

• Jason: “I watched older movies all the time because they were all that was on.” ([31:48])
• Paul: “Watching Happy Days was not a choice. It was just what it was at the five o’clock slot… And that was it.” ([32:22])

Jason on Broadway, Taskmaster Live, and Fashion Controversies

[32:39 – 39:42]

Doing Broadway and Live Shows

• Jason discusses performing eight shows a week with the band Lawrence, and comedy giants Sarah Silverman, Craig Robinson, and Heidi Gardner.
  • “It’s a blast… everybody’s so funny.” ([32:51])
  • Some Broadway crowds are “raucous,” others “just polite and laughing” ([33:28])

Wardrobe Panic

• Fans noticed Jason wasn’t wearing his “uniform.” He reassures: the look is “all autumnal colors that match the set… I’m wearing a beautiful Drake’s brown corduroy suit… a beautiful knit tie.” ([35:47])

Taskmaster Fan Theories & American Adaptation

• Jason crashed Taskmaster Live in NYC, did a surprise guest spot, and discusses rumors about hosting if an American version returns.
  • “The only other version of it would be to let me be the host… I would love it.” ([39:18])
  • Paul: “If that happens, I will jump in and I will be your Alex if you need it.” ([39:34])

TV & Streaming Recommendations

[40:09 – 46:46]

Movie Pick: Send Help (Sam Raimi)

• Paul: “It is phenomenal… if you like Sam Raimi, if you like Evil Dead, it is Sam Raimi doing comedy, horror, thriller… I sat in that theater going, I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” ([40:09])

TV: Landman (Streaming Hit)

• Jason on the smash Taylor Sheridan drama:
  • “Landman is 100% my cup of tea.”
  • Paul: “There is an episode where Billy Bob Thornton’s erect penis does make an appearance in the cold open of an episode because he’s taken too much Cialis the night before.”
  • Jason: “A true psychotic, like MAGA fever dream, tone poem of nonsense. Incredible stuff.” ([43:15])
  • “Everybody’s chewing the scenery… Billy Bob at Nicolas Cage level, just going for it… would be at home in Face/Off.” ([43:41])

Anime Picks

1. Frieren (Season 2):
   • Jason: “My favorite show of the year is going to be Frieren Season 2… absolutely one of the most incredible TV shows of anything I’ve ever seen…” ([44:31])
2. The Apothecary Diaries:
   • “A case-of-the-week palace intrigue with a teenage girl as House… detective work, poisonings—awesome.” ([46:09])

Next Episode & Closing

[46:46 – end]

• Next movie: Date With An Angel (1987)
  • “Romcom fantasy starring Michael Knight, Emmanuelle Béart, and Drop Dead Fred’s Phoebe Cates… Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 13% score… finally back on Tubi.” ([47:03])
  • “We actually recorded this episode in Minneapolis over two years ago, but after that show Date With an Angel was removed from every streaming service and VOD platform. Until now…” ([47:06])
• Paul plugs library streaming services and encourages listeners to submit feedback or corrections via Discord or phone for a chance to win a themed prize.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Paul (on Lucas’ input): "George Lucas came in, advised, said, go crazier with it, and then was like, not mine." ([05:04])
• Caller John: "I was gaslit for years... They literally told me, 'I think you just dreamt it up, John.'" ([10:22])
• Zoe (13 years old): "I think the moose did not want to be there in the first place. He did not want to be alive. And they did him dirty." ([19:11])
• Paul: "That's an attitude. Wow. What a funny, weird… thing to make your dog a dick." ([20:54])
• Belina the Chicken (to the week's winner): "Time for me to squeeze out your prize… Oh, I should have eaten more fiber… Mav, enjoy this beauty of an egg. Straight from a pooper." ([23:48]–[24:07])
• Jason (on the fan backlash): "I feel like people get butt hurt when we do a movie that they decided when they were kids was good." ([28:26])
• Paul: "Stop being butt-hurt is what we're saying. You know what? We look at things. Yeah, that's it. Stop your complaining." ([30:32])
• Jason (on Taskmaster rumors): "I think they've said they would like to do it again here and I think they would like to be the hosts." ([39:08])
• Jason (on Landman): “A true psychotic, like MAGA fever dream, tone poem of nonsense. Like, incredible stuff.” ([43:15])
• Jason’s anime summary: “Beautiful story about feudal China… it’s basically, what if House, the Dr. House, but it’s a teenage girl.” ([45:33])

Takeaways

• Return to Oz is a touchstone for 80s kids, but on rewatch, its darkness and bizarre tone shock even its childhood fans.
• The audience is deeply split—both defending its visual artistry and traumatized by its nightmarish images.
• Copyright forced Disney’s hand into making the movie feel and look very different from the MGM classic.
• Paul and Jason encourage listeners to re-examine nostalgia: just because you loved it as a kid, doesn’t mean it holds up!
• This episode featured a particularly robust and insightful round of listener corrections—covering literature, copyright law, puppetry, and gender representation.
• The podcast’s community consistently brings in smart, nerdy, and hilarious discussion—including from 13-year-olds and literature professors.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:04] – George Lucas’s role and production rescue
• [07:29] – Tik-Tok practical effects and puppeteer trivia
• [08:00–12:43] – Callers defend the books’ lighter tone
• [17:07] – Copyright law shapes the movie’s look
• [18:56] – The “Jacob’s Ladder scenario” fan theory
• [20:21] – Talking animals and Toto’s “grift”
• [21:22] – Osma, queerness, and lit history
• [22:00] – Comic book adaptations recommended
• [23:39–24:21] – Mav wins, Belina the Chicken awards an egg
• [27:26–32:22] – Paul and Jason on nostalgia and childhood movies
• [32:39–39:42] – Broadway, Taskmaster Live, "fashion crisis"
• [40:09–42:14] – Movie & TV recs: Send Help, Landman
• [44:31–46:46] – Jason’s anime obsessions: Frieren, The Apothecary Diaries
• [46:46–end] – Next movie reveal: Date With An Angel (1987)

Summary prepared for maximum nerd and nostalgia enjoyment: be honest about your childhood faves, celebrate deep listener contributions, and never trust a dog that refuses to talk.