Rewriting Netflix's Death Note Movie

Last time, we discussed why Netflix’s adaptation of Death Note was a disappointment, and could have been a lot better. In short, it doesn’t quite swing for the fences with the manga, instead throwing out a good majority of what made Death Note so appealing, in favour of a dreary romance drama. The characters are profoundly stupid, whiny, and spend more time flailing their hands than doing anything with the titular Death Note. Though it did have some shred of interesting ideas, the film didn’t commit to anything of merit. Now, in this follow up entry, I shall be pitching a few ideas on how Death Note may have been improved.

For one, I feel a property like this, which involves a long game of wits, moves, and countermoves, may have worked better as a miniseries or a full out TV show. While the film looked like it would tackle the duel of minds between Light and L, it quickly abandons it, replaced by a semi-interesting but ultimately flawed romance between two dumb teenagers.

It is possible I am looking at it a little too unfairly as a fan of the anime, as it does manage to pull off this cautionary tale of giving teenagers great power but abusing it with little thought of the consequences. But, when you adapt a movie after something of Death Note’s calibre, the expectations are high.

Light and L are both geniuses, often cool, calm, and collected in their moves against one another. Perhaps the screenwriters thought how the two characters were portrayed in the manga would not work well with the story they had in mind? While Light Yagami decides to use the Death Note on a whim, quickly developing his god complex, Light Turner has legit, personal reasons that tempt him to use the book’s powers. His mother was murdered, the culprit getting off free. He then defends Mia from a bully, but is reprimanded by the school principal for doing homework for others, when Light is the victim here. Ryuk gives him the opportunity to get justice, becoming Kira.

Kira’s reputation in both versions of the story differ depending on the setting. In Japan, Kira is viewed as a criminal by authorities, based upon the country’s severe condemnation on criminals. In the Netflix film, set in Seattle, both civilians and cops praise Kira’s judgement. This could symbolise America’s need to police the world. In a montage, criminals implied to be from North Korea and ISIS are seen being punished by Kira.

One of the biggest problems with the film is that these characters are named Light and L, two of the most compelling characters in manga. To completely alter them to their core, to the point they no longer resemble the iconic characters they are based on, is bound to put off any fan expecting a fair adaptation.

So, what if instead of being Light Yagami and L, that these characters instead had been original ones? Perhaps, otherwise, the reaction to these characters wouldn’t have been so vicious. If I had written this movie (or TV series had it gone that route), “Light Turner” and “L” would not be the same characters as seen in the manga. Instead, Death Note would have been set in the same universe as the manga/anime, but set years after Kira’s reign of “justice”. Kira is gone, crime is on the rise, and there is no sign of Kira’s second coming as some predict. The character who is Light Turner could be renamed, but with the same story arc, and wham-bam-shalam, you have a brand new character. Completely unrelated to Light Yagami, aside from deciding to become the next Kira out of necessity.

L could stay the same too, but instead be rewritten as a successor to the original L, but struggles to keep his emotions in check, and live up to the reputation of the world’s greatest detective. This would explain why this L makes erratic decisions, is emotionally compromised, and does stupid things that the original L would not do.

There, I just rewrote the whole movie in two changes. Not-Light is a victim of injustice, Ryuk tempts him to use the Death Note and become the next Kira. New-L has become, well, the new L, and decides to stop Kira. Not-Light dates Mia and they both double as Kira. New-L teams up with the Seattle police force to identify Kira, but panics, and is convinced Not-Light is Kira, which turns out to be true. New-L’s mentor Renamed Watari gets killed, Not-Light finds out Mia is also using the Death Note, they fall out, New-L chases Not-Light, big dramatic ferris wheel ending, Mia dies, Not-Light planned everything to work out that way in advance, but his dad finds out he is Kira. The film ends on that pesky cliffhanger with Not-L ready to use the Death Note to kill Not-Light.

As for all of the altered Death Note rules…perhaps the King of the Shinigami could’ve altered the rules of the books? I’m grasping at straws here.

Another change could be exploring the deeper philosophy and moral discussions of Death Note. How is the world reacting to Kira and his powers of death and justice? In the manga/anime, the USA of all people cave in to Kira’s power. How was Kira’s justice affecting normal citizens morally and religiously? Are his actions good or evil in their eyes? There’s that scene with the Kira-worshipping website where people list those they feel deserve to die. While Mia is gung ho to start jotting down names, Light suggests half of the people listed might be innocent. I wonder if Light Yagami would consider such an option.

This website scene opens up all sorts of questions about Light’s brand of justice. Light Yagami just wrote down names of criminals who were reported on the news. What if it turned out they were innocent/framed/set up/a fall guy, etc.? Would Light write down a person’s name if they killed in self-defence? By accident? What if say a criminal is repentant, or making amends for a past crime? Who would Kira target? Would he take out ordinary criminals or people from across the board like businessmen, religious figures, or, what if his own relatives committed crimes? Who punishes Kira?

There’s another can of worms. What happened if Light (or Not-Light) was arrested? How would he survive in a trial or in jail? Would he be the number one whipping boy, or treated as some sort of saviour behind bars? See, the possibilities are virtually endless in Death Note.

The Death Note itself has a lot of rules, some of which are a little ridiculous or complicated. Many of these rules exist so the lore remains accurate, rigid, and firm. Whoever has their name written in the book will die. There is not “get out of death free burnable page” in the Japanese version, so either that convenient plot twist would either stay or go. Perhaps the most interesting rule is that up to six Death Notes can exist on Earth at the same time. Imagine the mayhem that would unfold. What type of movie would that be like?

Turns out Japan already did that movie. In one of the live action Japanese Death Note movies, Light Up the World, six Death Notes are dropped on Earth by the Shinigami out of amusement. This allows six different people to use the books very differently. You have the wannabe successor to Kira, a serial killer, a Russian doctor who kills terminally ill patients, a Japanese politician who murders Kira fans, a New York banker who axes his rivals, and the next L, who refuses to use his copy of the Death Note. Such a concept would be a real thrill to imagine as a TV series, Hey, there’s a great idea for a sequel to the Netflix movie!

These aren’t exactly concrete ideas, but there are those and many more to spread around. While the Netflix movie was met with mixed results, there is room for improvement, and if Death Note does get a sequel, which apparently there is.

Netflix's "Death Note" aka How Not To Adapt An Anime

Alita: Battle Angel has broken the curse that Hollywood can’t make good movies out of Japanese manga and anime, mostly thanks to James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez commitment to the film. While this could open the door for future visionaries to bring popular anime to the big screen, it doesn’t make up for the many disappointing movies that preceded it. We all know how much Dragonball Evolution sucked, how Ghost in the Shell duplicated the look of its source material but was disappointingly hollow, and well, then there is Netflix’s take on Death Note.

 

Death Note is based on the hugely popular manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, a thrilling, suspenseful detective horror story. The manga, subsequent anime, and other live action movies, worked well for their discussion on morality, the exciting cat-and-mouse game between the designated hero and villain, and the supernatural world building. Netflix’s film, directed by Adam Wingard, tried to adapt the story, world, and characters, but didn’t quite have the depth. Feeling like it was in a bit of a rush, Death Note eventually grinds to a discombobulated halt as it fumbles up the source material, chucking out the meat of the story, to rely on familiar tropes, an awkward romance, and characters making dumb decisions.

The manga/anime is about Light Yagami, a Japanese high school student who comes across the titular Death Note, a book which will kill whoever’s name is written within it. Light is approached by the book’s owner, Ryuk, a leering, grinning Shinigami (or death god), and pursues a goal to rid the world of criminals via the Death Note’s powers. Light soon develops a god complex, declaring himself the new embodiment of justice in the world, earning the messiah name of “Kira”. He finds opposition from “L”, a strange but genius detective, and a group of police led by Light’s own dad, who want to arrest the anonymous Kira. Light and L try to unearth each other’s identities in an incredible game of wits.

The Netflix adaptation takes that basic premise and runs with it. Light, now an American student from Seattle, and played by Nat Wolff, acquires the Death Note, and undergoes the same journey as his Japanese counterpart. Ryuk is voiced and partially mo-capped by Willem Dafoe, and is by far the most enjoyable part of the movie. Light adopts the mantle of Kira, becoming a champion of the people by killing outlaws. He teams up with the unstable cheerleader Mia Sutton (Margaret Qualley), to spread their own brand of justice, and form a destructive romantic relationship. Light’s dad James Turner (Shea Whigham) is recruited by this film’s version of L (Lakeith Stanfield) to help stop Kira.

Nat Wolff’s portrayal of Light is a very mixed bag. In the manga, Light Yagami is this near-sociopathic, manipulative genius who knows how to play a deadly game of chess, has a strong sense of self-justification, and shows little concern for others, even his own loved ones, especially if they stand between him and his self-granted godhood. Wolff’s Light is a weedy, wimpy, garden variety high school loner, but has a sense of conscience. Whilst Light Yagami would kill anyone who could expose his identity, regardless of right and wrong, Light Turner is driven a little more by morals. He only wishes to punish criminals, and protect the innocent. This comes from a minor sense of victimisation he has, receiving detention for doing homework for others, when he is being bullied into doing it to begin with. This sets up Light’s belief that the justice system is flawed through personal experience. This is further extended when it turns out his mother was murdered, and the killer got away.

Light lacks a sense of initiative and self-preservation, performing increasingly stupid decisions as the movie goes on, and even completely breaks down at the end of the film to have a shouting match with Mia. Because he shares his name with such an iconic character, Light has very little in common with Light Yagami, and is a poor attempt to adapt the anti-hero to the big screen. I don’t want to see Light Yagami freaking out at mistakes he made, or arguing with another character. He should be calmly and carefully plotting how their destruction.

While I enjoyed Lakeith Stanfield’s performance of L, the characterization is perhaps even worse than Light’s. He captured L’s eccentric personality well, but the character is defined as being a lot more emotionally vulnerable, panicky, and not very good at sleuthing. He accuses Light of being Kira with any physical evidence or legit suspicions, then goes completely ballistic, grabs a gun, and starts chasing Light through the streets, whilst performing parkour moves and sliding over cars. It feels completely out of place for such a character defined by his mind

  

Light and L feel like stand-ins for the actual characters, as neither have much in common with their anime counterparts. Perhaps if these two had been set up as original characters then adaptations of two established ones, the transition wouldn’t have been so difficult. I understand that they wanted to add a more vulnerable, morally grey element to both characters, which is fine, but they are so far flung from the source material, they might as well have been new characters altogether.

The cat-and-mouse duel of wits is barely acknowledged in the film, with L somehow figuring out, or rather guessing, that Light is Kira, with no evidence. Meanwhile, Light’s father puts two-and-two together with crucial evidence and motive, whilst the supposed genius detective L points fingers, and then gets all whiny when things go wrong. Instead, most of the film is dedicated to Light and Mia’s romance, and their increasingly desperate attempts to cover up their tracks. I suppose this is what is meant to set Death Note apart from the other adaptations, focusing on immature and frankly stupid teenagers wielding a power they abuse.

The character make increasingly stupid decisions, whittling down to a screaming match between Light and Mia atop a ferris wheel, whilst the scheming Ryuk is trying to demolish. Light is set up as a character who is willing to do whatever it takes to bring about justice, despite his initial hint of being a bit more of a moral person. But, by the end, he appears to have completely detached himself from his godhood, whimpering and pleading with Mia to throw away the Death Note so that they can be together. But, then, it turns out through rather forced means that the whole third act was set up by Light so he could kill Mia and get back the Death Note.

The lore of the Death Note itself gets ignored repeatedly in the movie. If a person’s name is written down in the book, they will die, and such a fate cannot be averted. But, the film changes that, including a rule that a person’s death can be stopped if the page with their name on it is burnt. Also, I am not sure if Light has a sadistic streak, but he decides to come up with rather nasty, Final Destination-style deaths for all of his victims, some of which feel impossible to pull off (going against Ryuk’s rule that deaths can only occur if physically possible).

Light’s girlfriend Mia is based on the character Misa Amane, a pop idol who owns a second Death Note in the manga. She has a darker side, but hides it behind a bubbly, airheaded persona that may or may not be real. To Light Yagami, Misa is just another pawn to use, and he has no genuine affection for her. Mia Turner has no real motivations. Why is she a cheerleader? She doesn’t exactly fit the bill for being one. She is grouchy, cynical, nihilistic, slightly gothic, and we are first introduced to her performing a human pyramid whilst smoking. She looks more like a girl you’d find smoking behind the school dumpsters, then being star of the cheerleading squad.

 

Her reasoning for joining Kira is, well, without reason. She is mildly angry at society for some reason with no further exploration, and that’s it. We know nothing about her as a person, or why she wants to use the Death Note apart from being a bit of a ruthless, slightly unhinged teenager with a bad attitude. The romance between Light and Mia dominates the movie, but beyond their “devil-may-care” attitude to what they are doing. In one scene, Light and Mia examine a website dedicated to Kira, where people list those they think should die. Whilst Mia is just eager to bring out the guillotine, Light is more logical, believing most of the listed criminals might just be people who his followers dislike or spite. Mia looks at him as if he just decided to spare Ted Bundy. What is  her motivation in life? Said scene is certainly a new take on Death Note, and might’ve helped it become a more interesting thought piece if it wasn’t such a mess.

If there was a shining light in this murky mess of a movie, it is Willem Dafoe as Ryuk. Though the grinning phantom mostly lingers in the shadows, Dafoe really brings the character to life, bringing back that devious, predator essence he had when he played the Green Goblin. While Ryuk is more of a watcher in the manga, entertained by Light and L’s game, he takes on a more active role in the Netflix movie.

  

Another problem with the film is changing the setting from Japan to America. Light and Mia go out of their way to utilise the Kira name without much food for thought, believing such a name would throw off the cops. Light claims “Kira” is both Russian and Celtic for “light”. I looked both translations up, they don’t. Plus, why would you use a word that supposedly translates in multiple languages to the same meaning? They dance around the fact whether or not Ryuk is a Shinigami or not, or some sort of demon who murders people for fun – only for Light to later be seen reading a book showing Ryuk depicted in his anime design in a piece of Japanese artwork.

Sadly, Death Note is a mismatched movie that doesn’t really know what it wants to be. Ironically, the titular Death Note, the primary game of wits, and the police investigation are forgotten about in the film, as it favours choppy romance and even cheesier action set pieces instead of exciting psychological thrills. They even had the nerve to end on a cliffhanger and setting up a potential sequel. Netflix could have easily adapted Death Note into a TV series or a miniseries, rather than a ninety-minute plot that has little in common with the popular manga. Perhaps, it could’ve been done a little differently.

Disney's Hercules: Movie vs. Myth

Hercules, Disney’s 1997 animated film, is one of my favourites from the company’s animated canon. Though some say it is the weakest of the Renaissance-era movies in terms of storytelling, I personally love it. The main characters are likeable and fleshed out, the charismatic Hades (voiced by James Woods) is an absolute riot, the art style is memorable, and the gospel soundtrack by Alan Menken is extremely catchy.

Still, the film does take a lot of liberties with Greek mythology. Disney is no stranger to reworking classic stories and telling them in a more family friendly style, often becoming the best known incarnations of said tales. Greek myths are a lot more, well, violent, dramatic, and prone to adult themes that Disney wouldn’t dare to touch. In the movie, Hercules is a charming, good-natured goofball, who finds a happy ending with the snarky Megara. In Greek myths, Hercules was driven insane by the goddess Hera and murdered Megara and their children in a fit of rage, and has to undertake his infamous Twelve Labours to earn redemption.

“Hercules” isn’t even his Greek name, but his Roman one. His Greek name is Heracles. But that’s just the tip of the Olympus-sized mountain of liberties that Disney took with the myths. We’re going to go through a few examples and references used in Hercules.

The first characters we meet in the film are the Muses, our narrators, and the Greek goddesses of the arts. Calliope, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Clio make up the group, though there are actually nine Muses in myths, with Euterpe, Erato, Polyhymnia, and Urania. They are also daughters of Zeus, making them Hercules’ stepsisters.

The movie’s backstory is an abridged version of an event called the Titanomachy, during which the Olympian gods went to war with the Titans, to see who would rule over the universe. The details have always been vague, and the war lasted ten years before the Olympians won. In the movie, there are only four Titans, each based on one of the four classical elements, and were trapped in an underwater vault by Zeus. In the animated series, which may or may not be canon with the movie, several actual Titans from mythology, like Prometheus, appear as supporting characters.

Hercules is born as an immortal god, but loses his godhood thanks to the schemes of Hades, and has to become a true hero in order to regain his powers. In the myths, it is the opposite. Hercules was born as a mortal demigod, and only after he died did Zeus transform him into a true god. The film also portrays Hercules as the son of Zeus and his wife-sister Hera.

Ho, boy! Hera is a very different person in the myths. In the film, she is a loving mother to Hercules. In  the myths, she is a jealous, spiteful, and very vengeful woman, despite being the personification of good marriage. Zeus was a rather unfaithful husband, chasing after and sleeping with hundreds of beautiful woman, who gave birth to a number of known deities and heroes like Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, and Perseus. Hera would often unleash fire and brimstone upon the poor women and their children, several who would sit alongside Hera and Zeus as Olympians.

Hades is by far the most entertaining character in the film, and is perhaps the best known adaptation of the god of the Underworld. In truth, Hades was probably the least immoral of the three Greek brothers of himself, Zeus, and Poseidon, who were both horny all the time and often did unscrupulous things to in their lustful pursuits. Hades regarded humans as dull, and his role as keeper of the Underworld was just his job. Perhaps the worst thing Hades did in the myths was the abduction of Persephone, goddess of the spring, who he would manipulate into becoming his wife. A deal was eventually struck that Persephone would spend half a year with him, and the other half on the surface with her mother Demeter.

 

Hades’ characterization in the movie involves his obvious jealousy and contempt for Zeus and the other gods, implying he was forced into the role of ruling the Underworld. In the myths, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew fair lots on who would rule over which domain. Zeus got the skies, Poseidon the ocean, and Hades got the Underworld.

He consults the three Fates, elderly hags who can see the future, and cut the mortal threads of life for each person on Earth, cutting them with scissors when the time comes. The Fates are a fusion of characters – the Morae, three sisters who decide human fate, and the Graeae, another trio of sisters, who were born elderly and share one eye between them.

Hercules is abducted by Hades’ minions Pain and Panic, who strip him of his immortality using poison, but are unable to kill him before the arrival of Alcmene and Amphitryon. Zeus had sex with Alcmene, and she is Hercules’ mother in myths. Pain and Panic transform into snakes to kill baby Hercules, but he treats them like play things and sends them flying away into the air. In the myths, Hercules kills the snakes, who were sent by Hera. Pain and Panic appear to be based on Deimos and Phobos, who worked for Ares. Deimos and Phobos themselves would appear as separate characters in the animated series.

Years later, Hercules learns of his true heritage and is sent by Zeus on a journey to become a true hero, aided by the winged horse Pegasus, and Philoctetes, a satyr who once trained heroes. Interestingly, Pegasus is never associated with Hercules in the myths, but rather other heroes like Perseus and Bellerophon. Pegasus is actually the child of Poseidon and Medusa, leaping out of Medusa’s neck after Perseus decapitated her. And that’s just one of many weird ways characters are born in mythology!

 

Hercules meets Philoctetes, or Phil, on an island that resembles the city of Rhodes, the Colossus of Rhodes, once regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, lies in pieces throughout. Phil tries flirting with nymphs, but they reject. One turns into a tree, referencing Daphne, who was turned into a tree to escape a lustful Apollo.

Phil’s house is a smorgasbord of references and easter eggs. Phil claims he trained all of the great heroes like Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus (“A lot of ‘-euses’,” as Phil puts it), and then Achilles, who died of his infamous heel injury. However, in the animated series, Hercules meets an elderly Achilles. Again, the cartoon’s canonicity is questionable. The mast of the Argo, the Golden Ram’s healing wool, and the head of the Trojan Horse can be seen in Phil’s house.

Hercules later rescues Megara from the centaur Nessus, and travels to Thebes, where one disgruntled citizen, fed up with the city’s disasters, vows to move to Sparta. Hercules then battles the multi-headed Hydra, which is the second of his Twelve Labours. Like in the myths, Hercules continues to cut off the Hydra’s heads which regenerate, but he then kills the beast by burying it in a landslide.

The “Zero to Hero” musical number is told via montage, showing Hercules accomplishing several of his other Twelve Labours, fighting the Erymanthian Boar, the Nemean Lion (whose skin cameos as Scar from The Lion King), and a Stymphalian Bird. But, Hercules also fights and defeats the Minotaur and Medusa. These were slain respectively by Theseus and Perseus in myths. Heck, Phil’s memorabilia shows said heroes fighting those monsters. It is implying that Hercules is telling an alternate history where the likes of Perseus, Theseus, and Odysseus failed as heroes, with a discus showing Theseus being strangled by the Minotaur.

Hercules and Megara go on a date, mentioning they attended a play based on Oedipus, one of the most tragic figures in Greek mythology. Oedipus was a king of Thebes, who accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his own mother. He is the inspiration for the Oedipus complex. Hercules later gives up his powers for a day so Hades can invade Mount Olympus with the freed Titan. But, the pragmatic Hades deploys one of the Titans, a Cyclops, to murder the depowered Hercules.

The Cyclops were actually close allies to Zeus in Greek myths, becoming his personal armourers and weapons designers, crafting his signature lightning bolts. Though, there was one evil Cyclops named Polyphemus, who fought Odysseus and was blinded by him. Hercules blinds the Cyclops whilst battling.

After defeating the Titans and blowing them up in space, Hercules finds out Megara has died and her soul has gone to the Underworld. Hercules bursts into Hades’ lair, riding the three-headed dog Cerberus, and demands Meg’s soul back. He and Hades make a deal that if he saves Meg’s soul, Hercules shall remain. This may be a reference to the tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. When Eurydice died, Orpheus went to the Underworld to ask Hades to give her back. Orpheus played his lyre, moving Hades. The god agreed to let Eurydice return to life, but only if Orpheus didn’t look back at her whilst guiding her out of the Underworld. Sadly, Orpheus failed in his mission. Hercules, however, has a more successful mission, rescuing Megara’s soul by obtaining his godhood, and punches Hades into the Styx.

The animated series was filled to bursting with characters and elements from Greek myths. Hercules’ best friends were Icarus and Cassandra, rivals with Adonis, had a crush on Helen of Troy, and a number of other heroes and gods appeared. Heck, the show even had a crossover with Aladdin, in which Hades and a ghostly Jafar joined forces to eliminate Hercules and Aladdin.

So, like all heroes, Hercules gets his happy ending, deciding to give up his immortality to be with Megara on Earth. In Greek myths, Hercules had several more wives after Megara, but eventually died thanks to poison and ascended to become a god. He even made amends with Hera, and married her daughter Hebe. In both versions, Hercules received a constellation in the sky, and was defined as a true hero.

How Not To Run A Fan Convention: The Worst Cons Ever

Fan conventions (or “cons”) are a thrill for many, with people from across the globe coming together to celebrate their hobbies and beloved films, TV shows, video games, anime, books, websites, you name it. I attend conventions every now and again, both professionally run and operated by fan communities; my favourite being 2016’s “Summer of Sonic”, and my least favourite being my time at the London Film & Comic Con a few years back, due to a lack of information, and, well, ironically, crowds. I still believe hosting LFCC in Olympia, where there are only three elevators and one staircase up to each floor, is a poor place to hold such a large event.

But, not every con goes well, for a number of reasons. It can be due to mismanagement by the organizers and managers, a lack of finances, chaos on part of the attendees, or in some cases, outright lies and manipulation in order to make a quick buck. Let’s go through some of the most infamous conventions in history, or in other words, the worst of the worst.

New York Star Trek ‘76

Held at the New York Hilton, organizer Lisa Boynton seemed dedicated to undermining other Star Trek conventions occurring in the area, particularly the Schuster Star Trek Convention, which had occurred mere weeks earlier. This move was seen as intentional, to cut into the finances and attendance of Al Schuster’s convention. Fans were put off by Boynton’s priority to make money rather than celebrate Star Trek. Most notably, the convention was the first to pay special guests to attend the event.

Needless to say, the press and fans themselves labelled the con as a disaster (or “DisasterCon”). Up to 30,000 fans attended, and the convention oversold, with some having to be turned away when the hotel grew overcrowded. This can be a problem in some cons, and Lisa Boynton’s convention is a textbook example of how not to run such an event. William Shatner, making one of his first appearances at a convention, had a pie thrown at him whilst giving a panel onstage.

Tentmoot

This fan convention is a little different, as it never actually happened, and is just a part of a much darker, disturbing series of events. Tentmoot was a promoted convention celebrating The Lord of the Rings, run by one Andrew Blake, a disturbed, controlling man who took on many aliases. Blake began his shenanigans under the alias of “Victoria Bitter”, founding a website and alleged charity group called “Bit of Earth”. Blake is a man of many personalities and counts of criminal acts, including multiple cases of assault and domestic abuse, a history of fraud, cult building, etc. Blake also claimed he channelled the souls of fictional characters and actors from The Lord of the Rings.

Blake adopted the alias of “Jordan Wood”, claiming he shared his body with Elijah Wood’s soul, that he was even the actor’s cousin, and that Wood’s family was involved in the IRA. He later claimed to possess Orlando Bloom’s soul too. Bit of Earth launched “Project Eleanor”, the sole positive thing the group actually did, creating a children’s reading garden for the Riggs Institute in Beaverton. The volunteering effort was a success, with Sean Astin (aka Samwise Gamgee himself) attending to create the garden, which still stands outside the institute til this day. Allegedly, the charity money raised at a screening for The Two Towers would go to Reading Is Fundamental, a non-profit children’s literacy organization. The money instead either was used for Project Eleanor’s supplies, or simply disappeared, likely into Blake’s pockets.

Blake then announced Tentmoot, a five-day event celebrating Middle-Earth, to be hosted in Portland. Blake, thanks to his many aliases, caused chaos and confusion with many people, including the police, Middle-Earth related cast and crew, their agents, public relations people, and those who had volunteered to run both Bit of Earth and the imaginary convention. Jed Brophy, Paul Randall, and Brian Sergeant arrived at LAX expecting to attend Tentmoot, but learnt it wasn’t going to happen. Lawrence Makoare never made it out of New Zealand thankfully. According to Blake, a deal he had made with New Zealand airlines to fly the celebrities to the convention fell through. Blake asked friends to donate to ensure guests could travel to Portland. But, as it turns out, he never made any arrangements with airlines to begin with. Just one of many lies he had wove to cheat people out of their money.

Las Pegasus Unicon

The Brony community who make up the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanbase, is one of the more dignified ones online, a welcoming and closely-knitted phenomenon that reached its cultural peak around 2012. A documentary, produced by actor John de Lancie, focused on the Brony community and the 2012 Bronycon, highlighting the artistic talents, and integral sense of unity between the fans, never discriminating or isolating anyone from joining the “herd”. Pony conventions were popping up across the United States, and things were looking good for the fanbase.

But, the 2013 Las Pegasus Unicon in Las Vegas nearly destroyed the future of the Bronies’ conventions, and their relationship with the cast and crew of MLP. Needless to say, the convention was a disaster. Held in the Riviera Hotel Convention Centre, the con was such a colossal train wreck, that some feared it was the end for Brony conventions as a whole. The main problem seemed to come down to mismanagement, a lack of expected attendees, and the financial panic that followed. Funds were overextended, actors could not be paid, and some attendees were even kicked out of their hotel rooms, and left with enormous bills for travel expenses. Voice actresses like Nicole Oliver and Tara Strong were left stuck at the  airport without transport, and had to make their own way to the convention.

In the end, the Everfree Network, the Brony community’s radio channel, stepped in and organized a donation to raise money for the unpaid guests. The event’s lone organizer, Sandi Haas, had no prior experience running a con, and disappeared during the second day, allegedly with most of the money. It goes to show that poor management and mishandling of money can lead to disaster. However, Las Pegasus did not kill the MLP convention circuit, as many have been held since, and better organized.

Rainfurrest 2015

In some cases, it is the attendees themselves that cause havoc. Rainfurrest was a convention for and by the furry community, which ran from 2005 to 2015. The final event marked the death knell for this unusual convention. Mere hours after Rainfurrest 2015 began, there were multiple arrests, guests got seriously hammered, and went on a rampage, and caused much damage to the hotel. Toilets were deliberately flooded, some guests disabled their hotel room’s fire alarm to get high, sabotaged a hot tub, and the swimming pool was closed because some fool decided to do their business within. There were also fans walking around wearing nappies on their heads, or throwing them out windows and leaving them in the halls and rooms, harassing other guests, and causing anarchy. The response from the hotel was swift, warning other hotels in Seattle to not play host to any future Rainfurrest conventions.

Fyre Fest

Fyre Fest was a music festival in 2017, set on Great Exuma in the Bahamas. The event was organized (and orchestrated) by Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. The idea for the music event sprung from merely viewing the island by flying over it in McFarland’s private plane. Having no experience running a music event, McFarland contacted other, more experienced companies for advice. He was astonished that these gigs cost between $5-12 million to run. Believing it would cost far less, McFarland and his Fyre Fest team continued under this assumption. Tickets were pricey, but the marketing promised a private tropical island called Fyre Cay, with meals prepared by celebrity chefs, a line-up of popular bands and singers, and being a paradise for all who came. Boy, was that a lie!

Fyre Fest was a total wash out, and like a mass recreation of Cast Away. Guests found out that Fyre Cay did not exist, and instead flew to a dump on Exuma Island. There was no sense of security or order, none of the scheduled musical acts showed up, and there were no luxurious villas and gourmet food, just grubby tents on a gravel site, and cheap, pre-prepared food. 

There was no communication between the staff members (no walkie talkies), the only toilets were portaloos, and McFarland and Ja Rule were nowhere in sight. Guests didn’t receive water, but rather free tequila, and lockers were provided by no one told guests they needed to bring their own locks. Eventually, things were so chaotic that the Bahaman government stepped in to close down the festival.

The exodus from the island was just as messy, with guests stuck at the airport for an extended period of time. Strangely, the security guards locked the passengers in the airport terminal with no access to food and water, leading to one person fainting. People were understandably angry, having paid thousands of dollars to stay in a dump. Ja Rule released an official apology, but took no blame for what went down.

Fyre Fest’s organizers did offer refunds for all, but also the absurd invitation to get tickets for the imaginary Fyre Fest 2018. As for McFarland, he claimed that, get this, a storm had somehow changed the digital marketing into exaggerated lies. Yes, a storm. Can rain, wind, and thunder somehow edit a website? Then, eight different lawsuits were thrown against Fyre Festival, on various counts of fraud and other criminal charges, one seeking more than $100 million in damages. Then the feds got involved, arresting McFarland for one count of wire fraud. He ended up confessing to two different counts of wire fraud towards investors and a ticket vendor. McFarland was sentenced to jail for six years for his actions, and hopefully will never be allowed to plan a convention ever again.

Dashcon

And finally, we have Dashcon 2014, perhaps the most infamous doomed convention. A fan convention “for Tumblr fans, by Tumblr fans”, Dashcon may have been created with good intentions, but was an unmitigated disaster. Within a weekend, the organizers took $17,000 from the attendees as part of an emergency fundraiser to pay off the hotel bill, were unable to pay for or even accommodate guests (or chose not to), and disappointed ticket buyers were offered hotel mints and an extra hour in the pathetic children’s ball pit as compensation. The convention was originally named “TumblrCon”, but had to rename itself since it was unaffiliated with the website.

On the first day of the convention, organizers found themselves overwhelmed, and the entire convention would be booted out of the hotel that night, unless $17,000 was paid to the hotel. Dashcon’s organizers claimed hotel management didn’t like the people attending the event – in direct contrast to the hotel, who publicly welcomed the convention. Attendees agreed to pay for this “con” directly from their wallets, not really stopping to think if the organizers were pulling their legs. The vendors couldn’t make any profit because the attendees had just given all of their cash away to the desperate planners.

The organizers had expected around seven-thousand people to show up, and only about 1500 did. It seems odd that a hotel owned by the Marriot would let a first time convention to go ahead without paying up first. Pacific Rim was illegally screened in a panel, the Dr. Horrible Sing Along Blog listed on the schedule was cancelled since they didn’t have the rights to do it, and the highly anticipated panel of the event was for Welcome to Night Vale, pausing their national tour to attend. But, upon arriving, the Night Vale crew found out their rooms and transport had not been paid for, forcing them to sleep elsewhere.

Other guests, the Sherlock podcast group, the "Baker Street Babes", quit the convention on day two, and were forced to pay for their own hotel rooms. When Night Vale were announced to have bailed, the organizers pathetically offered an “extra hour in the ball pit” as compensation. Yes, really. The headline panel was cancelled on the fault of the organizers who attempted to pin blame on Welcome to Night Vale, who they had invited and offered to pay for, and then couldn’t due to their own incompetence. The reward was an extra in the ball pit, which was about the size that a six-year old could fit in. And even after that, it deflated, and someone apparently urinated in it.

Oh, and during the wait for Night Vale, the organizers sneakily altered their website, so that they would not be offering any refunds to the attendees. Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. And there was also Dashcon’s claim that it was in a partnership with the charity Random Acts, but RA responded that they had no such affiliation with the convention.

So, what went wrong? It appears to be a mix of the organizers not anticipating the responsibility and finances needed to run a convention, and the amount of attendees was shorter than expected. Asking the guests to pay for the convention’s finances pretty much killed it, leaving vendors and attendees unable to spend money, as there was nothing to spend. The organizers literally blamed everyone but themselves. There were rumours that the whole operation was a scam. Whether or not it was, Dashcon is without a doubt one of the worst planned conventions in history, and could be used in classrooms on how not to run a business!

The Symbolism of Return to Oz

Return to Oz is a 1985 dark fantasy film released by The Walt Disney Company, and is heavily regarded as a cult classic, a loyal adaptation of the books by L. Frank Baum, and one of the scariest family films of all time. In some respects, the film is superior to The Wizard of Oz, serving as a spiritual sequel to the 1939 classic.

For this analysis, we shall be taking a look at the symbolic meanings behind the story and imagery of Dorothy Gale’s journey throughout the film. The major psychological symbolism of the film is Dorothy’s decision to choose between reality and fantasy, and the damage she had done to her own mind because of her indecisiveness and lack of judgement. As a sequel to The Wizard of Oz, the film carries over the question whether or not Oz is a real place or just a dream, leading to a lot of mental imprinting from the real world into Dorothy’s imagination and subconsciousness.

The film opens with Dorothy lying in bed, obsessed with Oz, and has become an insomniac because of her issues. Whether or not Oz is real is immediately brought up, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry dismissing it as a child’s imagination-turned-obsessive fantasy, brought on by Dorothy’s trauma from the tornado. 

Dorothy’s life is not exactly good. Uncle Henry is trying to rebuild the farm whilst in debt and suffering from a limp. Dorothy is aware of this, but remains caught up in her own troubles to help out. Dorothy sees a shooting star pass by her window and assumes it means something good is to come.

Aunt Em decides to take Dorothy to see a therapist, Dr. Worley, who specialises in electroshock therapy. The next day, Dorothy finds a key shaped like the Oz emblem, assuming it was sent by her friends and they are in trouble. She tries to show it to Aunt Em as proof, but her aunt dismisses it as being from the old house and silences Dorothy’s attempts to argue.

They head on out to the clinic, but Toto gives chase, concerned for his master’s welfare. Dorothy scolds her dog and leaves him behind, symbolising the beginnings of her separation from her innocent fantasies, but also her key connection to home. 

 At the clinic, Dorothy tells Dr. Worley about her adventures in Oz. Worley is a charismatic man, but his ambition and reputation are more important to him than the needs of his patients, as revealed later on when it turns out patients are locked in the cellar due to being mentally damaged by the ECT.

Worley asks Dorothy about the Ruby Slippers, which serve as a tie-in to The Wizard of Oz. The slippers represent the link between the conscious and subconscious mind, allowing Dorothy to return to reality and symbolise the power she has over her own mindscape. Dorothy reveals the slippers were lost, implying her understanding between fantasy and reality is mixed and distorted. Worley shows her his ECT machine, which will play a hand in Dorothy’s descent into her psyche, and the basis for Tik-Tok.

Dorothy sees a reflection of a girl in the ECT machine, who we later learn is Princess Ozma. Ozma symbolises Dorothy’s true subconscious self and possibly her conscience. Dorothy is the only character who interacts with Ozma in Kansas, so it is possible that she is not real - though that wouldn’t explain how she got a jack o’lantern.

Aunt Em leaves, and Dorothy is locked in a room by the creepy Nurse Wilson until her operation. Seriously, she gives Nurse Ratched a run for her money! 

Ozma appears, giving Dorothy the jack o’lantern and asks why she was brought to the clinic. Representing Dorothy’s conscience, Dorothy is effectively talking to herself and accepts the knowledge that Oz might just be made up. Ozma’s question also hints to Dorothy that the clinic is dangerous, informing us that Dorothy is subconsciously aware that something is wrong.

Dorothy gets escorted to the operation room to get her brain zapped. Let’s say for the sake of this analysis and theory, Dorothy undergoes the ECT, has a complete dissociation from reality, escapes the clinic, falls into the river, and later washes up on the bank while experiencing her journey into her subconscious. The blackout symbolises Dorothy’s dissociation from reality due to the trauma of the ECT.

Ozma appears and rescues her, revealing the fate of other patients. Dorothy finally realises the clinic is dangerous and flees out into the equally deadly storm with Ozma, pursued by Nurse Wilson. The two girls fall into a river, Dorothy surviving but Ozma drowns. This symbolises Dorothy’s submergence into her mind, and losing her conscience, who would guide her back to reality.

Dorothy wakes up in the Deadly Desert, a vast wasteland where everything that steps into it dies and turns to sand. This represents Dorothy’s inner despair and fear, losing herself in her subconscious, and the loss of her identity caused by the ECT.

She is accompanied by a talking chicken named Billina. Said chicken appeared on Dorothy's farm, so Billina is Dorothy’s sole connection to home and reality, but also a voice of logic and reason, asking questions about Oz and reminding Dorothy of home, and thus reality. Her egg is also significant to the plot, representing new life and hope, later killing the evil Nome King. The two leave the desert and explore Oz. However, the rocks around her are literally watching her and report back to the Nome King, who is Dr. Worley’s counterpart in Oz.

The Nome King represents Dr. Worley’s influence over Dorothy’s mind. Both characters wish to erase all memory and trace of Oz’s existence. Worley is obsessed with the power of his machines, viewing the human brain as a machine which can be influenced and controlled, but his experiments have led to patients being injured and locked away.

The Nome King transforms all of the Ozians into lifeless statues or ornaments, reflecting the need to stamp out all of Dorothy’s imagination and free will. His true goal is to become human, or rather become the controller of a human mind, namely Dorothy’s, replacing her subconscious with his own, representing Dr. Worley’s desire to control the mind through ECT. This also explains why the King is terrified of Princess Ozma getting out, knowing it she would help Dorothy regain her willpower. The Nome King also symbolises Dorothy’s depression, which threatens to consume her from within.

Dorothy travels to the Emerald City where she discovers all of the citizens have been turned to stone. The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are amongst the victims, whilst the Scarecrow has been kidnapped by the Nome King. The trio represent wisdom, love, and courage, but they are suppressed by the Nome King’s influence. Scarecrow, in particular, represents Dorothy’s common sense, wisdom, and understanding, but also her physical brain which faces destruction by Dr. Worley’s experiments. The loss of losing one’s mind is symbolised throughout the film.

It is at this point in her journey that Dorothy encounters the menacing, psychotic Wheelers. Out of all of the monsters in Return to Oz, they have to be the scariest. They are demonic humans who have wheels for hands and feet. Inspired by the orderlies in the clinic and their squeaky-wheeled stretchers, the Wheelers bring with them chaos, terror, and act as the twisted enforcers of the Nome King’s new laws. The Wheelers chase Dorothy, stating that chickens are banned in Oz - i.e. bringing new life, imagination, and individualism.

Dorothy and Billina then meet Tik-Tok, the clockwork man who serves as the Royal Army of Oz. Tik-Tok is a robot powered by three wind-up keys which control his thoughts, speech, and movement, but they wind down easily. He represents a multitude of things like inner strength, logic, reason, self-control and restraint, but also the limitations of the human mind, as seen when his mind breaks down and becomes erratic. 

His Kansas counterpart is the ECT machine, symbolising how it was designed to support Dorothy’s mind. Dorothy does not blame the machine but rather Dr. Worley, so it appears as a friend. Tik-Tok may also represent the Ego of Dorothy’s mind, suggested by Sigmund Freud, to be the organized, realistic part of the brain which keeps the other two parts, the Id and Super-ego in check.

Dorothy, Billina, and Tik-Tok go outside where he beats up the Wheelers, easing the chaos in Dorothy’s mind. They then meet Mombi, the evil witch who serves the Nome King and now poses as the new ruler of Oz. Mombi has an ability to swap her head with those of other characters, namely women who have had their heads removed. 

Mombi symbolises Nurse Wilson, a cruel, sinister figure who abuses others, and is thus nasty towards Dorothy. The interchangeable heads and personalities symbolises Dorothy’s madness and loss of identity, Mombi threatening to remove Dorothy’s head to add it to her collection. Though sentient, the heads are only hosts for Mombi, and are truly hollow, symbolising the patients hurt by the ECT.

There are over thirty heads, with Mombi’s original head locked up in Cabinet #31, the same number of Dorothy’s room at the clinic. Interestingly, 31 is a number associated with “El”, another name for God. In Oz, Dorothy is considered an almighty figure of mythic properties, while Mombi is god in her domain, her true self hidden in Cabinet #31 with her source of power (the magical Powder of Life).

Mombi locks Dorothy and Billina up in the attic of the royal palace to eventually take Dorothy’s head. Tik-Tok’s action key ran down, immobilising him and Dorothy’s sense of self-preservation. It is here that we meet Jack Pumpkinhead, a Scarecrow-like character, who is childlike, innocent, naive, and quite dependent on others. He was created by Ozma and is her son, later referring to Dorothy as his mother til he finds his real one.

Jack represents Dorothy’s innocence and childhood but also her vulnerabilities. He also serves as a substitute for her conscience (Ozma) til she is found. He may also represent the Id of Dorothy’s mind, driven by simplicity and a need to feel things. However, this is debatable, since he later claims he won’t miss such sensual things before undertaking the Nome King’s game of doom.

Dorothy comes up with an idea to escape Mombi, fixing Tik-Tok, before going to retrieve the Powder of Life. This part is the darkest and scariest part of the film, with Dorothy awakening the real Mombi, who rages and screams hysterically, wanting Dorothy dead. She represents Dorothy’s lingering madness, causing Tik-Tok’s brains to run down. Dorothy gets lost whilst running away, but Ozma’s image shows her the right way. Dorothy and Jack bring the Gump to life, a mismatched creature made from furniture and a moose-like head, showing that Dorothy’s imagination and creativity still exists.

The Gump himself is a rather snarky, honest, and gloomy character, representing Dorothy’s rationale but also her sense of mortality, since he has already died once and been reborn. Mombi leaps into the room but our heroes escape the castle and fly across the Deadly Desert. We learn Ozma was trapped in a mirror by Mombi, who claims no one remembers her or her true lineage as Queen of Oz. Dorothy has misplaced her conscience and need to return home.

The Wheelers give chase to the Gump but several fall into the Deadly Desert and die, pretty much symbolising their end as a threat to Dorothy’s subconscious. However, without her conscience (Ozma) and wisdom (Scarecrow), Dorothy’s mind is starting to fracture, as seen when the Gump falls apart midair and the gang crash land on the Nome King’s mountain without dying. The group rebuild the Gump, symbolising Dorothy beginning to rebuild her mind.

The Nome King appears to Dorothy and friends, dragging them down into his throne room where he reveals the Emerald City was created from stolen gems and blames the Scarecrow. The Emerald City was the centre of Dorothy’s subconscious until destroyed by the Nome King, his mountain now the source of power and influence within, stealing the emeralds and Dorothy’s wisdom/common sense. The emerald itself is associated with love, hope, wisdom, and appropriately, a healer for a troubled mind. The Nome King took the emeralds to crush all of these elements of Dorothy’s psyche.

The Nome King challenges Dorothy and friends to a rather cruel game - he has changed the Scarecrow into an ornament and hidden him in a vast chamber of antiques. Each character (save the hidden, unseen Billina, whose eggs can kill Nomes) has three guesses to identify the Scarecrow and he will be freed if they guess correctly. However, if they lose, they will become an ornament too. Such a fate represents the damage done to the patients and further destruction of the mind.

The Gump goes first but quickly loses, possibly due to his weakened sense of judgement. Jack also fails, due to his Id-based lack of thinking, as described by Tik-Tok, claiming Jack has many excellent qualities but “thinking isn’t one of them”. Dorothy agrees, beginning to doubt her ability to win, leading to her friends’ defeat. During this, the Nome King is becoming more and more human, having begun as a face on a wall, symbolising his growing influence over Dorothy.

Tik-Tok goes in next to guess, leaving Dorothy to talk with the Nome King. He questions her reasoning to come back to Oz, thus putting her dreams and mindset into doubt (“You came all this way for a scarecrow?”). However, the Nome King then reveals his power has come from the noneother than the Ruby Slippers, which he now wears, claiming they fell out of the sky, discarded by Dorothy to go home.

The slippers represents Dorothy’s link to reality and is now under the Nome King’s control. The power over her own mindscape, which the King has exploited and now rules. Dorothy is clearly shaken by this, but now realises what she has done by not making her mind up.

The Nome King is informed that Tik-Tok has run down, sending Dorothy in to fix him and then guess herself. However, he then reveals a newer agenda - offering to use the Ruby Slippers to send Dorothy home and forget Oz forever. His influence over Dorothy’s mind is at its peak, controlling her one link to reality, but it would mean she would be unable to recover. Dorothy marches away into the collection room, finding Tik-Tok has faked his movement to get her in so she can see what he transforms into.

Tik-Tok admits he is having trouble thinking, not out of a lack of thought but because he is sad, crying emerald-green tears. He has thus taken on a new role, representing Dorothy’s humanity. He has also made the emotional choice to sacrifice himself to help Dorothy win. However, the game is not so fair, and Tik-Tok disappears. Mombi arrives to a gloating Nome King, admitting he could have transformed all of the heroes immediately but set up the game out of amusement. He now has near-complete control over Dorothy’s mind and is now just playing with it.

However, when Mombi suggests the possibility that Dorothy guesses right and learns about Ozma, the Nome King’s confidence is shaken for the first time. He knows her true identity and purpose, knowing the return of Dorothy’s conscience could take away his control over her. Meanwhile, Dorothy resorts to pure chance to guess. She stumbles around with her eyes shut until she notices an emerald on a shelf. And as the emerald symbolises hope, Dorothy frees the Scarecrow, reuniting with her wisdom. Immediately, Dorothy guesses Ozians transform into green ornaments, restoring Jack and the Gump.

The Nome King rages, his power now reversing. He imprisons Mombi for failing him and transforms into a giant rock monster to devour Dorothy and her friends. Declaring he is tired of games and Dorothy’s defiance, he proceeds to just consume her mind by force rather than slow influence.

However, when he tries to eat Jack, Billina lays her egg in fright, which falls into the Nome King’s mouth, poisoning him. The egg represents birth, symbolising Dorothy taking control over her mind again. Eggs turn out to be lethal to Nomes, and the Nome King slowly crumbles and dies in horrific fashion, ending his influence over Dorothy. She then uses the Ruby Slippers to transport everyone to Oz (including Mombi) and restore the Emerald City to life, effectively healing her mind.

The gang briefly assume Tik-Tok is dead but the Gump discovers a medal hanging from his antler, actually Tik-Tok, representing Dorothy’s victory, and free him. Some time later, Dorothy and friends celebrate in the royal palace alongside the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Mombi has been caged, and even the Wheelers are joining in the festivities, now a positive part of her mind. Dorothy has one last choice to make - to remain in her fantasies or return to reality, despite her friends’ pleas for her to become queen.

However, Jack exclaims that they understand Dorothy’s decision, fulfilling his role as her substitute conscience. Dorothy wishes to be in both places at once, the slippers granting her desire by summoning Ozma in the mirror. Dorothy reunites with her conscience and pulls Ozma out of the mirror. Several women explain Ozma’s role as queen, and it is revealed Dorothy stripped Mombi of her magic, removing Nurse Wilson's influence too.

Dorothy surrenders the slippers to Ozma, who promises to visit Dorothy from time to time with the offer to let her visit Oz. This is basically Dorothy’s conscience to balance or limit her time in her fantasy world but leaves the door open to return. Dorothy is then abruptly sent packing by Ozma, likely her own mind preventing her from hesitating in her decision. She awakens on the riverbank, clearly saddened by the outcome but knows it is for the best. Toto, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em appear moments later, serving as Dorothy’s reward for overcoming her problems.

It is revealed Dr. Worley died when a fire broke out in the clinic, trying to protect his machines, ultimately symbolising his choice to preserve his power than his life and profession. A police cart passes by, showing Nurse Wilson inside, the same as Mombi’s punishment. In a final scene, Dorothy’s farmhouse has been completed, Henry is recovering, and Dorothy is now a healthier, happier person. Ozma and Billina appear to her in her mirror, but when Dorothy goes to summon Aunt Em to show her, Ozma hints at her not too, reminding her own her decision to remain firmly within reality.

Dorothy realises she cannot dwell in her fantasies as they leave her detached from the real world. Thus, she surrenders the Ruby Slippers over to Ozma, allowing her alter ego to rule and tow the line, so she can return home a better person.

And there you have it! Just one fan’s take on the symbolism of the film. By no means am I an expert on symbolism, philosophy, or that sort of thing, but I do like to analyse films and find a deeper meaning to them, particularly films that make you think, theorise, and examine them more closely.