Lost in Oz (2002)
From The Royal Wiki of Oz
Lost in Oz was a pilot for a television series by Warner Brothers. Tim Burton was developing a television film by the same name, but it was never completed. It is apparent the concept was recycled for this pilot and the never realized series. The pilot leaked out and has been available on bootleg VHS and DVD copies, and once on YouTube.
It is not clear why the series never materialized. The leaked pilot seems to contain unfinished special effects, meaning this was either a work print, or the effects would be too expensive.
Plot
The pilot featured the adventures of Alexandra Wilder (Melissa George), a personal assistant, who has doubts about her future, including her wedding. The story is set in 2002. On her way to a work assignment, a cyclone hurls her into the Land of Oz.
When Alex arrives, she is chased by armored men in horseback, but is hidden by a mysterious hooded man, who reveals himself to be Caleb Jansen (Colin Egglesfield), a soldier in World War II. Strangely, he has not aged for over 60 years. As the two ride through Oz, Alex's horse (also carried by the cyclone) suddenly bolts and Cal follows. They find a mysterious lake, where, through the water, they see a city. All at once, they are captured by the armored men and are taken underwater into the city.
When Alex and Cal reach the city, Cal (who has just revealed that his call sign is "Scarecrow") attacks their captors, resulting in them falling apart: they were just animated suits of armor called "bucketheads." The two captives are greeted by Bellaridere (Lynn Whitfield), the Good Witch of the South. She tells Alex and Cal about what has happened in Oz since the famous events of the 1939 The Wizard of Oz movie. Oz is no longer in balance as it was with two good witches, two wicked witches, and the Wizard in power. There is a new Wicked Witch of the West, Loriellidere (Mia Sara), who has kidnapped the new ruler, Ozma, and hidden her in a labyrinth. Bellaridere tells Alex that if she will rescue Ozma, she may use the cyclone, trapped inside a glass bottle, to take herself home. She and Cal agree to the task, though Cal advises Alex to use the cyclone right away, but she refuses.
Alex and Cal, joined by the Bucketheads, meet Serena, the Patchwork Girl (Sandra Allen), who wants to guide them, being an enemy of the new Wicked Witch herself. To prove herself, she shows them a shortcut to the labyrinth: Horner's Gate, where one must correctly answer three riddles to pass. Cal, having touched the gate, slowly turns to stone, as Serena answers the first two, and Alex answers the third. Cal is restored.
Later that night, Serena shares her story: she and Loriellidere were once friends, but that ended when the original Wicked Witch was melted and Loriellidere was transformed into a witch herself. Later, Loriellidere returned to her old home and killed Serena's family and friends. Serena battled her and had a chance to kill her, when Loriellidere suddenly looked like her old self, making Serena hesitate. Loriellidere's winged monkeys (unseen in this episode) tore Serena apart. Someone, unrevealed in this episode, sewed Serena together again, thus making her "the Patchwork Girl."
Wheelers attack the trio, but the Bucketheads, Cal, and Serena fight them off. Deciding he's had enough of Oz, Cal steals the bottle with the cyclone, but decides not to betray Alex and returns it. (The "temp music" used in this scene is from the Harry Potter films.)
When the trio reach the Western border, the Bucketheads freeze and fall apart: Bellaridere's power is limited to the South Country. Along the way, they come across the ruins of Dorothy Gale's house. Alex inquires why the house is in the west, an in-joke for those who know of the strange corruption of Oz maps showing the Munchkin Country in the west. Serena notes that it is not wise to tell of the Munchkins' fate. A skeleton's forearm and the beginning of the Yellow Brick are glimpsed.
Loriellidere is aware of the trio's presence. In one scene, she asks the moon who her enemy is. She is shown a crown and she whispers, "Ozma." Loriellidere transports herself to the labyrinth, despite her butler Jafferey's warnings.
The heroes enter the labryinth, finding it easy to reach the center ("It's not getting in that is so bad," warns Serena. "It's getting out that drives you mad."), where they find a little girl on a bed and Loriellidere. Loriellidere knocks out Serena and Cal, as Alex asks where Ozma is. Loriellidere motions to the little girl, saying that she enchanted Ozma into a little girl. She then sees that Alex is the new hero, the new Dorothy Gale. As Alex distracts her, Serena grabs Ozma and the heroes flee.
Alex and Cal are separated from Serena and Ozma, as the labyrinth has become twisted. Cal suggests they use the cyclone, since they have rescued Ozma. Then they hear Serena scream. Alex runs toward it, while Cal is trapped behind a wooden grate. Alex returns to the central room to find that Loriellidere has pinned Serena to the wall, literally, and Ozma is back on the bed with the witch. Loriellidere reveals a blade attached to her hand, with which she threatens Alex's life, when Cal enters and holds Loriellidere at gun point. Although the witch claims she cannot be killed by such devices, Cal asks her if she's sure.
Alex suddenly collapses in pain. Cal asks what the witch has done. Alex realizes that if Cal kills the witch, Alex herself will become the next Wicked Witch of the West. Loriellidere defies Cal and is about to thrust her blade into Alex, who holds her at bay with her magic. "Send the Wicked Witch away," she says, taking out the bottled cyclone, "FAR AWAY!" And she hurls is against the floor. Screaming, Loriellidere is carried away by the cyclone, leaving Alex, Cal, Ozma, and Serena (who Alex frees, and it is revealed that Serena is stuffed with cotton) alone.
The heroes return Ozma to Bellaridere, who asks Alex to be Oz's new savior. Alex agrees. She and Cal later meet privately. In this scene, Alex reveals she now has part of the Witch's magic. Cal tells her that Serena has said that there are other ways back to the real world, and the two decide they will continue looking as the episode ends.
