In order to include the ruby slippers as part of this film, Disney had to pay royalties to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the studio which had produced The Wizard of Oz (1939). The ruby slippers did not appear in L. Frank Baum's original novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"; they were invented for the 1939 film to better take advantage of the newly developed Technicolor process. Interestingly enough, in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," Dorothy wore a pair of magical silver shoes which were lost when she used them to return to Kansas. In the subsequent novel "Ozma of Oz," one of the books on which this film is based, Dorothy and her friends meet the Nome King who possesses a magical belt with properties similar to those of the silver shoes. Early drafts of the script for Return to Oz reflect this, with the Nome King cutting up the ruby slippers to make his magical ruby belt.
Gymnast Michael Sundin stood upside-down (with legs bent) and backwards inside Tik-Tok's body to move the legs.
The movie is based on the second and third of L. Frank Baum's Oz books: "The Marvelous Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz". Elements from the former include the introduction of Jack Pumpkinhead, the witch Mombi and her powder of life, the conquest of the Emerald City, the escape by flying sofa, and the search for Princess Ozma. From the latter comes the return of Dorothy, the talking chicken Billina, the Wheelers, the discovery of Tik-Tok, a princess with interchangeable heads, the introduction of the Nome King, and the ornament room.
Fairuza Balk's ruby slippers were specially handmade with imitation rubies and rotoscoped in post-production to give them a magical look. The rubies were actually glass beads imported from Austria and individually attached to the shoes with a special spray adhesive. This later proved problematic, as the hot stage lights melted the adhesive, and the young actress's fidgety movements would often knock the beads off. Tired of chasing after detached beads, the wardrobe staff finally ordered the shoes to be worn only when visible on camera. Balk confirmed to a fan, via Twitter in September of 2017, that she got to keep one pair of the ruby slippers she wore in the film.
Fairuza Balk: [witches] This is one of several Fairuza Balk movies which involve witches. Others include The Worst Witch (1986) and The Craft (1996).