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A Billina the Chicken (Denise Bryer/Mak Wilson) animatronic puppet with cables and accessories from Walter Murch's Return to Oz. After escaping the Sanitarium, Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk) returned to Oz with her chicken, Billina, who was able to speak with Dorothy, to discover the enchanted land in ruins after the Nome King (Nicol Williamson) took over the land and captured Dorothy's friends. When Dorothy freed her friends from the Nome King's spell, he captured Jack Pumpkinhead (Brian Henson/Stewart Harvey-Wilson) and Billina, who accidentally laid an egg in the Nome King's mouth, not knowing eggs were poison to nomes.
Considered one of the most challenging builds for the film, production created several versions of Billina, including ones where the main puppeteer, Mak Wilson, could place his hand up through the bottom of the body or through the back. This puppet features a neck bladder that simulates breathing, wings capable of movement through the use of hidden bladders and rods, and different types of legs and feet were crafted to switch out, depending on what was needed at the time. The head, which was the most challenging part of Billina's build, features a miniature cable mechanism to control the acetate eyelids, allowing for blinking, as well as a very small servomotor to control eye movement. Billina's feathered coat consists of a double-layered fabric created by Val Jones and was knitted with exposed wool loops that were cut to create a realistic pile. Chicken feathers were then hand-glued, one at a time. One chicken took three weeks to be feathered.
A collection of more than 20 moving parts, Billina needed four to five, or more, people to puppet her in a coordinated effort to have the puppet appear like a real living, breathing chicken. After the puppeteers mastered the coordination, Billina became so convincingly lifelike that studio executives didn't believe it was a mechanical chicken in the rushes, and that they had slipped in a real bird as a joke. Aside from becoming one of the film's main heroes, Billina the Chicken was praised for its realistic design. Return to Oz was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Effects, Visual Effects to Will Vinton, Ian Wingrove, Zoran Perisic, and Michael Lloyd.
This lot originates from a crew member. It consists of:
A metal armature, feather, and urethane covered animatronic chicken puppet with protruding cables
A set of 15 resin casts; six painted wooden eyeballs.
A bag of feathers marked "Harvey Seagull Bits."
A plastic box of feathers.
A mock-up cardboard chicken head.
A patch of prototype feathered fabric.
A box of netting and crocheted feathers.
A back-up chicken foot.
A plaster chicken head.
One toenail and two feathers.
Six small pillow inserts.
A singular glove.
A container of "White Smoke Powder."
A metal tool with a wooden handle.
Two taped pages of printed storyboards.
Three pages of handwritten notes
Three black and white photos of behind-the-scenes creation of the chicken
This chicken is known as the "rear operation chicken" as the attached cables to operate the head, mouth, eye movement, tail, legs, and toes protrude from the chicken's butt. This animatronic comes mounted on a wooden storage box containing all of the accessories and includes a separate metal bracket. This lot shows evidence of high levels of flaking material on the legs and toes, yet remains well cared for and is in overall very good condition. Dimensions: 29.5" x 16" x 18" (75 cm x 40.75 cm x 45.75 cm)
Contains mechanical components; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.
The makeup in this lot was created as a prop and is not safe for consumption.
Estimate: $10,000 - 20,000
View all lots from RETURN TO OZ (1985)
This item comes with a Propstore Certificate of Authenticity.