Plot
Dorothy wakes up in post-tornado Kansas, only to be whisked back to Oz to try to save her old friends the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and Glinda from a devious new villain, the Jester.... See full summary »
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.4/10 (2,474 voted)
Critic's Score: /100
Director: Will Finn
Stars: Lea Michele, Kelsey Grammer, Dan Aykroyd
Storyline
Dorothy wakes up in post-tornado Kansas, only to be whisked back to Oz to try to save her old friends the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and Glinda from a devious new villain, the Jester. Wiser the owl, Marshal Mallow, China Princess and Tugg the tugboat join Dorothy on her latest magical journey through the colorful landscape of Oz to restore order and happiness to Emerald City.
Writers: Adam Balsam, Randi Barnes
Cast: Dan Aykroyd -
Scarecrow
(voice)
James Belushi -
Lion
(voice)
Kelsey Grammer -
Tin Man
(voice)
Lea Michele -
Dorothy
(voice)
Tacey Adams -
Aunt Em
(voice)
Michael Krawic -
Uncle Henry
(voice)
Martin Short -
The Appraiser /
The Jester
(voice)
Bernadette Peters -
Glinda
(voice)
Randi Vamos Soyland -
You /
Handmaiden
(voice)
Oliver Platt -
Wiser
(voice)
Hugh Dancy -
Marshal Mallow
(voice)
Brian Blessed -
Judge Jawbreaker
(voice)
Douglas Hodge -
Fruit Striped Lawyer
(voice)
Debi Derryberry -
Stenographer
(voice)
Randy Crenshaw -
China Guard /
Kansas Sheriff
(voice)
Trivia:
Megan Hilty previously played Glinda in the Oz-based musical "Wicked." See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, directed by Dan St. Pierre and Will
Finn, met all of my expectations- which were very high to begin with.
The film succeeds because it brilliantly pays homage to previous Oz
adaptations (the opening credits sequence, for instance, is very
clearly inspired by Journey Back to Oz), and there's something
nostalgic and charming about it all.
One of the strongest elements of the film is its music. The songs,
written by Bryan Adams, Tift Merritt, Jim Dooley, and Jim Vallance,
have a timeless quality to them, while still contemporary and fresh.
"When the World" and "Even Then" are as good as anything on Broadway,
while "Work With Me" and "Candy Candy" are catchy and fun. The score,
composed by Toby Chu, is engaging and complements the film really well.
I'd like to see the score get a full release sometime in the future.
The cast is perfect. Lea Michele's Dorothy is brave, sweet, and
charismatic. Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammar, and Dan Aykroyd are fantastic
as the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow; they're hilarious as a group and
individually. Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt, Hugh Dancy, and Bernadette
Peters are all wonderful as well. Martin Short, of course, steals the
show as the Jester, the Witch of the West's younger brother.
The weakest part of this film is, obviously, the animation, done by
Prana Animation Studios. It's not horrible, but there are a few moments
in the film where it is distracting. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, for
example, are very robotic and hardly have any facial expression. I also
would've liked to see a bit more expression from Dorothy when she belts
out "When the World" at the beginning of the film. Luckily, however,
the good outweighs the bad by far.
I also enjoyed some of the little easter eggs in there. There's a sign
in Kansas that says "Engstrom Street," a reference to the film's art
director Seth Engstrom. There's also a store in Kansas called "Duncan,"
which is the name of the studio that designed the characters.
I feel like Legends of Oz is the first true Oz film we've had in years;
it really captures the spirit and magic of everything we know and love,
while maintaining a fresh, contemporary feeling. I think L. Frank Baum
himself would be proud of this one, and I hope that moviegoers give
this film a chance and enjoy it as much as I did... I'm already making
plans to see it again!
Bravo to everyone who was involved in this film's long journey to the
big screen, especially Ryan Carroll, Roland Carroll, and Greg Centineo,
who impressively managed to raise enough money to get this thing made
and in theaters without the involvement of a major studio. Their
dedication and effort certainly paid off.
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