Dorothy Gale's (Michele) home town is hit with another devastating tornado. Their farm will need serious repairs, along with most of the town. Before she can do anything, Dorothy and Toto are whisked back to Oz, via a rainbow. Along the way, she talks to her friends Scarecrow (Aykroyd), Tin Man (Grammer) and Lion (Belushi) and learns that Oz is in trouble. The Jester (Short) has stolen the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick. With that power, and the muscle of the flying monkeys, he is trying to rule all of Oz.
The transmission is cut short when the flying monkeys capture her friends, but Dorothy and Toto arrive safely. They want to reach the Emerald City to meet up with their friends and stop the Jester, but can't find the way. They team up with Wiser (Platt) a talkative owl that can't fly, Marshal Mallow (Dancy) a duty-bound soldier, and China Princess (Hilty), the delicate ruler of the China kingdom. Can Dorothy and her new friends save Oz?
In the 1980's The International Wizard of Oz Club approached Roger S. Baum, the great-grandson of original Oz author L. Frank Baum, to write original Oz stories. Since then he has written several Oz books and other children's books. In 1989, he wrote "Dorothy of Oz", which became popular enough for Summertime Entertainment to adapt it to film.
I have never read the original Oz series, or Roger Baum's source novels. The film bears very little resemblance to it's source (which I believe is also the case with The Wizard of Oz). The film is a disaster. The animation is ok. The new characters are ok, but not overly interesting. The songs are eh... not memorable or good, but not terrible. I was underwhelmed. The voice talents are good, but they are wasted here. It's not a terrible movie, but it isn't a good movie either.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2013) 92 minutes
Director: Will Finn & Daniel St. Pierre
Starring: Lea Michele as Dorothy Gale
Dan Aykroyd as Scarecrow
Jim Belushi as Lion
Kelsey Grammer as Tin Man
Hugh Dancy as Marshal Mallow
Oliver Platt as Wiser
Megan Hilty as China Princess
Martin Short as Jester
Patrick Stewart as Tugg
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