Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return parents guide

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return Parent Guide

It's a sizeable package of goods that do outweigh the bads -- even with the ugly flying monkeys.

Overall B

When a villainous Jester (voice of Martin Short), threatens the Land of Oz, Dorothy (voice of Lea Michele) returns to help her friends Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man (voices of Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and Kelsey Grammar) and Glinda (voice of Bernadette Peters).

Release date May 9, 2014

Violence B-
Sexual Content A
Profanity A
Substance Use A

Why is Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return rated PG? The MPAA rated Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return PG for some scary images and mild peril.

Run Time: 92 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Years have passed in Oz time since Dorothy (voice of Lea Michele) left the Emerald City, yet it’s only been a day on Earth. Sadly since her first heroic visit things have gone, shall we say, to the monkeys. Queen Glinda (voice of Bernadette Peters) has been captured and turned into a literal puppet ruler and it’s all the fault of a new sinister man called The Jester (voice of Martin Short). He’s hoping to enforce his dictatorship with the help of a magic scepter, a device he’s already used to create an army of flying monkeys—and quite ugly ones at that.

Of course no one in the Emerald City is happy about this, least of all the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man (voices of Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and Kelsey Grammer). So Aykroyd’s character asks, in essence, “Who you gonna call?” The trio decides to ring up Dorothy on the Oz videophone. It’s a quick chat because the mad monkeys are banging on the door. In haste the three compadres send the rainbow mover device (or something like that) to pick up their heroine and she finds herself back in Oz… with her little dog too.

Sadly her flight doesn’t land in the capital, and that means the first order of business is, as in the 1939 classic film, a road trip. And like in that movie, Dorothy is about to meet a few new friends. The first is a rather large owl—appropriately named Wiser (voice of Oliver Platt)—who happens to know the way to the Emerald City. The route will provide plenty of opportunity for adventure including a trip through Candy County where they meet Marshal Mallow (voice of Hugh Dancy). Next is a shortcut through the Land of China, a world of fragile figurine people who live behind a great wall of teacups called… well, I think you’ll figure it out. Here they find their other travelling companion, the Princess of China (voice of Megan Hilty). Finally an impassible bridge is overcome after an aging tree (voice of Patrick Stewart) volunteers to be their boat across the water. Once in Oz the battle to retake the kingdom begins with candy used as artillery.

Parents wondering if this is a reasonable choice for a family matinee will need to consider the patience of their children. The 92-minute running time feels long at points—and for good reason. The journey after Dorothy arrives is the bulk of the thin storyline and is the typical scenario of protagonist-faces-obstacle followed by protagonist-overcomes-obstacle. While our three new Ozzites have personality challenges to overcome, which are similar to the original Oz trio, there isn’t the same sense of dramatic character development. And there are also some scary and sad moments that may be troubling for the very youngest of children, particularly in the Land of China after an earthquake shatters many of the little beings. We see workers gathering up wheelbarrows full of fractured faces. I believe some were still talking. (Think Alice in Wonderland meets Picasso.)

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this production is its mix of polished perfection and disappointment. At first blush you may be distracted by the stiffness and imprecise lip sync during the musical numbers—things we aren’t used to excusing in top-line animations. However the character design and backgrounds are very appealing, especially in the Land of China. The details of these tiny characters, complete with reflections in their porcelain glaze, are convincing. As well, some of the songs (such as the touching Even Then) are memorable and enjoyable.

The message presented to children (the obvious intended audience) is dedication to friendship, accepting new people even when they may be difficult at first (the Princess of China is particularly prickly) and working hard to overcome disappointment (especially when Dorothy returns to Kansas and convinces her parents and the community to work together to rebuild after the tornado). It’s a sizeable package of goods that do outweigh the bads—even with the ugly flying monkeys.

Directed by Daniel St. Pierre, Will Finn. Starring Lea Michele, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammer. Running time: 92 minutes. Theatrical release May 9, 2014. Updated

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
Rating & Content Info

Why is Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return rated PG? Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is rated PG by the MPAA for some scary images and mild peril.

Violence: Infrequent portrayals of mild violence include suspenseful situations and scary characters. An earthquake in a land of delicate china characters results in figures being cracked and broken. We see talking faces separated from bodies and workers cleaning up the shattered pieces. Large flying monkeys intimidate characters. A man dressed as a jester turns characters into puppets and holds them captive. In “reality,” depicted at the start and end of the movie, a community is recovering from a tornado. A man posing as an insurance adjuster treats people unkindly and is intimidating.

Sexual Content: Embracing and kissing.

Language: None noted.

Alcohol / Drug Use: None noted.

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Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return Parents' Guide

Why is the “road trip” genre a popular way to have characters develop in a story? What “road trips” have you travelled in your life? Did you learn new things along the way?

Dorothy is reluctant to see her old home torn down after the tornado. What is the difference between a house and a home?

This 3D animation is based on a book by Roger Stanton Baum, who is the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, author of the classic story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return movie is August 26, 2014. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

Release Date: 26 August 2014

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following special features:

- Legends of Oz: The Music of Oz

- Legends of Oz: The Legacy of Oz

- Sing Along the Yellow Brick Road

- Legends of Oz: Activity Sheet

- Theatrical Trailer.

Related home video titles:

Perhaps the most famous adaption of L. Frank Baum’s novel is the 1939 The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy. A group of puppets also produced a version of the story in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz. And the movie Oz The Great and Powerful is based on the author’s famous characters.

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