Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Will Finn Dan St. Pierre |
| Produced by | Roland Carroll Ryan Carroll Bonne Radford |
| Written by | Adam Balsam Randi Barnes |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Toby Chu |
| Editing by | Dan Molina Stan Webb |
| Studio | Summertime Entertainment Prana Studios |
| Distributed by | Clarius Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | June 14, 2013 (AIAFF) May 9, 2014 (United States) |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70 million |
| Money made | $21.7 million |
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return is a 2013 American computer-animated musical fantasy film. It is based on the 1989 book Dorothy of Oz by Roger Stanton Baum. Roger is the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the original Oz books. The movie was directed by Daniel St. Pierre and Will Finn.
The film features the voices of many famous actors. These include Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammer, Hugh Dancy, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt, Patrick Stewart, Bernadette Peters, and Martin Short.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return first showed at a film festival in France in June 2013. It was then released in the United States and Canada in May 2014. The movie did not get good reviews from critics. It also did not make much money at the box office. It cost $70 million to make but only earned about $21.7 million worldwide.
Contents
Journey to Save Oz
The story begins in the magical Land of Oz. The leaders of the Emerald City are the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion. They find out that an evil Jester has stolen a magic broomstick. This broomstick belonged to his sister, the late Wicked Witch of the West. The Jester has also taken control of the Flying Monkeys.
Oz is in danger, so the Scarecrow decides to call Dorothy Gale back. He uses his new invention, the Rainbow Mover, to bring her to Oz. But before he can, the Flying Monkeys attack the castle. The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion are forced to escape through a window.
Dorothy's Farm in Kansas
Meanwhile, back in Kansas, Dorothy's farm has been badly damaged by a tornado. It is in very bad shape. A man who says he is a government appraiser comes to the farm. He tells Dorothy's family that their house is unsafe and they must leave. Dorothy soon learns that many other people in her town have also received these notices. They are all moving away.
Dorothy and her dog, Toto, see a rainbow. This rainbow takes them to Oz, but not to the Emerald City as planned.
New Friends and New Dangers
In Oz, Dorothy meets Wiser, a very smart owl. Wiser is unable to fly because he is a bit overweight. They then enter Candy Country, a place where everything, even the people, is made of confectionery. They are quickly arrested by Marshal Mallow. The Jester had changed the signs, making it seem like eating candy was against the rules.
At court, the judge realizes who Dorothy is. He drops the charges and lets Dorothy and Wiser go free. Marshal Mallow joins them on their journey to the Emerald City. He promised to find the missing General Candy Apple.
Meanwhile, Glinda confronts the Jester. The Jester has a magic scepter made from his sister's broomstick and crystal ball. He uses it to turn Oz's leaders, including General Candy Apple, into puppets. Glinda also falls under his spell, giving him full control of Oz.
Challenges on the Way
Dorothy's group enters the Dainty China Country. They need permission from the China Princess to pass through her kingdom. The princess is very proud and vain. Marshal Mallow pretends to be a suitor to get them into her castle. The China Princess is charmed by Mallow's singing.
Suddenly, an earthquake caused by the Jester shakes the land. The angry China Princess blames Dorothy for the trouble. But she agrees to let Dorothy's group pass if she can come with them. They find that the bridge to the Emerald City is destroyed. So, they decide to build a boat. All the talking trees refuse to help, except for an old tree named Tugg. Tugg is carved into a boat.
They sail to the Emerald City, but it seems empty. The Flying Monkeys then attack them. Dorothy's group escapes into a cave system and falls down a waterfall.
The Final Battle
The China Princess is broken by the fall. Everyone thinks she is gone, so Dorothy decides to go to the Jester's palace alone. Mallow is sad about the princess, but then he finds she is alive and fixes her. Wiser gathers his courage and manages to fly off to help Dorothy.
Dorothy and Toto face the Jester. He plans to harm her, but Toto pulls a curtain onto his head. The lead Flying Monkey, named "You," steals the Jester's staff. It uses the staff to regrow its wings, which the Jester had shrunk. As the Jester chases You, Dorothy finds her captured friends. They all confront the Jester on the rooftop. Dorothy falls off the roof during the fight for the staff, but Wiser catches her.
The rest of Dorothy's friends arrive with Tugg, who is now on wheels. They fight the Flying Monkeys. The Jester tries to get rid of Dorothy by creating a tornado. But Dorothy's own magic breaks the Jester's spell. This frees all of Oz's leaders. The Jester is almost sucked into the tornado, but Dorothy saves him. However, when she throws the staff into the tornado, the Jester jumps in after it and disappears. Glinda appears and sends Dorothy and Toto back home.
Back in Kansas
Dorothy reunites with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. She encourages the townspeople to fight for their homes. They discover that the appraiser is a con artist who uses fake licenses to commit crimes. The sheriff arrests him, and his helper runs away. Dorothy and her town's homes are rebuilt.
Voice Cast
- Lea Michele as Dorothy Gale
- Dan Aykroyd as Scarecrow
- Jim Belushi as Lion
- Kelsey Grammer as Tin Man
- Martin Short as Jester, Appraiser
- Hugh Dancy as Marshal Mallow
- Megan Hilty as China Princess, Mouse Queen
- Oliver Platt as Wiser
- Patrick Stewart as Tugg/Tank
- Bernadette Peters as Glinda
- Tacey Adams as Aunt Em
- Michael Krawic as Uncle Henry
- Randi Soyland as You the Flying Monkey, China Handmaiden
- Brian Blessed as Judge Jawbreaker
- Douglas Hodge as Fruit Stripe Lawyer
- Debi Derryberry as Lollipop Stenographer
- Randy Crenshaw as China Guard, Kansas Sheriff
- Randal Keith as First Minister, Winkie Suitor
- Richard Horvitz as Munchkin Suitor
- Tom Kenny as China Suitor
The sounds for the Flying Monkeys were made by Scott Menville, Alan Shearman, Randi Soyland, and Flip Waterman.
Soundtrack
The movie's soundtrack is called Legends of Oz, Dorothy Returns: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. It was released on May 6, 2014, by Columbia Records.
- "When the World" - Lea Michele (4:06)
- "Candy, Candy" - Martin Short (2:25)
- "China Princess" - Megan Hilty (3:56)
- "Jester" - Martin Short (2:26)
- "Work with Me" - Lea Michele & Company (2:40)
- "Even Then" - Hugh Dancy, Lea Michele, & Megan Hilty (2:43)
- "When the World (Reprise)" - Lea Michele (3:52)
- "One Day" - Lea Michele (3:21)
- "Overture" - Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (3:06)
- "Under the Jester's Spell" - Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (4:21)
- "The Spell Is Broken" - Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (4:26)
- "Escape from Emerald City" - Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (4:23)
- "Dorothy Wakes" - Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (3:51)
The songs "When the World", "Even Then", and the "Finale" were written by Tift Merritt. "Candy, Candy", "Work with Me", and "One Day" were written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. "China Princess (China Country Anthem and Procession)" was written by Jim Dooley. "Jester (Jester's Song)" has music by Jim Dooley and lyrics by Mike Himelstein.
Future Plans
Even though the movie did not do well at the box office, there were talks about making two sequels and a TV series. However, as of 2021, no new information has been shared about these plans.
