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By Sandra Olmsted

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, seemingly the animated sequel to the Judy Garland-starring version of The Wizard of Oz, starts with Dorothy (voice by Lea Michele) waking up immediately after her return from Oz. Aunt Em (voice by Tacey Adams) and Uncle Henry (voice by Michael Krawic) at her side in their destroyed Kansas home.

Time has passed much more slowly in Kansas than Oz, but the plot moves along quickly as a con man condemns the home and tells the Gale family they must move out. Before the family can leave or Dorothy can use her newfound girl power do anything about the countywide evictions, she is whisked back to Oz, where a lot of time has passed. Scarecrow (voice by Dan Aykroyd), The Cowardly Lion (voice by James Belushi), and The Tin Man (voice by Kelsey Grammer) battle the evil that has befallen all of Oz, but need Dorothy, the girl who slays witches, to save the day.

After Scarecrow’s rainbow mover accidentally deposits Dorothy and Toto in a remote corner of Oz, she must find the yellow brick road and get to the Emerald City although with new traveling companions and a new villain to fight. The roly-poly Wiser the Owl (voice by Oliver Platt) joins Dorothy on her quest and guides her into trouble in a sugary country where thing and everyone is made of candy, including Marshal Mallow, (voice by Hugh Dancy), a commander  who is “Mallow not shallow” and whose general is missing.

Meanwhile, The Jester (voice by Martin Short), the Witch of the West’s younger brother, turns the leaders of Oz, including Dorothy’s old friend Glinda (voice by Bernadette Peters), into marionettes he controls and sends his FlyingMonkeys to capture Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion, and The Tin Man. After some excitement and romance in the fragile country made of china and the country of the living trees, Dorothy’s troop includes China Princess (voice by Megan Hilty, who previously played Glinda in the Oz-based musical Wicked) and Tugg (voice by Patrick Stewart), on whom they sail toward the now-bleak Emerald City.

Directed by Dan St. Pierre and Will Finn and based on the books by Roger Stanton Baum, the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return offers a sweeping adventure, well-developed characters with solid motivations, an enjoyable script, lots of girl power, and songs by Academy Award-nominated singer/songwriter Bryan Adams.

A terrific cast of topnotch stars and intelligently used 3D animation round out the production. The opening credits, a hard act to follow, pays homage to Journey Back to Oz. A Clarius Entertainment release of Summertime Entertainment and Prana Animation Studios production, Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return was made without a major Hollywood studio. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, which is rated PG for some scary images and mild peril and runs 88 minutes, opens in theaters May 9 and is worth seeing. More of Olmsted’s reviews are available at <www.thecinematicskinny.com> .

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