Story
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is an animated musical based on the adventure novels of Roger Stanton Caum. The movie begins with Dorothy (voice of Lea Michele) waking up in a post-tornado Kansas. She is whisked away to Oz to save her old friends, the Lion (Jim Belushi), the Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer), the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd) and Glinda the Good Witch (Bernadette Peters). They are joined by several other friends in their fight against the villainous Jester (Martin Short) as they travel through the colourful land of Oz to restore peace and happiness to Emerald City.Themes
Violence
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return has some violence. For example:
- Several characters are joined by a group of toy soldiers to fight flying monkeys. They fight with spears, sticks and fists. No blood is shown, but the sky is dark and the scene is quite frightening.
- The Scarecrow removes the metal arm of the Tin Man so he can throw it at a monkey. The Tin Man’s head is also taken off and used as a machinegun to fire sticky gumballs, which trap some of the monkeys.
- When criminals come to Dorothy’s town and tell her that the residents must be evicted for safety reasons, her dog bites one criminal on the leg and chases the other away.
- A large hand breaks through a wooden door towards the camera. Three monkeys fly through, tie up Glinda and take her to the evil Jester. The Jester turns Glinda into a marionette and puts her in a display case so she can’t escape.
- Soldiers arrest Dorothy and Wiser for eating candy. A judge sentences them to death, but retracts the sentence soon after.
- The Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow fall off a castle roof and use a large cloth as a parachute.
- Evil monkeys kidnap the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow and take them to the Jester. He has them put into cages that cause specific harm to each of them. For example, the Tin Man is put into a tank of water that makes him rust.
- The Lion and Tin Man shove each other.
- An ape uses a magic broomstick to shock himself. Sparks fly off his body, and his skeleton is visible for a moment as his image flickers because of the shock.
- The Jester threatens Dorothy and says, ‘Do as I say, or die!’
Content that may disturb children
Under 5
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return has some scenes that could scare or disturb children under five years. For example:
- A large magical cloud appears during a thunderstorm. It twists around like a tornado, lifting and carrying away the evil Jester.
- A giant magic rainbow chases Dorothy and her dog. A human hand comes out of the rainbow, grabs them and carries them into the sky. They are then magically transported to Kansas City as the rainbow twirls around them like a tornado.
- A red carpet comes to life, slurping Dorothy up like a giant tongue. She isn’t hurt.
From 5-8
In addition to the violent scenes and scary visual images mentioned above, Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return has some scenes that could scare or disturb children in this age group. In particular, several creatures either sacrifice themselves for the sake of others or are harmed accidentally. For example:
- The old tree allows himself to be used for wood to craft a boat.
- The china princess is broken into many pieces after the boat gets into trouble at sea.
From 8-13
Most children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.
Over 13
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return has mild references to substance use. For example, one scene presents sugar as a powerful drug. The Jester forces Dorothy and her owl to read a sign that says ‘Eat everything’. They eat candy until they pass out, because they can’t control themselves.
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
None of concern
Ideas to discuss with your children
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is an animated musical with a twist on a classic story about good and evil.
The movie shows how friendships can enrich people’s lives, and how families and communities can help their members through hardship. It also highlights the need for passion and determination when you’re fighting for things you strongly believe in.
The movie is likely to be too scary for children under five years, as well as some slightly older children – especially in the 3D version. Children up to the age of nine years might need parental guidance with some scenes.