Chirphymium
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Kimball
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Eric Stevenson
I remember reading in "Guinness World Records" that the 1985 film "Return To Oz" set the record for longest time between a sequel and the original film. Isn't that disproven with this movie which is apparently a sequel to "The Wizard Of Oz" that was made in 1974? Maybe because it's animated, it doesn't count. The 1970's was a terrible time for animation, easily the worst decade. Now, the animation here actually isn't that bad compared to other stuff that came out at the time. I actually really enjoyed Liza Minelli as Dorothy seeing as how she's actually Judy Garland's daughter.There were still a lot of things that were inconsistent with the original movie which this film was trying to be a sequel to. The Scarecrow apparently became the king of Oz but since when? Also, the ending is pretty cheap with how Mombi turns herself into a flower and is defeated simply by being trampled by her own green elephants. I actually do like these new characters, especially the wooden horse. As "The Wizard Of Oz" is one of my favorite movies, it would certainly be a tough act to follow. The movie itself is harmless, it just has a lot of good and bad stuff to it. **1/2
mark.waltz
This practically forgotten animated follow-up to "The Wizard of Oz" is actually totally unrelated to the movie, independently made and held back for small kiddie matinée release for ten years. It actually was made in 1964 as Liza Minnelli was beginning to gain some fame thanks to T.V. appearances and her Off Broadway debut in "Best Foot Forward". It also co-stars some of her mother Judy Garland's old friends, including Mickey Rooney, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, and even from the original movie, Margaret Hamilton, who is heard as Auntie Em here briefly at the beginning, not her old role of the witch (now known as "Elphaba"). The witch here is Mombi, possibly a distant cousin, and even nastier. She's obviously an elephant herself, because she hasn't forgotten what Dorothy did to her fellow witches, and is using an army of magically made green pachyderms to take over the free territories of Oz which now only have Glinda (Rise Stevens) left from the original four leaders.The songs by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn aren't bad, but they are not up there with the legendary score by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen, or even Stephen Schwartz's songs for "Wicked". "That Feeling For Home" is Liza's "Over the Rainbow", but unfortunately, it hasn't become one of her standards. Merman gets a few camp numbers, such as "If You're Gonna Be A Witch, Be A Witch" and "An Elephant Never Forgets", the titles of which indicate their camp potential. Mickey Rooney, taking over the part of the Scarecrow, gets one number, "B-R-A-N-E", while Danny Thomas (the Tin Man) and Milton Berle (the Lion) utilize their exceptional talents to put together their characterizations. A new amusing character is Pumpkinhead, voiced by none other than Paul Lynde.Other voices include Paul Ford as Uncle Henry, Herschel Bernardi as Woodenhead Pinto Stallion III, and Warner Brothers animated legend Mel Blanc as the crow. While the animation isn't as sophisticated looking as Disney's (or even "Gay Pur-ee" and "Charlotte's Web"), it isn't horrible like some of the poorly made T.V. specials either. It's just too bad that this has escaped even becoming fairly well known, because Liza's teenaged voice really compliments the characters, sounding so much like her mother's. This journey back to the land where dreams really do come true is well worth taking.
stitch-99
I'd wanted to see this for years because I heard it was the official sequel to Wizard and finally got my chance the other day. It did not meet my already low expectations.Ignoring the poor quality of the animation (which actually was better than expected from Filmation), the story flat-out fails. The only reason this manages to be feature-length is because of the repetitive sequences of Dorothy and co. going to characters from the first film for help, but being told the character is either unwilling or unable to do so. Admittedly, this does give rise to a funny moment from the new character Woodenhead Stallion III who comments, "Ah, great. I wonder who he's gonna send us to." The songs range from awful to fun, if not that clever. The best songs are, of course, the ones sung by Ethel Merman (surely the reason she was cast). All the others are completely forgettable. I only remember the songs by Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion because they, like their first film counterparts, were all built around the respective character's trait they had been seeking previously (and are now demonstrated to not truly have).The voice acting is all right. Liza Minelli sounds exactly like her mother at that age, which neatly helps bridge the films. The only other returning actor is Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch) now playing Auntie Em of all people! She does okay, but she doesn't capture the spirit of the character; most notably she overdoes a thick Southern accent which is distracting, since they're in Kansas.To top it off, the moral is contrived and forced. I won't give spoilers, but they fall prey to a common kid's film problem by just sweeping any and all dilemmas the characters may suffer as a result of doing the right thing under the rug in a deus ex machina. And that's to say nothing of the song which just out-of-the-blue starts talking about God, despite nothing being about him up until that point or afterward.If you're still curious to see the official sequel or just want something colorful to keep your kids occupied for a while, watch it. If not, a much better treatment of a very similar story is Return to Oz. Thank you.
kita117
This movie was great for an animation. The music in my opinion was the best overall. I liked the opening of the movie. I loved the characters in the movie, and Dorothy can sing really well. A must see for children and adults.
