Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Lachlan Coulson
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Edwin
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
John T. Ryan
THIS CAN ONLY be described as a curious mixture of L. Frank Baum story, TV type limited animation and (for Hollywood "Star Power") a cast of veteran, well known performers doing the voices. Being the product of FILMATION ASSOCIATES, it was their 'ultimate' success. After all after doing so many Saturday morning kiddie cartoon shows, it was their one theatrical release.ALTHOUGH MANY WOULD decry its lack of Disney-like polish or even the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the Fleischers, the production has much to recommend it.WITHOUT ANY PRETENSIONS of being 'Art' or 'serious' drama, the production team gave us a straight forward telling of a story that has much more of the original Baum tales than one might imagine. Not least of which we point to the veteran cast.IN A LINE-UP which must have co$t Filmation mucho buck$, we have: Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Herschel Bernardi, Paul Ford, Jack E. Leonard, Paul Lynde, Mickey Rooney, Rise Stevens, Danny Thomas, Mel Blanc, Dal McKennonLarry Storch and Bill Cosby.BY WAY OF a tribute to the legendary reputation of the MGM 1939 WIZARD OF OZ, the voice of Aunt Em is done by Margaret Hamilton and Dorothy was done by Liza Minelli, Judy Garland's daughter.
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.
johnstonjames
I hadn't seen this in years. I am a big fan of hand drawn animation, especially the vintage retro stuff. if it's vintage and old I like it, even if it's garbage. I bought this because I was curious about it and wanted to see if it was any good,(I had remembered it being pretty bad at the time I saw it it in the seventies) I was surprised to find that the years have been good to this film.The Hal Sutherland animation studios were never the top of the craft. even now one can hardly make a claim that they are on a par with the Disney studio. but this little film was their most major effort,( they usually assigned themselves to the Saturday morning TV cartoon post. something at that time Disney wouldn't touch).But now that classic hand drawn animation is a dying craft, this film seems quite ambitious and unique. it's backgrounds are lush and colorful, the character animation cute and funny, and the vocals are basically good with Liza Minnelli being an exceptional treat. who else to voice Dorothy but the original film Dorothy's daughter? and they were able to obtain her because at the time she was only fifteen and not yet famous.I noticed from the other reviews that this sweet little film has some other fans. that is really cute and very touching. it takes a lot of gentle sweetness and heart to like a little film like this and considering how under appreciated this film is, and how under appreciated hand animation has become by mass taste who seem to prefer computer animation to hand drawing these days,these people who liked this film deserve to be truly commended for their gracious perceptiveness. there really are still some very nice modest little people left in the world and that is touching.OZ is a wonderful place. It should always be kept close to our heart. God bless.
lordzedd-3
Okay, this has got to be the best animated movie practically ever, it has good animation, a great cast, the supporting cast does a great job. Memorable songs and great dialog. The cast does a great job and it's amazing how well this is put together. I had the record soundtrack when I was a kid and watched every time it was on TV and now that is on DVD, I will be buying it ASAP. But for now I must regale you with what I think of the best animated movie, even better then THE LAST UNICORN. That's right, better. Not much better and it does get draggy at points. But a must for any fan of the WIZARD OF OZ and if you love LIZA, then see the ironic movie that places her in the role that made her Mother a star. JOURNEY BACK TO OZ again and again, 10 STARS.
