It’s a loud Oz hodgepodge that never adheres to a prevailing tone long enough to allow viewers to emotionally engage with those characters in spite of some admittedly inspired CG flourishes.
This is mythology that’s famously transportive in every sense, but the animators struggle to take us anywhere truly captivating, or even clearly defined.
25
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
All the brains, heart and courage in the world can't save a movie that doesn't have a third act.
20
Village VoiceSherilyn Connelly
Village VoiceSherilyn Connelly
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return fails to make us care about the characters or their journeys, and the animation is shoddy and occasionally creepy.
20
The DissolveNathan Rabin
The DissolveNathan Rabin
It’s simply tacky consumer product that dishonors the famous name in its title—the same one that’s keeping this film from the direct-to-video burial it deserves.
James Franco, all is forgiven. His woebegotten “Oz: The Great and Powerful’’ is practically a masterpiece compared to this eyeball-gougingly ugly, charm-free animated musical sequel.
This film is loud, ugly, disrespectful to the spirit of the classic original and far too simplistic for all but the youngest kids. Avoid any brick roads that lead to it.