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Chicago – The so-called “legend of Oz” will cease to be legendary if they keep producing lame re-engineerings of the 1939 classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Close on the heels of last year’s dud, “Oz the Great and Powerful,” comes the dully rendered “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.”

Rating: 2.5/5.0

The screenplay – by Adam Balsam and Randi Barnes – is strictly boilerplate, with no consideration for creating something different for the Dorothy and Oz story, just an odd updating of the Kansas atmosphere and a rather depressing disaster area in the town after the first tornado. The voice casting of TV actress Lea Michele (“Glee”) as Dorothy is a sure sign of a way to lower the budget, and although some of the elements are interesting (the voice of Patrick Stewart as a talking piece of wood), overall the film will work as a glazed-eye babysitter for the kids, while adults...

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

Written by Adam Balsam and Randi Barnes

Directed by Will Finn and Daniel St. Pierre

USA, 2014

Roughly a minute after the opening credits of Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return end, the Lion (no longer Cowardly) not-so-playfully threatens to give the Tin Man an “oil change.” Although this is but the first of many groaners to come, it at least establishes an accurate, if unentertaining, tone to the picture. There might be a nugget of an interesting story in this adaptation if the computer animation wasn’t so cheap-looking and flat, or if the character development in the script felt earned or logical, but Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is a mostly poor excuse for a start to the summer movie season in terms of family-friendly fare.

Lea Michele voices Dorothy Gale, who wakes up the morning after her initial adventures in Oz...

Well folks, it’s April and over the last couple weeks, we’ve seen movie studios step up their marketing for some hotly anticipated films. We’ve been flooded with new trailers, images, and posters for a variety of films slated to hit this year, which can mean only one thing...Summer Movie Season is right around the corner (seems like just yesterday we were handling the 2013 Summer Movie Awards)! With the wealth of films hitting in these upcoming months it’s easy for moviegoers to be overwhelmed. Thus, as we have in years past, we present our Summer Movie Guide, so you know what’s coming, when, and decide for yourself if a film is worth your time. Come inside to learn about all that May has to offer!

We’re running this guide very similar to how we have in the past. We’re breaking down each page...

In what looks like a film that escaped the bargain bin at Wal-Mart, we have a new trailer for the delayed animated sequel Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return. With animation that feels unfinished and cheap, a surprising all-star cast that includes Lea Michele ("Glee") along with veteran actors like Patrick Stewart, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer and more populate this film which sees Dorothy Gale's (Michele) return to the magical land of Oz, where she reunites with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion (along with some silly new companions) to face a new threat, the Jester, who is trying to control Oz with the wand of the Wicked Witch of the West. Yeah, sounds pretty damn stupid to us. New trailer for Will Finn & Dan St. Pierre's Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, originally from Yahoo: Directed by Will Finn & Dan St. Pierre and written by...

Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park International announced today that the company has picked-up international rights to directors Will Finn and Daniel St. Pierre’s 3D animated family adventure film Legends Of Oz: Dorothy’S Return starring Lea Michele, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi and Kelsey Grammer. The film is from a script by Adam Balsam and Randi Barnes, based on the series of books by Roger Stanton Baum. Bonne Radford is producing alongside Ryan Carroll and Roland Carroll of Summertime Entertainment.

The film, scheduled for a May 2, 2014 domestic theatrical release by Clarius Entertainment on a minimum of 3,000 screens, will be introduced by Hpi’s President Eric Christenson and will screen at the upcoming Marché du Film. Cannes screenings are scheduled for Saturday, May 18th at 4:00pm at Olympia 2, Monday May 20th at 4:00pm at Olympia 2, and Tuesday, May 21st at 4:00pm at Olympia 8.

The film will...

There's been an increased interest lately in returning to L. Frank Baum's wonderful world of Oz on the big screen. Sam Raimi is tackling a prequel to the classic Wizard of Oz story with his upcoming Oz The Great and Powerful, and Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close) could be helming a feature film adaptation of the Broadway hit Wicked, which is an origin story for the Wicked Witch of the West. Here's the trailer for another Oz-related tale called Dorothy of Oz, an animated sequel that looks more like a video game than a movie. It follows Dorothy as she returns to save the magical land from an evil jester. Here's the first trailer for Will Finn & Dan St. Pierre's Dorothy of Oz via YouTube: Directed by Will Finn & Dan St. Pierre and written by Adam Balsam & Barry Glasser (from Roger Baum's book), Dorothy of Oz...

I know what you're thinking - why are we featuring this poster? Well, there's no good reason besides that it's a new take on the Wizard of Oz, obviously, and features the voice of Glee's Lea Michelle, who I totally love (yep). Dorothy of Oz is a new animated movie being directed by Dan St. Pierre. Dorothy returns to Kansas to find it devastated by the tornado that had whisked her away to Oz. The home she has been so desperate to return to is severely damaged, the townspeople are packing up. But shortly after arriving in Kansas, Dorothy is magically transported back to Oz where she finds out that it's in trouble and the people need her help, too. Thanks to IMPAwards for originally debuting this poster. The screenplay was written by Barry Glasser & Adam Balsam, based on Roger S. Baum's novel, with original songs written by Tift Merritt.

"Glee" star Lea Michele is set to both voice the titular character and sing several musical numbers in the animated 3D musical "Dorothy of Oz" for Summertime Entertainment reports Variety.

Randi Barnes, Adam Balsam and Barry Glasser penned the script based on the same book by Roger S. Baum, great-grandson of the original "The Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum. This story centers on Dorothy Gale "returning to a tornado-devastated Kansas and then being transported back to Oz to help her friends."

Also onboard are Jim Belushi as the Lion, Dan Aykroyd as the Scarecrow, Kelsey Grammer as the Tin Man, Oliver Platt as Wiser the Owl, Megan Hilty as the China Princess, Hugh Dancy as as Marshall Mallow and Martin Short as Dorothy's arch-nemesis Jester/

Bryan Adams and his writing partner Jim Vallance are writing the first songs and lyrics for the film. Bonne Radford ("Curious George,...

"Glee" star Lea Michele is putting on Judy Garland's ruby slippers -- or at least an animated representation of her is.

Michele has signed on to play Dorothy Gale in an animated film called "Dorothy of Oz." The movie is being made by independent company Summertime Entertainment and is tentatively scheduled for release in the spring of 2012.

"She's our Judy Garland," producer Bonne Radford tells the Los Angeles Times about Michele. The role will have her singing several songs as well as doing voiceover work.

"Dorothy of Oz" is based on a children's book by Roger Baum, the great-grandson of "Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum. The story finds Dorothy returning to Oz to find the magical land in a state of decay and her old friends Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion disappeared.

The voice cast also includes Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer and Martin Short. Dan St. Pierre...

Lea Michele of Fox's "Glee" is set to voice the lead part in Summertime Entertainment's animated 3D musical "Dorothy of Oz" as well as provide vocals on some original musical numbers. Film marks her first foray into features with previous work in Broadway roles like "Les Misérables" and "Spring Awakening." Randi Barnes wrote the story with Adam Balsam and Barry Glasser and is an update on "The Wizard of Oz." Tells of Dorothy Gale who returns to Kansas which has been devastated by a tornado and is then transported to Oz to aid her friends. Jim Belushi is in as the Lion, Kelsey Grammer as the Tin Man and Dan Aykroyd as voicing the Scarecrow . The new characters include Wiser the Ow (Oliver Platt)l, Megan Hilty as the China Princess, Marshall Mallow played by Hugh Dancy and Martin Short as Dorothy's arch-nemesis - the Jester.