Dorothy (Lea Michele) has just returned from Oz and her sidekicks are already in trouble again! Time in the magical land moves at a different speed than time in Kansas and as Dorothy is barely coming to terms with the destruction left behind by the tornado that swept her off the last time, the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer) and the Lion (James Belushi) are battling the evil Jester (Martin Short), brother of the Wicked Witch of the West, who has decided to finish the work begun by his deceased sibling. As flying monkeys attack the Emerald City, the Scarecrow sends a magical rainbow to bring Dorothy back, and so it does, just as the girl is about to finish a lovely song about her hopes and dreams.

Once back in Oz, Dorothy makes three new friends: candy-man Marshal Mallow (Hugh Dancy), jolly owl Wiser (Oliver Platt) and the spoiled China Princess (Megan Hilty). Together they must replicate Dorothy’s original journey down the Yellow Brick Road in order to find and vanquish the villain. Based on a novel by Roger S. Baum (Frank’s great-grandson) “Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return” seeks to recreate the formula that made the 1939 film a classic, and to a certain degree it succeeds. Purists will most likely disagree and try to tear the film apart, and while the film isn’t canonical, the direction by Will Finn and Dan St. Pierre is efficient, the songs will have children humming along on the way home, the 3D animation is charming and the voice talent involved is terrific (it would’ve been nice to hear Bernadette Peter’s Glinda sing though…) which means that the film’s biggest flaw is that it’s not “The Wizard of Oz”, but then again, nothing really is.