Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
Clarius Entertainment | Release Date: May 9, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
25
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
8
Negative:
14
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireAnna SmithMay 19, 2014
Kid-friendly with some neat visuals. Adults will appreciate the dulcet tones of Frasier as the Tin Man. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyAdam MarkovitzMay 9, 2014
There's barely a trace of the magic of 1939's "The Wizard of Oz"; the bricks are still yellow, but the road doesn't lead anywhere special. Read full review
50
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldMay 8, 2014
All in all, the beloved kingdom of Oz is not well served, though there’s just enough detectable affection to keep it from feeling like a pure cashing-in. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsMay 8, 2014
Yet if you’re old enough to read this and you find yourself at a screening, try thinking about the munchkins who worked so hard on the psychedelic scenery. Read full review
40
The GuardianMike McCahillSep 22, 2014
Even by the standards of allowance-snatching half-term filler, this is pretty indifferent. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 8, 2014
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return lacks any sense of magic. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenMay 7, 2014
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. Read full review
40
VarietyJustin ChangMay 7, 2014
“Oh, Toto, this doesn’t look like the Oz I remember,” Dorothy murmurs at one point. Truer words were never spoken. Read full review
38
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMay 9, 2014
A harmless but almost charmless adaptation of a book by L. Frank Baum’s grandson. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesBruce IngramMay 8, 2014
Maybe this is unreasonable, but I can’t help thinking that if you’re going to make a movie with “Oz” in the title, you’d better be prepared to kick in at least a little inspiration. Yet that’s precisely what’s missing — so utterly absent it’s almost impressive in a way — in the painfully uninspired Legends of Oz. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubKevin McFarlandMay 10, 2014
Formidable as the cast list looks on paper, the voice acting reeks of cash grabs, and the performances are way off. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaMay 9, 2014
This is one of those movies that parents will have to ask themselves if they love their child enough to sit through it. At least "The Nut Job" is off the hook as the worst indie-made animated feature of the year. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezMay 8, 2014
With dubious scruples, and much Broadway-style caterwauling, the film imagines what The Wizard of Oz would look like with a should-have-gone-straight-to-video chimney on her. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubMay 8, 2014
All the brains, heart and courage in the world can't save a movie that doesn't have a third act. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeTom RussoMay 8, 2014
This is mythology that’s famously transportive in every sense, but the animators struggle to take us anywhere truly captivating, or even clearly defined. Read full review
25
Washington PostJen ChaneyMay 8, 2014
Animated in form but completely listless in content. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiMay 14, 2014
Carping on a film clearly targeted to 5-year-olds might seem unjust, but the filmmakers go about their business in such a lazy fashion that the viewer can’t help but feel irritated by the whole ordeal. Read full review
20
Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiMay 8, 2014
If it only had a brain, a heart and the nerve. Read full review
20
The DissolveNathan RabinMay 8, 2014
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. Read full review
20
Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyMay 6, 2014
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. Read full review
0
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanMay 8, 2014
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. Read full review
0
New York PostLou LumenickMay 7, 2014
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. Read full review
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