The Wizard of Oz

Too many people will probably dismiss this as a cheap knock-off, a quick cash-in. Heck, the production company is "American Film Investment Corporation", which only supports those notions. Who is going to say, "Hey, American Film Investment Corporation, I bet this is some great art"? AFIC was also known as "Golden Films", but the credits here announce AFIC in bold letters instead.

But it would be a mistake to dismiss this so easily. Because although this version of Wizard of Oz isn't some overlooked masterpiece, it's very well done for a budget, abbreviated, animated version of the story, which should provide enjoyment for huge fans of either The Wizard of Oz or animation in general.

The animation style is closest to traditional American Saturday morning cartoon fare. That might turn some people off, but it's the style of programs like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969), The Jetsons (1962) and The Flintstones (1960), and I absolutely love all of those (especially Scooby-Doo), partially because of the animation, even though that style was determined more because of budget restrictions than for any artistic reason.

A great job was done in finding voice actors who closely resemble the actors from the famous 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. It may seem initially odd that this decision was made, but it wasn't a bad idea, as this AFIC version is obviously akin to a CliffsNotes rendition of the 1939 film--although it has some significant commonalities with the original book that will please purists.

While no one should substitute this for the 1939 film (and I don't think it's a good idea to do that with kids, either), I found myself far more enamored with it than I expected--you might too if you're not too much of a sourpuss.

People will inevitably bring up the books and the 1939 Judy Garland film when discussing this Golden Films animation, but while I do love the books and consider the 1939 film one of my favourite films of all time this Wizard of Oz does deserve to stand on its own. It is not perfect with some jumpy and flatly-coloured animation, some dialogue that doesn't really flow naturally very well and Dorothy's voice actress' delivery seemed rather forced to me. However, the music is sweet and hummable, and there is a valiant effort to have voice actors who do in a way resemble the 1939 cast without exactly imitating them. The characters do engage at least, with the Tin Man the most likable of the three companions(Scarecrow is rather stupid at first and apart from carrying his friends over the ditch the Cowardly Lion doesn't do much that is all that courageous. The Munchkins and Winged Monkeys are colourful characters in their own right, the Good Witch of the North is suitably benevolent and while like in the books she is not as prominent as in the 1939 film you do feel the villainy of the Wicked Witch of the West. But the best thing was the story, while condensed it is still charming and has a number of things from the books that the 1939 film didn't have, like the Good Witch of the North's kiss of protection, the Wicked Witch putting the spell on the Tin Man, the silver shoes and the golden cap, which fans of the books will appreciate I think. All in all, not the best version and imperfect but deserving of a better reputation rather than being classed as a cheap knock-off(which I don't think is a very fair distinction). 7/10 Bethany Cox

The Wizard of Oz (1991) is another animated short film that retells the story of the Wizard of Oz (1939) and this is one of the better versions of the story.

Positives for The Wizard of Oz (1991): As a cliff notes version of the story, this short film was actually decent for the most part. I have really enjoyed a lot of these different interpretations of the Wizard of Oz story. And finally, this was a quick and easy short film to watch and the kids can enjoy it.

Negatives for The Wizard of Oz (1991): This short film is another lesser version of the 1939 movie, but that always comes with the territory of these reinterpretations of the Wizard of Oz story.

Overall, The Wizard of Oz (1991) is another fun little animated short film that kids can enjoy watching.

Found this gem at a local store's bargain bin. I though my 3 year old daughter would enjoy this more than the classic full length version (the flying monkey's gave scared me as a kid!), what I found was nothing short of horrific. Not only have they compressed one of the most classic films of all time to under an hour (which I can understand given the target audience), but they hacked at the script with a chainsaw rather than with a knife. There is no flow to the slapped together scenes, the spirit of the original movie is all but lost, and the worst animation I have seen since the 70's. After watching this with my daughter, I put it away. I figure she deserves to see the REAL film when she's a bit older, not this phony.