Ozu no mahôtsukai

This movie may not be the greatest quality you will find in cartoons, but to me it's a gem! I watched this movie for the first time when I was 3 or 4, and continued to watch it about once every two months until I was about 9. After losing track of it for thirteen years I finally found a copy and watched it again. I have to say, even now when I am "all grown up" I still find this movie charming! I would recommend this movie to any parent with small kids. As a child, I remember being very excited by all the magic and mystery - and of course the excitement of fighting the Wicked Witch of the West. And of course there's a lot about friendship and loyalty in the story. If you want to get your kid really into fantasy/adventure stories, this version of Wizard of Oz is a good investment. Copies are hard to find nowadays because it's a very obscure, little-known cartoon, but they do exist. Personally, I'm going to try to keep my VHS copy in reasonably good condition until I have kids of my own in a few years!

I've seen this movie dubbed in Swedish and subtitled in Finnish so I don't know how wonderful Aileen Quinn is as Dorothy. I watched this movie probably at least over 10 times when i was about 4-7 years old. The first times someone had to read me the subtitles but i guess I learned them from memory after few watchings. I saw Return to Oz (1985) when I was 7 or 8, and I loved that too, and still do. When I was about 12 or something I saw Wizard of Oz from the 20s, and only after all these I saw the Judy Garland's one, which is one of my favorite movies by now.

So... As a great movie experience, of course the Fleming's 1939 flick is the one to watch, but you got the storyline in here too, and even more accurately. Plus I like the animation in this even if it isn't so polished and superb. Then I love the own kind of synths in the music, and always when I hear same kind of synths anywhere (for example some car commercials has it, chill-out music or 80s Pink Floyd), it brings this movie to my mind. But this is not a musical, there's no Somewhere over the Rainbow.

I still think this is a good children's movie, so I recommend this of course to all the children, but then to all the people who love the 80s animation and nostalgia. Not the best in this "genre" but worth watching. You can never top Silver Fang, Alfred J. Kwak, Willy Fog: Around the world in 80 days, Nick Knatterton and Il était une fois...-series but you can see fair efforts like this too.

In Finland this movie was distributed by Omaxi, which had these video series and pretty interesting films actually. The company was live and kicking through the 80s and the early 90s, but then it disappeared. Some people still treat those Omaxi cassettes as treasures, and they kind of have this cult status. Other animated movies in this series that i got, is a version of Jack London's Call of the Wild and the great great Genshi Shounen Ryu.

I don't think it holds a candle to the timeless classic that is the 1939 film with Judy Garland, however it deserves to stand on its own and that's how I'm going to judge it now. I have to say I really like this animated version, and I have to say if there is anything that is superior over the 1939 film it is that it is closer to the book, there are a few changes but in spirit this version is very faithful. And the story itself is just charming, never dull and will appeal to children and adults I think. The animation may have some stiff character movements but the backgrounds and colours are very pretty. The score is great, the mix of light jazz and contemporary music is interesting and beautifully composed while never jarring, and the songs are very sweet without falling into the trap of being saccharine. The dialogue has its choppy moments and the lip-synching is sloppy but there are still some heartwarming and funny moments too. The characters live long in the memory, Dorothy is a very endearing protagonist, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion are amusing in their own right and the Wicked Witch of the West is appropriately sinister while not being overly so. The voice acting is generally very good, and the dub for an 80s dub is actually not bad at all.

Sure, Thick Wilson doesn't come across as cowardly enough and Lorne Greene is far too detached. However, Billy Van is a very charming Scarecrow while Elizabeth Hanna is dead-on, right from the cackling of the Witched Witch, whose role is small but still significant(Hanna really sounds like she's relishing every moment), to the benevolence of the Good Witch of the North. John Stocker appeals also as the Tin Man, almost melancholic and caring when he needs to be. But the best of the voice cast is easily Aileen Quinn- I happen actually to be a fan of Annie and her performance in it. She is simply adorable and puts a lot of spirit into a role that could be potentially vapid, and her singing voice is really extraordinary and very powerful. From experience with teaching primary school children singing for half-a-year to get some experience for studying singing at Birmingham, I will say that few people her age sing the way Quinn does, not everybody will like her voice but I find it unique and beautiful.

Overall, a very well-done, entertaining and charming film, not the best version but fans of the book will be satisfied I think. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Judy Garland. And her version of THE WIZARD OF OZ from 1939 is classic. But it's not at all faithful to the book. This production is. The animation isn't great, and it's obviously not a flawless production, but it's lovingly done, has decent songs, and above all, is FAITHFUL to the book. Yes, there is a book. Yes, people have actually read it. Everyone's seen the movie but few people have bothered to read the book. If they had, they'd discover that OZ was a much more whimsical place, it really existed, it wasn't some dream. And this production is very true to the spirit of the novel. And Aileen Quinn is adorable, I wish she'd return to the movies, what a fabulous voice at such a young age.

As a fan of the original book i recommend this film. I'm not a big fan of the character art work but its great to see sections of the book explored that are ignored in the 1939 movie.

The film takes on a pleasing dark tone in all the right places and can create quite an atmosphere. especially in the witch's castle. i love they way she is animated

annoyingly they have given Dorothy red shoes although they only refer to them as magic slippers, the actual design (with curly up toes) is pleasing but i wish they were silver.

Also the munchkin houses are drawn much in the same way as in the JR Neil drawings and the munchkins themselves resemble the Denslow originals.