Product Details

• Actors: Henry Beckman, Dom DeLuise, Gerard Plunkett, Jason Priestley, Lynn Redgrave
• Directors: Tim Deacon
• Writers: Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser, L. Frank Baum, Roger S. Baum
• Producers: Jacques Pettigrew, Loris Kramer Lunsford, Michel Lemire
• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony
• VHS Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Run Time: 74 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0738921947
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,842 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In this animated prequel to The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion (Jason Priestley) is a circus animal in Nebraska taken on an after-hours balloon ride by the kindly Oscar (Dom DeLuise). The balloonist puts the souvenir "badge of courage" around the lion's neck before the excursion goes awry in a storm and the pair are separated. They both set down, of course, in the Land of Oz. The Wicked Witch of the East (Lynn Redgrave) finds the lion in short order, confiscates his badge, and forces him on a quest to find the Flower of Oz, a mystical tool that would give her control of the realm. He is joined on his journey by a girl named Wimsik (Jane Horrocks of Little Voices), her doll and soldier toys (Kathy Griffin, Tim Curry), and a springy oddity named Silly (Bobcat Goldthwait).

Based on a book written by Roger S. Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, who authored the classic Oz books, this 71-minute film features professional performances, serviceable songs, and pleasant animation. Devoted fans of the classic film and books may resent this obvious capitalization, but kids will love the fun voices, playful new characters, and easy-to-digest plot--not to mention the chance meeting at the film's end with a certain party traipsing down a yellow brick road. (Ages 3 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

From the Back Cover

A young circus Lion is awarded a Badge of Courage and sent on a mysterious and adventurous journey through the Land of Oz. While there he encounters the Wicked Witch of the East who forces the young Lion to bring her the magical flower of Oz, the final obstacle in her quest for control.

With the help of a lovable and outrageous cast of characters, including a kind girl named Wimsik, the Lion goes in search of the Flower, but finds something else in the process -- his own bravery. In a final heroic deed, the Lion saves the flower from the Witch's evil spell, but loses his Badge of Courage in the process -- becoming one of the most memorable characters ever -- a cowardly Lion in the Land of Oz.

Based upon the Roger S. Baum Book, The Lion of Oz and The Red Badge of Courage, this is the exciting animated musical prequel to the L. Frank Baum classic, The Wizard of Oz, and tells the story of how cowardly lion lost his courage. The story features Lion surrounded by all new friends.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not terrific, but still enjoyable., May 1, 2001

By 

John Norris (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lion of Oz [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you're like me, when you saw that this movie was about the Lion of Oz, you immediately thought of Bert Lahr's performance in the 1939 film. And you thought you knew the character pretty well.

And you come to find out, there's more to him than you thought.

Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser have written two of my favorite animated films (the underrated films "Balto" and "Cats Don't Dance"), and once again, they do a nice job with the script here. Like I mentioned above, there's more to this Lion than you thought. They do a nice job of tying into the original story at the beginning and the very end, but the majority is brand new material. The voice cast (Dom DeLuise, Bob Goldthwait, Jane Horrocks, Tim Curry, et al) does a serviceable job, though I believe they have given better performances. The animation is good, and of higher quality than some direct-to-video productions I've seen.

The only things I did not care for were the songs by Michael and Patty Silversher. They have done much better work before (their theme song for Disney's "Tale Spin" has got to be the single most irresistibly catchy theme song ever). Here, the songs just really didn't seem to do much, and I didn't really care for the vocalists' performances much. (Dom DeLuise has done MUCH better singing before.)

But this film is called "Lion of Oz," after all, and fortunately the best aspect of the production is the title character (appropriately called--Lion.) The animation of him is very good, and Jason Priestley's performance is wonderful. I love the way he delivers his lines, especially the "asides." His performance is the best one.

In closing, "Lion of Oz" has a few flaws, but it still makes for enjoyable viewing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE MOVIE! OZ-SOME!, August 27, 2000

By 

Michael (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lion of Oz [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Hi guys! Well yesterday morning Disney's "Lion of Oz" was on and I woke up at 11am to tape it and I thought it was wonderful! I haven't read the book yet but I intend to buy it. The animation was wonderful, the songs and dialogue were great and the actor's voices fit each character perfectly. It was a very interesting story and I especially like the part at the end when the Lion meets a certain trio with a little dog down a certain brick road! As soon as this movie is released for sale which is Sept. 26 at amazon.com, I'm going to buy it. I suggest you all buy it too, trust me, you won't be disapponited and if you have kids they'll love it as it is a very easy plot to follow! I give it 10 stars! ********** bye* An Oz fan for life, Michael*

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCLLENT FOR KIDS!, August 24, 2000

By 

Trevor Arvin (Fremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lion of Oz [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Kids who know The Wizard Of OZ will love this colerful movie! KIDS WILL LOVE IT! 2 thums UP for LION OF OZ!