Lion of Oz

The lion and his friend Oscar are caught in a lightning storm, and the lion falls (safely) out of a hot air balloon and into Oz. In Oz, the Wicked Witch of the East and a menacing mist creature called Gloom threaten to capture the lion's friends and create dangerous obstacles for them along the way, such as taking away a bridge that would get the friends past a waterfall. There are a couple of suspenseful situations wherein a character has to be rescued from a river or from a magic spell.

Parents need to know that Lion of Oz is an animated prequel to the familiar book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which inspired the beloved film The Wizard of Oz. This movie is based on a novel by Roger S. Baum, grandson of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the original Oz series. This adventure explains how the Cowardly Lion got to Oz (though he is simply called Lion here). Although this movie doesn't include enough music for it to be considered a musical, the characters sing a few times. The only concern for parents here is cartoon scariness, as the villainous Wicked Witch of the East, her flying monkeys, and her partner in crime -- a skull-faced mist creature called Gloom -- threaten Lion and the friends who're trying to help him. However, any child who's comfortable with the level of scariness in the 1939 classic film can handle Lion of Oz.

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.