''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1990 animated television series produced by DIC Animation City to capitalize on the popularity of the 1939

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

, to which DiC had acquired the rights from Turner Entertainment, Co. The series aired for thirteen episodes and premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, starting on September 8, 1990.See www.tvguide.com/tvshows/wizard-oz/205567 (accessed on January 19, 2011) The show presented a number of stories and characters from

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

's original

Oz series The Oz books form a book series that begins with ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) and relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author Lyman Frank Baum, L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen full-length Oz books ...

. Author Jeff Lenburg mentioned an aspect of the series wherein Dorothy has to learn to believe in herself.

Plot

Dorothy has decided to return to Oz with Toto using the

ruby slippers The ruby slippers are the magic pair of shoes worn by Dorothy Gale as played by Judy Garland in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Because of their iconic stature, the ruby slippers are among the most valuable items ...

that showed up on her doorstep. Upon arriving there, she reunites with

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...

, Tin Man, and

Cowardly Lion The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak. Since lions are supposed to be "The Kings of Beasts," the Cowardl ...

. Dorothy learns from

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

that the

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...

has been resurrected by Truckle and his fellow

winged monkeys Winged monkeys are fictional characters created by American author L. Frank Baum in his children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). They are jungle monkeys with bird-like feathered wings. They are most notably remembered from the fam ...

. With the Wicked Witch of the West back from the dead, the

Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of the L ...

has been taken over by her and she has stolen the gifts that were given to Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. The Wizard is in his hot air balloon, which is under a spell that causes it to be constantly blown around by an evil wind. Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion set out to rescue him and defeat the Wicked Witch once and for all.

Comparison with source material

The series incorporated music and visual elements from the 1939

, including the Scarecrow's diploma and Dorothy's

. At the same time, the character of Dorothy was designed with an appearance similar to that of

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

from

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'' and was not intended to resemble

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Episodes

Principal voice actors

* Liz Georges –

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...

* David Lodge –

Hal Rayle Hal Rayle (born January 4, 1955) is an American voice actor. He has done many roles for both animated series and live action movies. Career Rayle has had a number of voice acting jobs over his career. Rayle's animated series roles include Miss Pi ...

– Tin Man * Charlie Adler –

* Frank Welker – Toto, Hyena (ep. 6) *

Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series '' Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrenc ...

–

, Miranda (ep. 10) * B.J. Ward –

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...

– Wizard of Oz

Additional voices

Jack Angel Jack Angel (October 24, 1930 – October 18, 2021) was an American voice actor, comedian, and radio personality. He provided voice-overs for animation and video games. Angel had voiced characters in shows by Hasbro and Hanna-Barbera such as '' S ...

– *

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

– * Pat Fraley – Truckle the Winged MonkeyLenburg, Jeff, ''The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (Third Edition)'', Facts on File, 2009, p. 670 *

Bibi Osterwald Margaret Virginia "Bibi" Osterwald (February 3, 1920 – January 2, 2002) was an American actress. Life and career Osterwald was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the daughter of Dagmar (Kvastad) and Rudolf August Osterwald, a hotel own ...

– * Rob Paulsen – *

Ken Sansom Frank Kenneth Sansom (April 2, 1927 – October 8, 2012) was an American actor. Among his best known roles, Sansom voiced Rabbit in animated television series, television specials, and films for Disney's ''Winnie the Pooh'' franchise from 1988 to ...

– * Susan Silo –

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in ...

Mayor (ep. 1)

Crew

* Susan Blu – Voice Director *

Ginny McSwain Ginny McSwain is an American voice actress, voice casting director, and animation production professional from Los Angeles, CA. Life and career McSwain graduated from Stephens College in 1974, before moving to Los Angeles. She has worked as cas ...

– Casting Director

International and re-airings

After its run on ABC, the series reaired on

Syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

on Bohbot Entertainment's Amazin' Adventures block from 1992 until 1993. The series also reaired on Toon Disney from the channel's launch in 1998 until 2002. The series also reaired on HBO. In Canada, the series aired on YTV from 1990 to 1995.

Home media

United States

"The Marvelous Milkmaid of Mechanica" has never been released in the United States in any home video format. "The Lion that Squeaked" is available only on VHS.

International

United Kingdom

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wizard of Oz (TV Series), The 1990s American animated television series 1990 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) Animated television shows based on films Animated television series based on The Wizard of Oz American television shows based on children's books Television series by DIC Entertainment Television about magic Witchcraft in television Wizards in television American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated fantasy television series Television series based on adaptations Animated television series about orphans Animated television series about dogs Animated television series about lions