Wonderful concept art from Dorothy of Oz

Is anyone longing for more Oz?

For everyone out there who devours all things WIZARD OF OZ, you might be interested in a new animated film coming out called DOROTHY OF OZ.

It’s not a live-action return, but it is an animated feature that includes the voices of Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, and Patrick Stewart. In this tale, Dorothy must go back to Oz to help her friends. The film is based on the book by Roger Stanton Baum, great grandson of L. Frank Baum.

The concept art includes some familiar place and characters as well as some new ones. You get to see Emerald City, Marshall Mallow, Dorothy, and a couple of others. It looks cute enough. Helming the animated feature is Dan St. Pierre, a guy who has worked on a good number of Disney films (THE LION KING, THE LITTLE MERMAID) as a layout artist. The film is set to release April 1, 2012.

“In this story, Dorothy (Lea Michele) returns to Kansas to find it devastated by the tornado that had whisked her away to the magical Land of Oz. The Home she had been so desperate to return to is no longer; the townspeople, with nowhere to turn, are packing up and moving out. However, before Dorothy can even begin to react to or resist this change, she is transported back to Oz by equally magical methods as her first trip. Oz is in trouble, and the people there need her help: Dorothy’s old friends- the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer) and Cowardly Lion (James Belushi)- have disappeared and the land is in a state of decay. As Dorothy journeys to find her friends, she encounters a number of new companions and problems, including a man of marshmallows (Hugh Dancy) who can’t think for himself, a china doll princess (Megan Hilty) whose bossiness is a cover for her fragility, and a tugboat (Patrick Stewart) with as many personalities as he has pieces. Dorothy must help this odd group band together against a wicked new villain- a Jester who thinks all of Oz should be under his control.”