Before courage can be lost, it must be found...
Lion of Oz is a 2000 Animated Musical based on the book Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage by Roger S. Baum (great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, the original author of the Oz books). It was made by CinéGroupe and distributed by both Lionsgate and Disney.
The film tells the story of how the famous Cowardly Lion, formerly part of the Omaha Circus, came to be in Oz and how he stopped the Wicked Witch of the East from getting the Flower of Oz.
Lion of Oz provide examples of the following tropes:
- A Dog Named "Dog": Lion is just called "Lion".
- All Animals Are Dogs: Lion acts more like this when he's still on Earth.
- Animated Adaptation: Of Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage by Roger S. Baum.
- Animated Musical
- Arc Words: True Friends can never be lost.
- Ascended Extra: The Cowardly Lion and the Wicked Witch of the East are the protagonist and antagonist here.
- Award-Bait Song: "Something About You".
- Big Bad: The Wicked Witch of the East, who's after the Flower of Oz to expand her rule.
- But Now I Must Go: Lion at the end of the movie, leaves to find Oscar and his courage.
- The Cameo: The movie ends with Lion leaping out to meet Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man as they travel along the Yellow Brick Road.
- Cowardly Lion: It stars the original Trope Namer.
- Damsel in Distress: Lion rescues Starburst the fairy from the Witch's henchman when they meet.
- Deadpan Snarker: Caroline the doll is one.
- The Ditz: Silly. When Lion meets him he asks for help crossing a river so he can go to a castle for a drink of water...
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The Flower of Oz's petal is actually part of her throne.
- Foreshadowing: Wimsik has plant-based powers, and is first seen residing in Castle Gray. Turns out, she is the Flower of Oz.
- Foregone Conclusion: The movie is actually a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, told from the Lion's perspective, and ends on a cliffhanger where the Lion meets Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man on the way to Emerald City.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The unseen Wicked Witch of the West. Curiously enough, in the original story, the Wicked Witch of the East is this instead.
- It Was with You All Along: Both Lion's courage and the Flower of Oz.
- Living Toys: Wimzik's two friends; Caroline, the ballerina doll, and Captain Fitzgerald, the toy soldier.
- MacGuffin: The Flower of Oz.
- MacGuffin-Person Reveal: The Flower of Oz, the beautiful symbol of all that is good in Oz that our heroes were trying to find? It was Wimsik the whole time!
- Magic Feather: Lion's badge of courage. He's distraught to lose it, Wimzik explains his courage and everything he's done weren't because of a badge but Lion's brave and noble heart.
- Nice Girl: Wimsik.
- No Indoor Voice: Silly shouts most of his dialogue.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Caroline and her dry wit certainly qualify.
- Rhymes on a Dime: The Mini-Munchkins are rather fond of doing this.Munchkin Mayor: Oh, we didn't start out this small. It was an evil spell from the Wicked Witch.Munchkin Villagers: Even her name makes us twitch!
- Talking Animal: The titular Lion, though only once he gets to Oz.
- Villain Song: "Wicked Ways".
