James Franco, all is forgiven. His woebegotten “Oz: The Great and Powerful’’ is practically a masterpiece compared to this eyeball-gougingly ugly, charm-free animated musical sequel, which is inexplicably opening in thousands of theaters instead of going direct to video.
Scarecrow (voiced by Dan Aykroyd), Cowardly Lion (James Belushi) and Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer) are literally tied up for most of the time, with Glinda (Bernadette Peters) trapped in a glass case. This leaves poor Dorothy (Lea Michele) to share a journey and several forgettable songs with the sorry company of Marshal Mallow (Hugh Dancy), Wiser the Owl (Oliver Platt), China Princess (Megan Hilty) and Tug the Tugboat (Patrick Stewart).
Based on a book by L. Frank Baum’s great-grandson, “Legends of Oz’’ focuses on the less-than-scintillating Jester (a frantic Martin Short), devious brother of the late Wicked Witch of the West. When Dorothy says, “Toto, this doesn’t look like the Oz I remember,’’ it’s hard not to shake your head in agreement.