Dee & Friends in Oz


Dee & Friends in Oz is an animated fantasy adventure musical television series re-telling the classic story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It released globally on Netflix on February 5, 2024.
Produced by 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films, animated by the same team who worked on Karma's World and Ada Twist, Scientist, the series is inspired by the L. Frank Baum 1900 children’s fantasy novel and has been adapted in a series format for a preschool audience for the first-time.

Premise

The series follows the story of a young girl named Dee, who uses a mysterious key to discover a magical land of Oz, where she meets new friends and gets challenged on a musical journey to save magic - and become a hero.

Characters

Main

  • Dorothy "Dee" Davis : The series' main 8-year-old female protagonist.
  • Miss Emerald : The teacher at The School of Oz. She's Miss Ruby's good sister.
  • Stuffley : The main villain's right-hand-bear turned hero and supporting character by the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2.
  • Tin/Quentin : A 7-year-old boy who is kind-hearted and loyal.
  • Scarecrow/Skylar : A 7-year-old scarecrow who's really not scary at all.
  • Lion/Rohan : A 5-year-old lion who's always ready to hang with the big kids.
  • Eastyn/Emília : An 8-year-old pink witch who's always on the go and twin sister of Westyn/Wanessa.
  • Westyn/Wanessa : An 8-year-old blue witch and twin sister of Eastyn/Emília.

Villains

  • Miss Ruby : The series main villain. She's Miss Emerald's evil sister.
  • Larry The Shrink Bug

Supporting

  • Grandma : The grandmother of Dee.
  • Dee's Dad : The father of Dee.
  • Dee's Mom : The mother of Dee.
  • Ozzo : An Ozling in the magical land of Oz.
  • Ozzie : An Ozling in the magical land of Oz.
  • Ozelle : An Ozling in the magical land of Oz.
  • Whoop-Dee-Doo : Stuffley's assistant.
  • Whoop-Dee-Don't : Miss Ruby's assistant.
  • Nonny Haybert : A non-binary scarecrow and the mayor of Strawland.
  • Mayor Gadget : A male tinperson and the mayor of Tinland.
  • Bluebell
  • Lavender
  • Baby Woohoo Bird
  • The Singling
  • Thwart Funigans

Minor

  • Strawperson
  • Strawperson
  • Tinperson
  • Tinperson
  • Little Ozling
  • Little Ozling 2
  • Oz Creatures
  • Ozica
  • Sleepy Tree
  • Ozling Parent
  • Singing Ozling
  • Singing Ozling
  • Golden Woohoo Bird
  • Woohoo Birds
  • Ozlie
  • Wiggly Frog
  • Giggly Frog
  • Boat
  • Grumpy Ozling
  • Sleepy Tree
  • Witch
  • Rozzo
  • Baby Ozling
  • Ozling Chorus Member
  • Ozward
  • Lilac
  • Widget

Episodes

Series overview

The series is split into two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

Production

The series is produced by 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films. Vince Commisso, Cathal Gaffney, Darragh O'Connell and Angela C. Santomero, Halcyon Person and Keion Jackson are co-executive producers for the series, while Fatimah Abdullah, Rory Dungan and Michael Pecoriello are producers. The series is directed by Declan Doyle and Dan Nosella.
On September 28, 2023, Netflix announced the greenlight of the series, alongside an order for additional episodes of Gabby's Dollhouse and a trailer for its first CoComelon original series. The vice president of Netflix animation series, John Derderian, stated the series offers an exciting, character-forward way into a new social emotional curriculum through public domain characters like The Wizard of Oz that parents and kids are familiar with.
The official trailer for the series was released on January 11, 2024.
The show's first and second seasons premiered on Netflix on February 5, 2024. All 16 episodes premiered on the same day, alongside a 44-minute prequel and released globally on Netflix.

Music

The show's original music is composed by Tarriona "Tank" Ball and inspired by music genres like R&B, hip-hop, funk, gospel, country, rock and more. The lyrics include affirmations about community, confidence and friendship. The show's first official soundtrack, Dee's Journey, was released globally on February 9 on all music streaming platforms, with the lead single "Proud to be Loud".

Reception

The series has been received positively. Fernanda Camargo of Common Sense Media described the series as a "vibrant musical", saying that it "encourages kids to be their best selves" and brings a fresh take on familiar characters from the world of The Wizard of Oz. Herman also argued that the music in the series is "catchy with pop energy and lyrics that stay with you" and said that it uses song and dance to "inspire creative expression" calling it an enticing show providing good fun "for the entire family".