Fantastic Journey to Oz 2017

Long ago, Milena meets Urfin Jus [Konstantin Khabenskiy], a curious young boy who initially offers him a trinket but is declined and walked away. This early moment hints at ambitions that will simmer beneath the surface as the tale unfolds.

Years pass, and Urfin discovers weeds invading his garden. He tries to cut them down, then burns them away, only to wake up to something extraordinary. A bucket of magical dust from the weeds is knocked loose and lands on a wooden puppet, which suddenly springs to life. The puppet’s chase through the room is interrupted by the arrival of the bear [Dmitriy Dyuzhev] [Dmitriy Dyuzhev], who also comes to life, revealing that Urfin possesses powers granted by the enigmatic powder. With the puppet’s guidance, Urfin fashions a small force of wooden soldiers and sets his sights on leadership in a land ruled by the Munchkins. The procession moves toward the Emerald City, signaling the start of a bold, if sly, bid for control.

Meanwhile, a bright-eyed girl named Ellie (with her loyal dog Toto) discovers a pair of silver slippers in her room and uses them to slip into the magical realm of the Munchkins. In this strange land, Ellie encounters the wandering wooden soldiers and is quickly pursued by them, along with Toto. They are herded into a trap that ends with them slipping down into a hidden hole, while the Munchkins emerge safely from their homes. Ellie’s journey along the famed Golden Brick Road takes her toward the Emerald City, where she crosses paths with an older Milena, who quietly passes a keepsake to Ellie—Intended to be given to Urfin Jus—and a watchful crow.

The duo’s travels are interrupted when an ogre seizes Ellie and Toto and drags them back to his hut. This perilous detour adds tension to Ellie’s quest as she and Toto navigate new dangers in a cavernous setting.

Back in the capital, Urfin, the Bear, and their wooden soldiers reach the Emerald City. A tense assault unfolds as the soldiers attempt to infiltrate the castle, but the doors remain stubbornly closed. The citizens rise to defend their home, and the invaders attempt to overwhelm the fortress by lining up on each other, essentially using a stacked formation to breach the defenses. The Scarecrow counters with fire to rattle the invaders, while the Bear tries to douse the flames, a task that proves slower than hoped. The clash above and below ground escalates into a chaotic defense of the city.

In the ogre’s hut, Ellie and Toto’s fate grows more perilous as the ogre prepares a grim meal. The Cowardly Lion bursts into the hut, but a trapdoor is activated, plunging the trio into a shadowy cave. The urgency of Ellie’s mission intensifies as the group finds themselves in a precarious, dimly lit corridor far from the safety of the Emerald City.

Parallel to this, Ruf Bilan captures the Scarecrow, revealing a new, sinister motive: to become the master of Urfin. Ruf opens a gate that unleashes the combined forces of the soldiers, Urfin, the Bear, and the puppet into his throne room. He even proposes a new name for the town—“Urfinville”—as a symbol of his dominion. The arrival of the Tin Woodman is announced by the bustling crowd, and a crow disrupts the scene, prompting plans to create a clone of the Scarecrow.

Meanwhile, Ellie, Toto, and the Cowardly Lion explore the cavern, where Toto activates magical shards that conjure a spider-like monster. The trio is pursued, and the Lion shares a story of past chases by fangthers and a spell that pushed them toward a dangerous cliff. They press onward, determined to reunite with their friends and find a path to safety.

The Tin Woodman finally reaches Emerald City, only to confront an impostor Scarecrow. The puppet misleads the Woodman into thinking he is the rightful king, and when they reach a door, the Woodman leaves behind his ax and steps into a trap. A jail cell follows, and a fire sprinkler triggers rust, erasing the Woodman’s oil can from memory. The real Scarecrow remains imprisoned, while Urfin confronts the mysterious Gingema’s book, trading it for access to powerful magic.

As Ellie disrupts the wooden sentries and sneaks into the castle, she reunites with the Scarecrow and helps him escape his own cell. The imposter Scarecrow delivers the slippers to Urfin, who hopes to win the affection of everyone. With the book’s guidance, Urfin resolves to use the silver slippers to fulfill his wish for universal adoration, and Gingema’s enigmatic text hints at the slippers’ power.

The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and a friendly wooden soldier break free from captivity, discovering that Urfin’s magic powder is nearly exhausted and cannot revive the army to its original malevolent state. The crow reminds Urfin that he is not a wizard, and the imposter Scarecrow supplies Urfin with the coveted slippers. Urfin imprisons Ellie, then returns to his room, donning the slippers and choosing a colossal robot as a dramatic instrument of punishment for the city.

A fierce battle erupts as the robot stomps through the streets. The Lion aims to lower Ellie’s cage, but a broken lever threatens to doom her; a rope’s quick save ensures she remains safe. Ruf captures the cage, and Ellie’s slippers glow, but she refuses to abandon her friends or her mission to help the city. The trinket Milena once offered is shown to Urfin, rekindling his desire for acceptance. The robot’s assault intensifies until the animal and human allies discover a way to counter it: the anthropomorphic cage’s magic channels a combined force that weakens the machine.

The robot finally falters, only to lurch back to life, surprising everyone with its resilience. As Ellie’s slipper slips from her foot, she hurls the remaining slipper toward the robot, delivering a final, dramatic twist. The robot is suddenly teleported to a random world, ending its rampage and letting the Emerald City breathe a sigh of relief. The populace erupts in celebration of Ellie’s bravery, and she continues to search for a way home.

Despite her best attempts, Ellie’s magic spell cannot immediately ferry her back, and the crowd begins to sing the spell in unison. In a final twist of fate, the familiar figure of Dorothy finds her way home, his or her arrival signaling a bittersweet end to the journey. The city’s people rejoice, grateful for Ellie’s courage while recognizing that some mysteries of the magical land remain beyond the reach of even the best intentions.