I will start by saying that multiple people commented to let me know that this puzzle ended up not being fun, due to the large amount of research involved, some of it not easily accessible. I attempted to alleviate some of that with the revised version, but this was still, at its heart, a research puzzle. I recognize that this style of puzzle does not appeal to a good portion of my audience, and I will be avoiding it in the future. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me, and apologies for any stress this puzzle caused.
There are two versions of this puzzle, but the solving mechanism is the same for each – solvers trace out the journeys of the given characters, books, or movies to form letters, which can be read to find the answer. Not every location from the books or movies is included, and some are visited more than once.
Here is the revised version of the puzzle:
The Hobbit – Rivendell, Misty Mountains, Mirkwood, Lake-town, Lonely Mountain 
A Wrinkle in Time – Earth, Uriel, Orion’s Belt, Camazotz, Ixchel, Camazotz, Earth 
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Kansas, Munchkin Country, Emerald City, Winkie Country, Emerald City, Quadling Country, Kansas 
Homework Bound: The Incredible Journey – Ranch, Waterfall, Porcupine, Animal Shelter, Train Yard
And here is the original, much longer, version:
A Wrinkle in Time – Earth, Uriel, Orion’s Belt, Camazotz, Ixchel, Camazotz, Earth 
The Mitchells vs. the Machines – Kentwood, Kansas, Mall of the Globe, Silicon Valley 
Muppets Most Wanted – Berlin, Madrid, Dublin, Tower of London 
The Phantom Tollbooth – Expectations, Doldrums, Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, Mountains of Ignorance 
The Odyssey – Aeaea, The Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, Thrinacia, Scylla and Charybdis, Ogygia, Ithaca 
Gulliver’s Travels – England, Lilliput, England, Brobdingnag, England, Laputa, Balnibari, Laggnagg, Japan, England 
The Hobbit – Rivendell, Misty Mountains, Mirkwood, Lake-town, Lonely Mountain 
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – England, Lone Islands, Deathwater Island, Duffers’ Island, Dark Island, Island of the Star, England (If England is replaced with Earth, the same shape is still formed.) 
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Kansas, Munchkin Country, Emerald City, Winkie Country, Emerald City, Quadling Country, Kansas 
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey – Ranch, Waterfall, Porcupine, Animal Shelter, Train Yard
Depending on the version of the puzzle, the letters spell out ANSWER MAPS or just simply MAPS. The answer to this puzzle is MAPS.