It also clearly reveals both wicked and the disney movie as completely noncanon. Baum, an author of 16 oz sequels, says disney s movie looks exciting but he has his own oz movie, starring lea michele as dorothy, on the way. When people think of the wizard of oz, they think of the 1939 film starring judy garland. So, the characters in the story are all old, or as they look in wizard of oz, except theodora. As a disney release, the film was forbidden from using imagery or dialogue that draws. Nov 16, 2011 more info is emerging on the great powerful, the wizard of oz prequel thats being developed at disney. Walt disney pictures and its associated businesses have multiple connections with the oz literature. Oz the great and powerful official site disney movies.
The long history of disney and the wizard of oz indiewire. Mar 03, 20 oz the great and powerful, directed by sam raimiand arriving in theaters on friday, is an original story built on material culled from l. I should stipulate that oz the great and powerful isnt, strictly speaking, a prequel to the wizard of oz. Disneys questionable marketing technique of selling it as a sequel to. Published february 5th 20 by disney press first published february 20. And a girl who knows all about both is the coolest. Disney owned the rights to adapt all of baums books except the wizard of oz, but this did not matter because by 1985 both the marvelous land of oz and ozma of oz were in the public domain.
The wicked witch of the west is still defeated but her evil brother, the jester has returned to take her place. Disneys oz, the great and powerful is percieved as a prequel to mgms the wizard of oz the famous adaptation starring judy garland as well as coexisting with return to. Frank baum books as indelibly portrayed in mgms 1939 the wizard of oz. Tomorrow, a prequel to the wizard of oz story, oz the great and powerful, hits theaters, starring james franco as the wizard. The tin man, scarecrow, and lion must find a way to return dorothy to oz to help defeat the jester and his evil plans. Meet the creative team behind the resilient, porcelain character china girl. Wicked witchs waltz featurette oz the great and powerful. The wizard is a showman, and i suppose that is what i. Milas transformation featurette oz the great and powerful. Disneys movie studio, which has stumbled recently, takes a bold risk with a prequel to the beloved 1939 musical, the wizard of oz. Apr 21, 2010 more info is emerging on the great powerful, the wizard of oz prequel thats being developed at disney. Wicked, son of a witch, a lion amongst men and out of oz. Baum, an author of 16 oz sequels, says disneys movie looks exciting but he has his own oz movie, starring lea michele as dorothy, on the way.
Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the land of oz and its inhabitants, oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. The wizard of oz prequel will be directed by sam raimi, and could have robert downey jr. Of course, there is always some grey area or green, in this case the new york times reported that the filmmakers had to find a shade of green for the wicked witch of the west that was not quite identical to. Wizard of oz a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the metrogoldwynmayer movie musical, this new book the wizard of oz offers a rare glimpse into the creation of the classic film, its creator l. He also compared the films scale with the star wars prequel trilogy. Check out the plot details and some promotional materials after the. Actress mila kunis is transformed before your eyes into the wicked witch. Excellent prequel to the oz books and now im going to have to read those as. But in 1985, disney make a sequel to the classic film entitled return to oz. Oz the great and powerful is a 20 american fantasy adventure film directed by sam raimi and written by david lindsayabaire and mitchell kapner from a story by kapner. Copyright status of the wizard of oz and related works in. Disney books official site disney publishing worldwide. New from new york times bestselling author ginger zee. Even before the days of judy garland, the oz stories made for popular cinema.
Faruiza balk portayed dorothy gale exceptionally well, and at times, takes on judy garlands version so similair, its scary. Fighting over wizard of oz trademarks exclusive the underlying work is in the public domain, but warners is reminding everyone about its 1939 film. Sam raimis oz the great and powerful means to trade on and enlarge the view of the l. The only element that return to oz used from the 1939 movie was the ruby slippers. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuityand even a bit of wizardryoscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful wizard of oz but into a better man as well. We already told you about the 1910 silent short film version of the wizard of oz, which confusingly packs much of the original childrens book and the stage play adaptation from 1902 into crazed minutes, redolent of georges melies scifi films and filled with beauties on parade and a very active mule. Walt disney pictures presents oz, the great and powerful. My daughter and i are both counting down the days until we can see this wizard of oz prequel, which focuses on the kansasborn wizards journey to oz, where he tangles with three stunning witches. The earliest surviving wizard of oz film from 1910. Oz the great and powerful, a disney made prequel tothe wizard of oz, even begins in black and white and then switches.
More info is emerging on the great powerful, the wizard of oz prequel thats being developed at disney. Instead of depicting dorothy gales first trip to the emerald city, the script by mitchell kapner and david lindsayabaire shows how the wizard got to oz and hopes to transport. The filmmaker behind hairspray and bedtime stories is so hot to direct disneys wizard of oz prequel the great powerful that he. James franco to star in wizard of oz prequel movie the 127 hours actor will depict the wizards early years in a new sam raimi production. The great and powerful, which tells the backstory of how the wiz of a wiz landed in the merry old land of oz. Baums novels are treasures worth reading, and disneys new film oz.
The wonderful wizard of oz is a 1900 childrens novel written by american author l. Disneys oz the great and powerful ignites a rivalry with. Life lessons from the wizard of oz that every college student should adhere to 0320 04. My family caught a sunday matinee in 3d and we were transported to a land of enchantment, excitement, good humor, and incredible special effects. Disneys oz the great and powerful is not a prequel to mgms. Jul 05, 2012 disneys oz the great and powerful is the forthcoming film by director sam raimi that is a prequel to the wizard of oz, the beloved classic film from 1939. Fast forward about 75 years and disney releases oz the great and powerful, a prequel that features.
The film is just hitting theaters today, but disney is already preparing a sequel to the prequel that is oz. There was a sequel to the wizard of oz that was about. Frank baums early 20th century oz novels and set 20 years. The wizard of oz, still behind the curtain, lives on usa today. Life lessons from the wizard of oz that every college student. Since its first publication in 1900, it has been adapted many times. Dorothy of oz prequel, tells the story of how dorothy is needed back in oz. Mar 07, 20 tomorrow, a prequel to the wizard of oz story, oz the great and powerful, hits theaters, starring james franco as the wizard. The only element that return to oz used from the 1939 movie was the ruby slippers in the book, the slippers were silver. Disneys success with prequel oz the great and powerful prompts rival. Since the book was published more than 110 years ago. Jun 16, 2010 a wizard of oz prequel is now in the works at disney. Disney press is reissuing the classic the wonderful wizard of oz with a new introduction by franco. Copyright status of the wizard of oz and related works in the.
Actor james franco stars in this fantasy film that tells the backstory of oscar diggs, a smalltime circus magician with few ethics who transforms himself not only into the great and powerful wizard of oz. Disney s prequel to the wizard of oz aims to steal family audiences before easter, knocking wreckit. Oz the great and powerful hits theaters this friday, 74 years after the release of its classic inspiration, the wizard of oz. Last year, for example, they released a film intended to be a prequel to the wizard of oz called, oz. Donald abbott wrote 6 books and illustrated a couple more between 1991 and 1998 for.
How oz the great and powerful differs from the original flick. Aside from sam raimis adaptation debuting in 3d, what makes these. This book is a book of fantasy, as the plot line isnt realistic and has made up characters with made up characteristics. Oz, the great and often imitated disneys new fillm oz the great and powerful aspires to be a definitive prequel to the wizard of oz film of hollywood legend. For adam shankman, evidently, theres no place like oz. Disneys oz the great and powerful ignites a rivalry with wizard. The wizard of oz disneybook and cassette disney, walt on. By making the new oz film a prequel and excluding dorothy altogether, disney was able to avoid confronting some of these issues. Is the timeline of wicked and the wizard of oz reasonable. Disney gambles on boxoffice wizardry of oz the new york.
How the wizard came to oz is a 1991 prequel to the l. New director wanted for wizard of oz prequel screen rant. The great and powerful hits theaters next friday, march 8 and i dont think ive been this excited about a family movie since the relaunch of the muppets back in 2011. Oz the great and powerful is a 20 film by walt disney pictures, directed by sam raimi and starring. Oz the great and powerful, disneys prequel to the wizard of oz. Mar 06, 20 sam raimis oz the great and powerful means to trade on and enlarge the view of the l. The wizard of oz, still behind the curtain, lives on. Return to oz is a 1985 britishamerican fantasy film directed and written by walter murch, cowritten by gill dennis and produced by paul maslansky.
James franco stars in disneys prequel oz the great and. Wizard of oz authors greatgrandson on disneys film and. Frank baum first told the story in 1899 in his classic novel, the wonderful wizard of oz. A new prequel to the wizard of oz is in development from ramstar studios, based on a 1991 novelization by author donald abbott. Disneys prequel to the wizard of oz aims to steal family audiences before easter, knocking wreckit. Jan 09, 2019 is the timeline of wicked and the wizard of oz reasonable. Donald abbott wrote 6 books and illustrated a couple more between 1991 and 1998 for the emerald city press. It is not just a regular familyfriendly fantasy movie but it is also about a traumabased mind control, and it is the scariest disney movie ever made. Sam mendes, who sits atop the short list of director candidates, is set to fly in from london in the next few weeks to meet with studio chief rich ross and other disney executives. Its kind of an alternate ending to wizard of oz, after watching oz the great and powerful.
If you think that return to oz is scary you are wrong its horrifying. Mar 12, 20 by making the new oz film a prequel and excluding dorothy altogether, disney was able to avoid confronting some of these issues. But lifting from the wizard of oz, a tantalizing notion given its continued popularity, was strictly forbidden. Thr has word that mitchell kapner, who came up with the concept. Disney s oz, the great and powerful is percieved as a prequel to mgms the wizard of oz the famous adaptation starring judy garland as well as coexisting with return to oz to form disney s own oz universe. Return to oz was, i mean, is, better than the original, because it was more based on the books, whereas the wizard of oz was a cross between the original book, bittersweet sets and a symphony orchestra. Disney delivers a prequel to tell the story of the great wizard himself. When people think of the wizard of oz, they think of the 1939 film starring.
Other movie adaptations international wizard of oz club. The musical is based on a series of novels by gregory maguire. Mar 15, 20 disney s version, drawn on frank baums original books, is a prequel in which franco plays a young oz swept in a balloon into the magic realm 20 years earlier. After return to oz, disney lost the film rights to the oz books and they were. It stars nicol williamson, jean marsh, piper laurie, and fairuza balk as dorothy gale in her first screen role. The visual wonders of oz the great and powerful, disneys new prequel to the wizard of oz, begin with the opening credits a dizzying journey through a mazelike world seemingly created from paper cutouts, the names of the cast and creators mounted on sticks thrust into place by unseen hands. In addition, the following books use the oz milieu as settings for their tales. Oz the great and powerful, disneys wizard of oz prequel the. The disney movie loosely references the film many of us are most. The story of the wizard of oz by walt disney company.
Mar 07, 20 oz the great and powerful aims over the rainbow, side effects also appealing charles gant. Mar 01, 2011 james franco to star in wizard of oz prequel movie the 127 hours actor will depict the wizard s early years in a new sam raimi production. Mar 08, 20 the film is just hitting theaters today, but disney is already preparing a sequel to the prequel that is oz. Well, i have to admit, i was caught up in the cyclone juggernaut that is oz. The best wizard of oz dolls dorothy dolls, glinda, wicked. As we wrote yesterday, mendes has time on his hands now that james bond 23 is on the skids and is undoubtedly. Frank baum s early 20th century oz novels and set 20 years before the events of the original 1900 novel, the film is a spiritual prequel to the 1939 metrogoldwyn. Sunny and her team will blaze trails for other girls and boys into the fascinating facts and fun of this world by diving headfirst into the eye of the storm. A wizard of oz prequel is now in the works at disney. Disneys version, drawn on frank baums original books, is a prequel in which franco plays a young oz swept in a balloon into the magic realm 20 years earlier. He found it in the baums oz books, which, to walt at least, captured. Oz the great and powerful, disneys wizard of oz prequel.
May 03, 2010 for adam shankman, evidently, theres no place like oz. Designing china girl featurette oz the great and powerful. James franco to star in wizard of oz prequel movie telegraph. Mar 04, 20 disneys movie studio, which has stumbled recently, takes a bold risk with a prequel to the beloved 1939 musical, the wizard of oz. Oz the great and powerful, directed by sam raimiand arriving in theaters on friday, is an original story built on material culled from l. For example, we know from the baum books that the land of oz was at one. Watch the three original wizard of oz feature films, produced. Oz the great and powerful aims over the rainbow, side effects also appealing charles gant. Hello dorothy, i am theodora, the good witch of the west.
Frank baum, the academy awardwinning score, the leading lady, and the oz phenomenon that continues to captivate the world. This story is a great example of exceptional word choice. The wizard of oz is about dorothy who is abruptly displaced from her home in kansas. Unlike other wizard of oz books this book for some reason does not have the lion. Oz the great and powerful 20, a wizard of oz prequel directed by sam raimi and featuring the highwattage cast of james franco, mila kunis, rachel weisz, and michelle williams, premiered to a worldwide marketing blitz. The studios first great popular hit, snow white and the seven dwarfs, helped to inspire the 1939 mgm film the wizard of oz. New wizard of oz prequel in development, based on how the. She is on a mission to seek out the magical wizard in hopes to return home.
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