We’re Off to See the Wizard!
This year marks the 85th anniversary of the beloved family film, The Wizard of Oz. It will also see the release of Wicked, the movie release of the hit Broadway musical. Join us as we take a peek behind the curtain into the wonderful world of Oz!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The 1939 film we grew up with was based on the children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and published in 1900. He was well-known in his neighbourhood for making up stories to tell the local children and was encouraged by his family to write them down to share with a wider audience.
There are 14 books set in the land of Oz by L. Frank Baum, and they remain hugely popular today, despite now being over 100 years old. They make a great idea for Book Day costumes for kids (and teachers!), letting them dress up as Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, or even the Wicked Witch of the West.
The Wizard of Oz film adaptations
Several film versions of the stories of Oz emerged, starting in 1908. At that time, it was not common for children to be taken to the pictures, so the early silent-era film versions were aimed at adult audiences. Overall, they weren’t terribly successful. Some have been lost along the way, but several are still available to view and are included in some DVD releases of the 1939 movie.
For many of us, it’s hard to imagine a time when movies weren’t commonly created for children or adapted from storybooks. In 1937 when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs showed that there was audience interest in seeing their favourite children’s stories brought to life, it became something of a turning point. MGM promptly secured the rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to turn it into a spectacular movie musical.
The film was released in 1939 and had a lot of hiccups along the way. They were creating many special effects that hadn’t been tried before, such as the tornado, and cast members were injured by some of the fire scenes, as well as the components in the make-up. In all, it took 14 writers and 5 directors to create the film.
The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, winning 2 (for Best Original Song – Over the Rainbow, and Best Original Score). Judy Garland also won a special Juvenile Academy Award for her work on The Wizard of Oz and Babes in Arms that year. Despite this acclaim, due to its astronomical budget, the movie would not turn a profit until it was re-released in 1949.
With the advent of television, it became a TV staple, being shown every year before home video, DVD, and now streaming, meant that it could be watched on demand. It was one of the first 25 films selected for preservation by the US National Film Registry and is commonly ranked one of the greatest movies of all time.
Love for Oz has not abated over the years. It was the first comic book that Marvel and DC Comics collaborated on back in 1975, and is even being turned into a precinct and 2 roller coasters at Warner Bros Movie World on the Gold Coast, Australia, set to open later this year.
What is Wicked?
Published in 1995, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was written by Gregory Maguire. It creates a backstory for the Wicked Witch of the West (including giving her a name – Elphaba, based on the initials of the original author), her friendship with Galinda (later known as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North), and her encounters with the Wizard. While the book was not written for children, the musical based on the book is much more family-friendly.
The musical debuted on Broadway in 2003 and has travelled the world, winning much acclaim, including Grammy and Tony awards. The movie coming out this November is based on this musical, and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda. The music is catching and joyful, and we are looking forward to the release of part one in November 2024.
This new film foray into the world of Oz is sure to get fans rejoycifying and embracing the original movie as well as the new. It will be interesting to compare the two when the time comes. Both are a product of their respective times. The main themes of The Wizard of Oz, which was filmed at the end of The Great Depression, revolve around self-reliance, dreaming of the wonderful, and remembering that there’s no place like home. Wicked, by contrast, is about the bonds of friendship and addresses issues of prejudice and intolerance. You’ll probably start to wonder if it really is wicked to want your sister’s precious shoes after she has a house land on her…
We’re super excited about the new movie and have been revisiting the books and the beloved MGM version while we wait. Make sure you watch this space, as there will be exciting new costumes coming for the film’s release and will have them available as soon as they arrive!
- Ann Thomson