Oz the Great and Powerful is Disney’s third try on adapting Oz to the silver screen. Though Return to Oz was the most faithful, this unofficial prequel to the 1939 film was the more successful. Much like Wicked, the film takes liberties with the books’ colourful and weird mythology to create an origin story for the Wizard of Oz.
At the helm is cult legend Sam Raimi, director of The Evil Dead and the Spider-Man trilogies. Oz has always been a somewhat dark, frightening setting, with Raimi reminding us how the Wicked Witch of the West was once considered terrifying. Raimi marvellously balances the wonder and frights, accompanied by a bright and vibrant movie, with a great score by fellow oddball Danny Elfman.
The movie was the first to use the then-brand spanking new Motown Motion Picture Studios in Detroit. Raimi insisted on having physical sets and props with blue-screen backgrounds, rather than force the cast to imagine their surroundings. Much like The Wizard of Oz, the film’s production was not without issues. These primarily originated from Warner Bros., determined to tell Disney how to make their own movie.
Unlike Return to Oz, which had a license to include the Ruby Slippers, Oz had to contend with their rival studio’s legal stipulations to avoid copyright infringement. This meant the well known iconography of the 1939 film could not be directly replicated. There was supposedly a consultant on set to wag their finger if anything was too similar. They even had to use an alternate shade of green for the Wicked Witch’s make up to avoid trouble. How absurd. It doesn’t help that both Disney and Warner Bros. registered similar trademarks a week apart. If Warner Bros. didn’t want a film associated with their property, then why not just be blunt and say so.
Set a good thirty years before Dorothy’s fateful adventure, the movie furthers the homages with a black-and-white opening, using the same 4:3 aspect ratio as The Wizard of Oz. James Franco plays Oscar Diggs, the future Wizard, introduced as a travelling carnival magician and huckster. Selfish, egotistical, greedy, and womanising, Oscar wants fame and fortune, playing on the gullibility of others to earn cash. This comes back to bite him in a pivotal scene when a wheelchair-bound child begs for Oscar to magically fix her legs. He is encouraged by his childhood friend Annie – who happens to be Dorothy’s mother – to become a good man rather than a great one.
One twister ride later, Oscar gets the chance when he winds up in the Land of Oz, now in widescreen and colourful 3D. It doesn’t take too long for him to be mistaken as the prophesised Wizard, who will save Oz from a wicked witch and become king. Oscar quickly adopts the “liar revealed” arc as he tries to con his way to power, garnering the attention of several witches, including the obviously evil Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and her naïve, love-struck sister Theodora (Mila Kunis); the latter quickly falling under Oscar’s spell so to speak.
Sent off to thwart the wicked witch, Oscar is accompanied by a winged monkey named Finley (Zach Braff), who swears a life debt to the Wizard, after being saved from a certain lion. They find the ruined Dainty China Country, a location from the books, where they help a broken china girl (Joey King). King’s character becomes the heart of the movie, a sadly forgotten figure whose presence as a CGI character is up there with, well, every character played by Andy Serkis. In the film’s most moving scene, Oscar glues the girl’s shattered legs back onto her body.
They soon meet Glinda (Michelle Williams, who also played Annie), the supposedly wicked witch, who reveals Evanora had manipulated events to seize power in the Emerald City. Glinda is benevolent, yet, openly cunning too, willing to play and expand Oscar’s con if it means doing some good in Oz. Oscar and Glinda’s campaign to free Oz brings together a colourful collection of Ozians, including singing munchkins, none of whom have any combat experience. This ties in nicely to the books, where Oz lacked a proper army beyond the Emerald City’s guards.
The Wizard has always been a surprisingly grey character, being a good-natured man, but effectively staged a soft coup to seize power in Oz. As he describes himself in the 1939 film, he is a good man, but a bad wizard. It’s easy to understand why a man who came from nothing would cling to the power given to him. Luckily, Oscar never descends into pure villainy beyond the deception of one character.
As you might have surmised by process of elimination, Theodora transforms into the Wicked Witch of the West. Mila Kunis has Margaret Hamilton’s shadow hanging over her, but she strives to make the role her own. Heartbroken by Oz’s womanising, Theodora is effectively tricked by Evanora into eating a poisoned apple that shrivels up her heart, turning her green and ugly as a result. Nevertheless, Theodora has an amazing presence onscreen once she dons the green and black, reminding us why the Wicked Witch was so frightening. Oscar is unable to redeem Theodora, in a rare act where a hero’s actions are left unresolved or unrewarded. He must face the consequences of his hubris, represented by Theodora’s hideous transformation into a scorned monster.
Oz has always avoided the expectations of fantasy epics, avoiding a big, drawn out battle in favour of a series of clever ploys orchestrated by Oscar to drive out the witches, and cement his immortal role as the Great and Powerful Oz.
The scenes are beautifully shot, bright and colourful, boosted by the gorgeous special effects. Danny Elfman provides the melodramatic score, having fallen out with Raimi during Spider-Man 2 over micromanaging the music. Although forbidden from directly borrowing elements from The Wizard of Oz, the film shares the same sense of whimsy and wonder. References are sparse, though it alludes to the origins of Dorothy and her three companions. Interestingly, Glinda is named as the daughter of Oz’s late king instead of Ozma, so whether or not Return to Oz serves as a spiritual sequel is debatable.
Despite being a box office success, Oz the Great and Powerful never received a sequel. In some respects, it makes sense. Even if sequels had been made, Oscar and the witches would have to remain in the same positions for years until Dorothy crash-landed. Still, it is a shame nothing more came to pass, as the movie really felt like an ode to classic family films of yesteryear.
What are your thoughts on Oz the Great and Powerful? Was it deserving of a sequel, or did you find it suitable to be a one-off? Leave a comment below, or on our Twitter feed.
