A Random Collection of 'Oz'-Related News From This Week...

I haven't done Friday blogs in awhile now, mostly due to the lack of  news! This week, however, I've got a few random bits of news to talk about.

First up, there's a video on YouTube dubbed The Wizard of Ahhs that, as of this writing, has 1,522,112 views. The video was put together by Todrick Hall, who some people may know from the ninth season of American Idol, and features an acapella group called Pentatonix. The brilliant video tells the story of The Wizard of Oz in just under seven minutes using modern music. Sharp eyed viewers will spot costumes from the 1998 stage adaptation of the film. Watch the video below!

Next, we were contacted earlier this week about a grass roots effort to get an Oz themed LEGO set made. Instead of trying to explain how this all works myself, I will just pass along this message from Jeremiah Boehr:

I am writing to you in seeking support for a grass roots effort to get a Wizard of Oz themed LEGO set to 10,000 votes on a site called LEGO CUUSOO. Basically, a designer (in this case me) submits a concept and has to receive 10,000 votes before LEGO will put the idea under review and consider making it into an official LEGO set. As the Master Model Builder at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City, I have been working with my marketing team and have brought Warner Brothers and LEGO into this venture as well. We are still awaiting final approvals for their public online support, but we have begun to garner votes all the same. I am asking you if you would be willing to blog about this project and help spread the word through the Wizard of Oz fan community. I know there are millions out there who love the films and story and I am certain we can reach our goal of 10,000 supporters in no time through social media. Here is the link for the set I designed:  http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/43978  Fans will have to create a login to vote, but it only takes about 5 minutes to do so. I have also attached images of the set, should you wish to use them for promotion. Thank you for your consideration and support in advance.

Sounds pretty awesome, right? Right. Check out these photos Jeremiah sent in, and vote at the link above!

And, finally, some movie-related news... an announcement is expected to be made at Disney's D23 Expo next month about an Oz area or "land" coming to Disneyland, based on this year's smash hit Oz the Great and Powerful! Disney by Mark reports that it will be located where Big Thunder Ranch currently stands in the park. According to the site, the area will likely have one E-ticket ride and two C-ticket attractions. A restaurant similar to Walt Disney World's Be Our Guest is also being planned, but set in the Emerald City of course! Read more about this exciting news here. 

That's it for this week!