"Oz the Great and Powerful" Trailer, Posters, & Stills

Yes, I was just so darn excited about the new Oz the Great and Powerful goodies that I couldn't wait until Friday to blog about it!

Earlier this week, the House of Mouse revealed the third and final panel of the official poster for the film... and the three of them together look awesome if you ask me.

 Also released is a brand new trailer for the film!



The more I see from this film, the more excited I am to see it. Certainly looks promising...

In other news, The Courier-Journal, which is my local newspaper, published on article on Wednesday about me and my work on Dorothy and the Witches of Oz and my acting debut in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Also included are pictures of my Oz collection. Check that out here.

Speaking of Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, advanced tickets are still available for the red carpet screenings of the film in Boone, North Carolina this weekend. Proceeds will benefit the Brady Bakken Cancer Benefit. Contact April Smith at smithal@applestate.edu or visit the film's official Facebook page for details. Don't miss your chance to see the film!

Also, the role of the Wizard was recently cast in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. See behind-the-scenes pictures and all that here.

New Comics!

 Some new Oz comics in! Let's take a look

The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #1 The first issue of an ongoing series following up from the successful miniseries.

With "Gale" and the Wicked Witch gone, there's uncertainty and unrest in the Land of Oz. Tin Man's now being forced to take orders from General Jinjur (who's taking control of the Emerald City) while Scarecrow and Lion are in prison.

The comic has some really great dialogue and shows a few scenes that we missed in the beginning of the miniseries. This first issues serves as a transition between this old west take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and now The Marvelous Land of Oz. It looks to be quite worth sticking around for!

In other comics, Marvel's series of adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz books continues with The Road to Oz #3. There's been a few changes in how the series has been put out: Road is only six issues, and according to an interview with Shanower, it seems this will be a new norm for the series, meaning that the stories will be squeezed into fewer issues. This doesn't really pose much of a problem for Road, since a quick pace helps the story, but with stories like The Patchwork Girl of Oz, there might be more concerns on how to condense it.

I haven't commented on the series much (despite buying each issue and the hardcover collections), because I'm rather loathe to admit that while Shanower adapts the story well and occasionally adds nice additional dialogue (issue #1 of Road had the Shaggy Man quip "Unusual weather we're having" when it begins to snow outside Foxville), the real star of the series has been Skottie Young.

Skottie's unorthodox and cartoonish (sometimes bordering on bizarre) take on Oz has proved a refreshing look at our favorite fairyland. While I still picture Neill's depictions when I think of Oz, Skottie's interpretations are charming in their own whimsical way. It offers more fun to these wonderful stories, though he can't break entirely away from Neill (e.g.: Ozma). I really enjoyed his new look at Allegro DaCapo (aka The Musicker) in this issue, and the Scoodlers are appropriately menacing.

Hey, next issue, Johnny Dooit and the Sand Boat! I wonder how Skottie will depict the visiting dignitaries...

Lather, rinse, repeat

So, with less than five months from the premiere, Disney has begun a new wave of promotion for Oz: The Great and Powerful.

In an article for USA Today, director Sam Raimi drops a few hints about the plot: "(Oscar Diggs is) mistaken for Oz the Great and Powerful, destined to be the next king of Emerald City. But he's only to receive that title if he can defeat the Wicked Witch."

Sounds really good, right?

Yeah, except we've seen that done at least twice by Disney in the past eight years.

The film is already being compared with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which, I won't lie, I wasn't a fan of. This sequel to Lewis Carroll's nonsensical satire took a dark and serious approach to the material: the Red Queen (the Queen of Hearts with a name change) has taken over Underland (supposedly, Alice got the name wrong, never mind that no one in those stories named their country) and the White Queen and a rag tag band of misfits wait for the return of Alice to slay the Jabberwocky so they can take back their country. Except Alice doesn't believe that she is who they're waiting for.

I'll cut straight to it, I'm practically seeing the same story set to unfold in this new Oz film. However, I'm not despairing, perhaps this idea will work out better with Glinda and the Wizard fighting the Wicked Witches of the East and West. I'm not expecting it to fully blend with Baum's books, but we'll see where they go with it.

But where did they get this plot from?

Narnia.

Now, note, Walden Media was the actual production company behind The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but Disney did work on it with them.

In the film, the plot deviates slightly from the book, placing the hope for the land of Narnia to be delivered from the icy grip of the White Witch into the hands of the four Pevensie children. Eldest brother Peter, who's unsure if they're really able to help the land. (In the original book, more emphasis is placed on the involvement of Aslan, the titular lion, though the film doesn't ignore him.) The plot worked well there because it was derived from the book with a gentle reworking.

Now, you can't blame Disney for sticking with a great-selling plot (Narnia made over $745 million, Alice walked off with over $1,024 million), but honestly, I wish they'd at least come up with something new, or wait ten years before trotting it out again.

Well, we'll see how it works.

Our Landlady

During L. Frank Baum's time in Aberdeen, South Dakota, he ran a lavish store called Baum's Bazaar. Unfortunately, the store was too lavish to run for long and he had to close it. Not quite ready to quit Aberdeen, he started the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer, a weekly newspaper.

Baum would editorialize about local and national news, but he had a fun way of treating some topics. In addition to poetry, he wrote a series of stories about Sairy Ann Bilkins, landlady of the cheapest boarding house in the United States, located in Aberdeen. She would discuss matters, sometimes relating odd stories. Her boarders—young Tom, the doctor, and the colonel (who she has a crush on)—offer commentary, usually over dinner, which the boarders occasionally find foreign objects in.

Baum is witty and humorous here, but admittedly, this book is greatly helped by Nancy Tystad Koupal's annotations and notes, helping us understand the appropriate context for it. This is not a fault of Baum, because he didn't write to have it read about 120 years later, but for his friends and neighbors at the time they were living in.

That being said though, readers fresh off the Oz books might be surprised by the Baum they find here. Instead of rollicking adventures, they get a plain country woman's view of her home and world. Baum does venture into fancy in a few strips, such as an underground ride and an idea of the future of Aberdeen, but one that really gets to Oz fans is an early one where Mrs. Bilkins tells about how the local farmers are dealing with hard times. She tells how one farmer makes his horses wear green goggles so he can trick them into thinking shavings are grass so they'll eat them, "but they ain't gittin' fat on it." This, of course, brings to mind how the Wizard makes the people of the Emerald City wear green spectacles in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Koupal notes how Baum's work for the Pioneer is actually very critical to understanding how his mind worked, noting that those who believe he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a Populist allegory are actually completely ignoring his entire work for the paper. This work reveals his actual political stances, which stand at odds with the Populism interpretation.

While Baum fans may get a chuckle from Mrs. Bilkins, Our Landlady is definitely more for those who want to know more about who L. Frank Baum was and what he believed. Those who simply want to enjoy a work of fiction might look to his other works.

Another 'Oz the Great and Powerful' poster and 'Dorothy of Oz' stills

Happy Friday, everyone!

Disney just released the second of the three panels of the Oz the Great and Powerful, set to be released in 3-D on March 8th. It's said that the three images together will make one, big connected image like they did with the Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland posters a couple years back. 

Also to be released at some point next year is Summertime Entertainment's animated kid's flick Dorothy of Oz. Just Jared released new stills from the film earlier today. Check all of 'em out right here.
 
There will be two screenings of Dorothy and the Witches of Oz in Boone, North Carolina on November 18th at the Watauga County High School. The screenings will be at 3pm & 7pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ten and under; proceeds will benefit the Brady Bakken Cancer Benefit. Stars Barry Ratcliffe, Eliza Swenson, Al Snow, and director Leigh Scott are all set to attend. A great movie, and a great cause! Contact April Smith at smithal@appstate.edu to purchase advanced tickets, as seating is limited. 

I think that's just about it for this week... 'till next time! 

Oz goes Social

I tend to stay away from Facebook games, however, a few get me, but only if they're based on stuff I care about.

SO, there's a game based on the MGM film The Wizard of Oz. It uses some nicely done 3D recreations of the places and characters along with film clips and vocal imitations of the film's cast (though the Dorothy voice leaves a little to be desired).

The game focuses on Munchkinland and the Yellow Brick Road. The tiny Munchkin town you land in starts off with only four little huts and the beginning of the Yellow Brick Road.

The Yellow Brick Road is incomplete, so you need bricks to finish it. To get bricks, you make them. To make bricks, you need ore, which must be mined. To do this, you set up factories that the Munchkins will work. To keep the Munchkins happy, you can build more homes, shops, restaurants, and a grain mill to keep a food supply ready. In addition, you can control Munchkins who can chop down trees and mine rocks for more wood and ore, and an easy to control fishing game to earn more food.

When you've made enough bricks to complete a new section of the Road, you can head down it and get a series of bonuses and mini-games. Additional items can also be made by "Ozifying" with Professor Levram (clearly Professor Marvel). You can also pick up shards of Glinda's old wand and summon her when you get five of them.

From time to time, the Wicked Witch of the West pops up and has her Winged Monkeys attack. You fend them off from damaging your buildings by clicking on them.

There's also a social element to the game. You can connect with Facebook friends playing the game by adding them as neighbors and helping in their own "Munchkinland." They can also staff buildings like Town Hall, the Bank, the Lollipop Guild and the Lullaby League. You can also send them items and other things they might need, probably the Ozziest aspect of the game.

What you can do is limited by energy. Most actions take up one unit of it, then it takes about four minutes (or a power-up) to recover a point. You get a higher energy level each time you level up. Possibly the wait time to replenish energy goes down with each level up, but in my time playing, it hasn't gone down noticeably, if at all.

There are also quests you can do that will reward you with more coins, energy, and items once completed.

You can also use Facebook credits (bought with real money) or do offers to earn Emeralds which can unlock or purchase items you couldn't without them. Emeralds can also be acquired without a purchase, but you'll get them slowly. Of course, this is one of the ways the developers intend to make a profit from the game, so if you really enjoy the game, you might consider an occasional purchase to show appreciation.

The game is, of course, based on the film and generally ignores the book, but I did get a surprise when Professor Levram mentions a hy-po-gy-raf, and a trivia question on the Yellow Brick Road asks what color Dorothy's shoes were in the book.

Overall, the game seems to owe origins to Sim City, but the bonus games and actual interaction take it to another level. Facebook games are usually pretty simple, so there's not much else to this that I've discovered yet.

Still, I've yet to get to the Scarecrow. Will he join Dorothy in Munchkinland or just be along the Yellow Brick Road? There's likely more to discover as you keep playing.

Play The Wizard of Oz on Facebook.

The Winged Monkeys of Oz

Here's the first Oz book by Dennis Anfuso. Before this book—published in 1996—Anfuso was mainly known for artwork, including a humorous "What if?" panel on the back of Oziana 1979 showing Dorothy's house being carried away by the cyclone, with her and Toto peeking with Aunt Em out of the cellar, Dorothy noting how she and Toto had made it just in time. He has since illustrated books for Chris Dulabone and even written another Oz book.

The Winged Monkeys of Oz introduces us to a little girl named Melanie who finds a Winged Monkey on the beach in Tacoma, Washington. She befriends it and it is joined by another: they are named Nikko and Breeka. They carry her to the neighboring countries of Oz, where they have a series of strange adventures on Symma Island, Anna Mile Island, and Artisand Island.

Meanwhile, Ozma would like to do something for someone for her birthday. Eventually, it's decided to invite the Winged Monkeys to live in the Palace, so Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, the Lion, and Toto go to see the Monkeys and invite them. The Monkeys accept, but soon their mischievous nature rise and cause trouble. What is the solution, and can Breeka, Nikko and Melanie get back to Oz and Tacoma?

The plot in Oz is nicely done, but while the travels of Nikko, Breeka and Melanie are spiced with conflict, I actually had trouble noting where one island ended and the next began. It wasn't bad, but it was jarring.

Dennis writes charmingly and humorously and includes a good number of in-jokes for Oz fans (there's a painting competition by an artist named Dean Slow and Kneel). Overall, I rather did like this one.

The Royal Podcast of Oz: Oz (1976)

Sam looks homeward as he and Jared briefly discuss Oz, a rock and roll movie, the first film version of Oz from down under!

As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site, or use the player below.
       

   
   
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'Oz the Great and Powerful' poster & other things

If you didn't know... IT'S FRIDAY! I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween and ate a bunch of candy and all that jazz. Let's get right into the news today, shall we? I think we shall.

The House of Mouse has released a witchy new poster for Oz the Great and Powerful, set to hit the big screen on March 8th. Word on the street is this is the first of three panels that will make up one, glorious image. See the full poster and press release here. Cool beans, right?

In other news, a company called Spooky Cool Labs recently launched (with sort of random timing) a licensed Facebook game based on the 1939 film. I played it for about an hour when it was in beta last week, and I enjoyed it. You can play the game with your friends (or by yourself) here.

My friend Ryan Jay is a nationally-syndicated film critic and huge Oz fanatic. He recently interviewed legendary director Robert Zemeckis (who, by the way, was rumored to be directing a live-action remake of the '39 movie for Warner Bros...), and asked him if he would be interested in directing the long-rumored film adaptation of the musical Wicked for Universal.  Watch his response here.

After the Wizard recently had a red carpet fundraiser event in Memphis, Tennessee. See all the pictures from that event here!

  That's it for this week, children!

A Barnstormer in Oz

Every time a new look at Oz that dares to re-envision it pops up, Oz fans either accept it or protest it.

Face it, we love Oz, and some of us can get really protective.

It started with The Oz Encounter, which lightly tread the beloved ground of Oz. Later came Was, giving us the "true story" of "Dorothy Gael." And of course, there was Gregory Maguire's Wicked Years series, and virtually no end of "dark re-imagining" comics based on Oz.

But really, the first, really controversial book inspired by Oz is right here: A Barnstormer in Oz by big time science fiction writer Philip José Farmer.

To be honest, I wasn't taken by Barnstormer. While it was a story I enjoyed enough to keep coming back to, at the end of it, I wasn't thinking, "My, what a great story!"

Hank Stover has flown his barnstormer plane into a green cloud and emerged in a strange land, full of pygmies and a beautiful auburn-haired maiden. He eventually learns the language and discovers he's in the land his mother Dorothy visited when she was a little girl: what she called Oz. Specifically, he's in the Quadling Country, and he has met Glinda the Good.

The story that Farmer lays out is that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a true story. The sequels were made due to public demand. There were some details changed, elaborated, or sanitized by Baum, but it did happen.

Hank almost immediately decides to stay in Oz, but there are two problems: one is that the Good Witch of the North has been replaced by a Wicked Witch named Erakna. She has the Golden Cap and is invading the other parts of Oz.

The other is that the US Army is largely responsible for Hank going to Oz: they have managed to break the dimensional barrier (the green clouds are the portals) and send him supplies to report on Oz and later send troops across into Oz. But Glinda cannot risk people from Earth coming to Oz. The wealth in Oz would inspire greed and possibly an interdimensional war. Also, any disease from Earth could be fatal to the people of Oz, and vice versa could also be the case.

Joined by many friends in Oz (including the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman) and his barnstormer Jenny (who comes to life), Hank takes it upon himself to help Glinda take care of both threats.

Farmer's Oz is very different from Baum's. He reminds us that Baum got many details wrong many, many times. Basically, he explains how the magic in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz works by explaining it as science fiction. He also explains that Oz has rules to prevent overpopulation: each couple is only allowed two children, and then the men must drink a potion that will keep them sterile. Basically, you are only allowed have enough children to replace you.

The problem is, a lot of plot pieces are set up just to address these differences. They aren't really essential to the plot, so why do we need so much of it? It's especially sad that in the Author's Notes that Farmer cut a really interesting scene I would have enjoyed due to length.

While Barnstomer is not really bad and provides an intriguing alternate version of Oz, the over-exposition can just get to be a bit much. It's worth a read for the mature Oz fan, but the younger should stay away. And if you're not interested, don't bother.