10 Wizard of OuncesAdjacent Motion pictures and TV Reveals That Aren’t Depraved

Ding-dong, the Wicked movie is nearly in theaters—85 years after the unique Wizard of Oz. If you wish to dive into the emerald-hued supply, you may stream the 1939 basic on Max. However for those who’re looking for a horse of a distinct (but nonetheless oddly acquainted) shade, take into account these 10 Oz riffs.

Ouncesthe Nice and Highly effective

In 2013, Disney made this lavish but uneven journey over the rainbow, with Sam Raimi helming a fantasy origin story for the eventual Wizard of Oz. He’s a sleazy con man when a twister whisks him from Kansas, however with numerous assist he inches towards turning into the doddering “humbug” we all know him to be. If you will get previous James Franco being entrance and middle, the remainder of the forged is top-tier, with Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams enjoying variations of the Depraved Witches of the East and West, and Glinda. Additionally, there’s a Bruce Campbell cameo.

Return to Oz

Acclaimed editor and sound designer Walter Murch made a uncommon go to to the director’s chair for this 1985 Wizard of Oz sequel, that includes Fairuza Balk (in her movie debut) as Dorothy Gale and an aesthetic that completely marries whimsy with deeply surreal nightmares. As one of the vital traumatizing movies ever to be ostensibly geared toward youngsters, Return to Oz has rightfully claimed its spot within the cult-movie pantheon.

The Wiz

What, you thought Depraved was the primary Wizard of Oz musical to beat Broadway after which hit the massive display screen? The celebrity team-up of Diana Ross (as Dorothy) and Michael Jackson (because the Scarecrow) top-lined the forged of this 1978 launch, which has arguably higher song-and-dance numbers than the unique Oz. Its recognition has endured; most lately, a 2015 efficiency (the celebrity team-up on this model: Mary J. Blige because the Depraved Witch of the West; Queen Latifah because the Wiz) aired on NBC as a part of community TV’s transient however prolific section of reside musical broadcasts.

Tin Man

Tin Man was a three-part mini-series launched in 2007 on what was then generally known as the Sci-Fi Channel. It proved to be an Emmy-winning hit for the community regardless of diverging wildly from the fundamentals of The Wizard of Oz (io9 described its take as “kinky-gothy“). 500 Days of Summer time-era Zooey Deschanel stars as “DG,” a Kansas waitress who will get snarled in fantastical sci-fi adventures in O.Z., quick for “the Outer Zone,” which is populated with characters that kinda, sorta echo again to the basic story.

Emerald Metropolis

This TV collection ran for only one season in 2017 on NBC. Emerald Metropolis had visually modern director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, The Cell) behind the digital camera and starred a pre-Andor Adria Arjona as Kansas nurse Dorothy Gale, who’s picked up by a twister and transplanted you-know-where. This model of the story is styled like a darkish fairy story, full with a prophecy, and has some intriguing forged members past Arjona, together with Daredevil‘s Vincent D’Onofrio because the Wizard.

The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz

Launched in 2005 by way of ABC’s The Great World of Disney—Disney had acquired the Muppets only a 12 months prior—The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz is usually forgotten within the Muppet filmography as a result of sadly, it’s not practically as magical as you’d need it to be. That’s saying one thing as a result of this model options Kermit the Frog because the Scarecrow, Gonzo because the Tin Man, Queen Latifah (a repeat Oz-adjacent forged member!) as Auntie Em, and Miss Piggy as all the witches.

Below the Rainbow

This gleefully tasteless 1981 comedy starring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher takes place in 1938, and was filmed on the precise Culver Metropolis lodge used for lodging the little individuals who performed Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. The plot includes hijinks (Secret brokers! Nazi spies! Assassins!) and mix-ups galore, in addition to a chase throughout the set of Gone With the Wind. Its setting across the fringes of The Wizard of Oz is an intriguing thought, however its depiction of little folks has sadly not aged nicely—and albeit most likely seemed fairly insensitive even 40 years in the past, contemplating the film was nominated for a pair of Razzies. (Naturally, it now has a cult following.)

Wild at Coronary heart and Lynch/Oz

David Lynch’s obsession with The Wizard of Oz shapes the narrative and visuals of his 1990 crime-drama romance Wild at Coronary heart, starring Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage as lovers on the run from her Depraved Witch-esque mom (performed by Dern’s real-life mom, Diane Ladd). But it surely’s not simply Wild at Coronary heart that displays his fascination with the Victor Fleming basic. As Alexandre O. Philippe’s 2022 documentary Lynch/Oz explores, Hollywood’s ruby-red cinematic touchstone has persistently impressed Lynch all through his lengthy, creative profession, typically in less-than-obvious methods.

Cursed Movies: The Wizard of Oz

If you wish to hear all of the sordid legends and rumors concerning the making of The Wizard of Oz gathered in a single place (was there actually an on-set suicide captured on movie?), head to Shudder for the first episode of the second season of Cursed Films. Below the Rainbow director Steve Rash pops up as one of many interviewees—as does the son of Margaret Hamilton, Oz‘s eternally iconic Depraved Witch of the West.

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