The Witches of Oz
Encyclopedia
The Witches of Oz is a film directed by Leigh Scott
, based on the novels The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
, Ozma of Oz
, The Road to Oz
, and The Magic of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
.
, New York; and at Palace Digital Studios and the Connecticut Film Center. The film has been marketed on the internet with a website, a presence on Facebook and Twitter, and clips on YouTube. The mini-series version of the film is being distributed by MarVista Entertainment, Inc.
Channel. It was then aired on television in Italy, Russia, and Spain. It was released in the U.S. and Canada through several cable providers' Pay-Per-View services on September 1st, 2011. It then aired in France on October 29th, 2011. Additional air dates have yet to be announced. The mini-series version of the film has been criticized by critics and viewers alike for its slow pace and low-quality visual effects. In a DVD review by The Film Pilgrim.co.uk, the reviewer pointed out that "despite the pace, the story is a fantastic re-imagining of the classic Baum books... you are constantly looking forward to what might happen next."
two weeks prior to the theatrical release. The theatrical version has been rated PG for sequences of fantasy, action and peril, scary images and brief language by the MPAA. A test audience for the theatrical version of the film was selected in Bridgeport, Connecticut in July 2011. The theatrical version has 90% re-done visual effects, and is over an hour shorter than the mini-series version of the film. Producer/star Eliza Swenson announced via Facebook that the theatrical version should be released in February 2012, but "still confirming". An official release date has yet to be announced for the theatrical version of the film. A reviewer for The Royal Blog of Oz praised the theatrical version of the film, stating that "it [theatrical version] works much better as a feature film than a TV mini-series." The reviewer also praised the special effects, commenting that "the Oz sequences in the movie really stand out visually; the effects are beautiful to see." An IMDb critic who attended a test screening of the film, saying that "As a test audience for this film, I am so excited for its release, because I want to see it again." The reviewer also compared the theatrical version to the two-part version of the film; " If anyone out there reads this, and illegally downloads the film, or sees in it in another country, you will be seeing the unfinished version. Please, wait, it will be worth it."
on November 2nd, 2011 in France. It is also being released on DVD & Blu-Ray in Germany on December 9th, 2011. The DVD has also been released in Russia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Home-video release dates for North America (for either version of the film) have yet to be announced.
Leigh Scott
Leigh Scott is an American film director, writer, producer, actor and cinematographer.- Early life and career :...
, based on the novels The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
, Ozma of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tiktok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein published on July 30, 1907, was the third book of L....
, The Road to Oz
The Road to Oz
The Road to Oz: In Which Is Related How Dorothy Gale of Kansas, The Shaggy Man, Button Bright, and Polychrome the Rainbow's Daughter Met on an Enchanted Road and Followed it All the Way to the Marvelous Land of Oz. is the fifth of L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz books...
, and The Magic of Oz
The Magic of Oz
The Magic of Oz: A Faithful Record of the Remarkable Adventures of Dorothy and Trot and the Wizard of Oz, Together with the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger and Cap'n Bill, in Their Successful Search for a Magical and Beautiful Birthday Present for Princess Ozma of Oz is the thirteenth Land of Oz...
by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.
Plot
The Witches of Oz follows the exploits of the grown Dorothy Gale, now a successful children's book author, as she moves from Kansas to present day New York City. Dorothy quickly learns that her popular books are based on repressed childhood memories, and that the wonders of Oz are very, very real. When the Wicked Witch of the West shows up in Times Square, Dorothy must find the inner courage to stop her.Cast
- Paulie Rojas as Dorothy GaleDorothy GaleDorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
- Mia Sara as Princess Langwidere
- Sean AstinSean AstinSean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24...
as Frack - Jeffrey CombsJeffrey CombsJeffrey Alan Combs is an American actor known for his horror film roles and his appearances playing a number of characters in the Star Trek franchise.-Early life:...
as Frank - Lance HenriksenLance HenriksenLance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
as Uncle Henry - Liz Douglas as Aunt EmAunt EmAunt Em is a fictional character from the Oz books. She is the aunt of Dorothy Gale and wife of Uncle Henry, and lived together with them on a farm in Kansas...
- Sasha Jackson as Ilsa
- Ethan EmbryEthan EmbryEthan Philan Randall , although he is known and usually credited as Ethan Embry, is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role as Declan Giggs on the Showtime television series Brotherhood.-Personal life:...
as Frick - Billy Boyd as Nick Chopper
- Eliza SwensonEliza SwensonEliza Swenson is an American actress, film producer, musician, singer, and composer. She was born on July 28, 1983 in Quincy, California, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Media and Sound Engineering from Brigham Young University in 2003...
as Billie Westbrook - Christopher LloydChristopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
as the Wizard of Oz - Noel Thurman as Glinda the Good Witch
- Ari Zigaris as Allen
- Ross Edgar as Rick (mini-series version)
- Barry RatcliffeBarry RatcliffeBarry Ratcliffe is an actor, comedian, and television and film producer in reality, and commercials....
as Bryan - Marissa Smoker as Young DorothyDorothy GaleDorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
- Al SnowAl SnowAllen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
as the Nome KingNome KingThe Nome King is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Although the Wicked Witch of the West is the most famous of Oz's villains , the Nome King is the closest the book series has to a main antagonist.-In the novels:The character called the Nome King is originally named Roquat the Red... - Brionne Davis as Simon
- Rajah Scott as Toto
- Ashley Ellington as Betsy Bobbin (theatrical version)
- Sarah Lieving as The Wicked Witch of the East
- Ashe Parker as Jellia JambJellia JambJellia Jamb is a fictional character from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. She is the head of all the maids at the palace in the Emerald City and in The Road to Oz, is described as Princess Ozma's favorite servant...
(theatrical version) - Jay Garrison as Jack PumpkinheadJack PumpkinheadJack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Oz book series by L. Frank Baum.-In Baum:Jack first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Jack's tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs...
(uncredited) - Jordan Turnage as Tin ManTin ManTin Man may refer to:* Tin Woodman, a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum* Ted McMinn, a footballer nicknamed The Tin Man* Tinman, a British electronic musician-Film and television:...
- Brooke Taylor as Locasta
Production
Filming occurred from December 2009 to February 2010. Filming locations included Hartford, Connecticut; Norwalk, Connecticut; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Easton, Connecticut; Ridgefield, Connecticut; ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York; and at Palace Digital Studios and the Connecticut Film Center. The film has been marketed on the internet with a website, a presence on Facebook and Twitter, and clips on YouTube. The mini-series version of the film is being distributed by MarVista Entertainment, Inc.
Release
The film is being released overseas as a television mini-series, with the primary release in the U.S. being the the theatrical version of the movie, titled "Dorothy and the Witches of Oz".Television mini-series
The film is being shown on television around the world as a four hour mini-series. The mini-series officially premiered on television in Eastern Europe in March 2011. A slightly different version was shown on July 5th, 2011 in the United Kingdom on the SyfySyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
Channel. It was then aired on television in Italy, Russia, and Spain. It was released in the U.S. and Canada through several cable providers' Pay-Per-View services on September 1st, 2011. It then aired in France on October 29th, 2011. Additional air dates have yet to be announced. The mini-series version of the film has been criticized by critics and viewers alike for its slow pace and low-quality visual effects. In a DVD review by The Film Pilgrim.co.uk, the reviewer pointed out that "despite the pace, the story is a fantastic re-imagining of the classic Baum books... you are constantly looking forward to what might happen next."
Theatrical version
The theatrical version of the film, titled "Dorothy and the Witches of Oz", will be released theatrically in the US. The film's soundtrack will release on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
two weeks prior to the theatrical release. The theatrical version has been rated PG for sequences of fantasy, action and peril, scary images and brief language by the MPAA. A test audience for the theatrical version of the film was selected in Bridgeport, Connecticut in July 2011. The theatrical version has 90% re-done visual effects, and is over an hour shorter than the mini-series version of the film. Producer/star Eliza Swenson announced via Facebook that the theatrical version should be released in February 2012, but "still confirming". An official release date has yet to be announced for the theatrical version of the film. A reviewer for The Royal Blog of Oz praised the theatrical version of the film, stating that "it [theatrical version] works much better as a feature film than a TV mini-series." The reviewer also praised the special effects, commenting that "the Oz sequences in the movie really stand out visually; the effects are beautiful to see." An IMDb critic who attended a test screening of the film, saying that "As a test audience for this film, I am so excited for its release, because I want to see it again." The reviewer also compared the theatrical version to the two-part version of the film; " If anyone out there reads this, and illegally downloads the film, or sees in it in another country, you will be seeing the unfinished version. Please, wait, it will be worth it."
Home-video release
The mini-series version of the film was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on August 8th, 2011. It was released on DVD in New Zealand and Australia on September 2nd, 2011. It was released on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on November 2nd, 2011 in France. It is also being released on DVD & Blu-Ray in Germany on December 9th, 2011. The DVD has also been released in Russia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Home-video release dates for North America (for either version of the film) have yet to be announced.
Potential sequels
When interviewed about her role in the first film, actress Sasha Jackson neither confirmed nor denied the fact that a sequel was in the works. "Right now, I'm afraid there's not much I can say." Jackson commented. When asked about plans for a sequel in an audio interview, director Leigh Scott revealed that there are several outlines and scripts that exist for two more films. Model-turned-actress Chanel Ryan commented in an interview with Geek Tyrant that she was contacted about a role in a sequel to the movie. She instead was given a cameo role in the theatrical version of the first film, credited as playing the role of Pinney Penney. Declining to say anything more, Ryan expressed her enthusiasm and excitement to see the finished film on the big screen. Actress Paulie Rojas revealed in an earlier interview with the Royal Blog of Oz that there were indeed sequel(s) on the horizon and talked about her time on set of the first film.See also
- The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
- The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
- Adaptations of The Wizard of Oz