(L to R) Jeff Goldblum is The Wizard of Oz and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in ‘Wicked For Good’, directed by Jon M. Chu.
1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz‘, which is based on L. Frank Baum‘s novel ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, has become one of the most beloved movies in cinematic history.
While the 1939 film is the movie most associate with the book, it was not the first attempt at adapting the source material to the big screen and had previously been made into a silent film in 1925 and a Canadian animated short in 1933.
And since the release of the classic movie starring Judy Garland, the book has been adapted into sequels, prequels, spinoffs and new interpretations on both film and TV including 1978’s ‘The Wiz‘, 1985’s ‘Return to Oz‘, 2013’s ‘Oz the Great and Powerful‘, and the TV series ‘Tin Man‘ and ‘Emerald City‘.
Last year, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical ‘Wicked‘ caused a cultural phenomenon when it was released, smashing box office records and earning multiple Oscar nominations including one for best picture. On November 21st, the long-awaited conclusion, ‘Wicked: For Good‘, opens in theaters once again directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande reprising their iconic roles.
In honor of the new sequel, Moviefone is counting down the best of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ adaptions on both the big screen and TV, including ‘Wicked: For Good’.
Let’s begin!
2017’s ‘Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz’. Photo: Warner Bros. Animation.
With her friends by her side and her ruby slippers on her feet, Dorothy follows the Yellow Brick Road toward magical mischief and embarks on exciting adventures that only a land like Oz can bring.
Air Date: June 26th, 2017
Networks:
1986’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Photo: Discotek Media.
A young girl named Dorothy has gone to live with her grandparents on their small farm. One day when Dorothy is left alone in the house a tornado appears. Dorothy fails to get to the basement in time, and the entire house is picked up and transported to a magical land, falling on and killing a wicked witch. There she is informed by a good witch that she must travel to the Capital of Emerald and meet a great magician who may be able to help her find a way home. Along the way she makes some incredible friends and sees many strange and fantastic things.
Air Date: October 6th, 1986
Networks:
2017’s ‘Lost in Oz’. Photo: Amazon Prime Video.
When 12-year-old Dorothy Gale discovers her mother’s mysterious journal in her Kansas home, she and her dog, Toto, are transported into a bustling, modern Emerald City. Disoriented and determined to get home, Dorothy embarks on an epic journey with West, a young witch, and Ojo, a giant Munchkin, to seek the magic she needs – as Oz faces its greatest magic crisis. Based on L. Frank Baum’s books.
Air Date: June 26th, 2015
The Witches of Oz follows the exploits of the grown Dorothy Gale (Pauline Redding), 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.
Air Date: May 7th, 2011
Networks:
2013’s ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’. Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.
Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he’s the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.
“In Oz, nothing is what it seems.”
Release Date: Mar 8, 2013
Run Time: 2 hr 10 min
Budget: $200,000,000
2015’s ‘The Wiz Live!’ Photo: Universal Television.
Executive Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have assembled a Tony-winning creative team, the imaginative Cirque du Soleil Theatrical and a diverse cast of showstoppers designed to create an eye-popping new take on the musical unlike anything ever seen.
“Ease on down the road to Oz!”
1925’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Photo: Chadwick Pictures.
A farm girl learns she is a princess and is swept away by a tornado to the land of Oz.
“The happiest film ever made!”
Release Date: Apr 13, 1925
Run Time: 1 hr 21 min
2017’s ‘Emerald City’. Photo: NBC.
In the blink of a tornado’s eye, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale (Adria Arjona) and her K9 police dog are transported to another world, one far removed from our own — a mystical land of competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. This is the fabled Land of Oz in a way you’ve never seen before, where wicked witches don’t stay dead for long and a young girl becomes a headstrong warrior who holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands.
Air Date: January 6th, 2017
Networks:
2007’s ‘Tin Man’ series. Photo: Sci Fi Channel.
The miniseries is a continuation of the classic story ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, with science fiction and additional fantasy elements added. It focuses on the adventures of a small-town waitress named DG (Zooey Deschanel) who is pulled into a magical realm called the O.Z., ruled by the tyrannical sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson). Together with her companions Glitch (Alan Cumming), Raw (Raoul Max Trujillo), and Cain (Neal McDonough), DG journeys to uncover her lost memories, find her true parents, and foil Azkadellia’s plot to trap the O.Z. in eternal darkness.
“Follow a new yellow brick road”
Air Date: December 2nd, 2007
Networks:
1985’s ‘Return to Oz’. Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.
Dorothy (Fairuza Balk), saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, finds herself back in the land of her dreams, and makes delightful new friends, and dangerous new enemies.
“An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road.”
Release Date: Jun 21, 1985
Run Time: 1 hr 49 min
Budget: $25,000,000
2005’s ‘The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz’. Photo: The Jim Henson Company.
A young woman named Dorothy Gale (Ashanti) dreams of becoming a singer but is unable to pursue her dreams. After being swept up by a tornado with her pet prawn Toto, Dorothy embarks on a journey to meet the Wizard of Oz, the person who both Dorothy and the citizens of Oz believe can help make her dream come true.
“Everyone’s Favorite Story Becomes One Twisted Tale.”
1978’s ‘The Wiz’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Dorothy Gale (Diana Ross), a shy kindergarten teacher, is swept away to the magic land of Oz where she embarks on a quest to return home.
“The wiz! The stars! The music! Wow!”
Release Date: Oct 24, 1978
Run Time: 2 hr 14 min
Budget: $24,000,000
Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in ‘Wicked For Good’, directed by Jon M. Chu.
As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.
(L to R) Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), an ostracized but defiant girl born with green skin, and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera), a privileged aristocrat born popular, become extremely unlikely friends in the magical Land of Oz. As the two girls struggle with their opposing personalities, their friendship is tested as both begin to fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and The Wicked Witch of the West.
“Everyone deserves the chance to fly.”
Release Date: Nov 22, 2024
Run Time: 2 hr 42 min
Budget: $150,000,000
1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Photo: MGM.
Young Dorothy (Judy Garland) finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion (Bert Lahr), a scarecrow (Ray Bolger) and a tin man (Jack Haley) as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard (Frank Morgan) and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) is the only thing that could stop them.
“We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!”
Release Date: Aug 25, 1939
Run Time: 1 hr 42 min
Budget: $2,777,000
