From the outset our plan has been to create a faithful adaptation of L. Frank Baum's original book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," published in 1900. While the 1939 MGM film is a classic, it is not especially faithful to the book, and only tells a small portion of the story. What we want to do is create a film that tells a much more complete version of the story, using modern effects technology. |
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Inspired by some of our favorite family-oriented fantasy films - including such an eclectic array as the Harry Potter films and the Jeremy Sumpter version of Peter Pan, as well as the classic Henson films from the 1980's such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and Walter Murch's cult classic Return to Oz - we're using a mixture of live-action, puppetry, and CGI to bring the famous Oz characters to life.
We have already filmed parts of the movie on greenscreen with a young actress named Mariellen Kemp portraying Dorothy Gale. It was important to film her role before she became too old to play Dorothy. The Scarecrow Puppet and the CGI Tin Woodman model are complete. We've also filmed Glinda and her palace guards, as well as the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North.
Directed by Clayton Spinney from a script by Sean Gates, starring Mariellen Kemp as Dorothy Gale and Marie Rizza as the Wicked Witch of the West, the film is set for release in 2012.
So take your time, browse around, and enjoy the site.
This is not Oz as you've ever seen it before. The year is 1899. Dorothy Gale is ten years old, living in a one-room cabin she shares with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, a dusty, threadbare existence in the flat and windswept fields of Kansas. A violent storm carries her off to the undiscovered country of Oz, an island full of short, rugged people who live under the watchful eyes of sorcerers. The Good Witch of the North lacks the power to send Dorothy home, so the girl sets off for the City of Emeralds in the hope that the mysterious wizard who lives there can help her. But the Wizard of Oz has a secret to protect, and to do so he will send Dorothy and her friends to kill the Witch of the West, or die trying. |
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