Disney's Failed Next Big Thing: Oz the Great and Powerful

[@TimeSyncS]

My understanding is that Franco was basically higher than that hot air balloon during the entirety of production and never knew his lines. Disney didn't even want Franco, and Raimi had gone to bat for him after striking up a friendship during the Spider-Man films. But Franco was so incredibly unprofessional, that he and Raimi got into a massive, friendship-ending fight, which consequently killed Raimi's passion for the project. That's why you have him blithely stating that someone else could direct the sequel if they wanted to. That's not widely reported, though, because Raimi, unlike Franco, is a professional.

[@isenhartproductions2677]

Yeah that totally checks out

[@MBG.426]

I mean, while all of this I’m sure is true, it is NOT the reason the movie failed even a little lol. I can tell you that. If the movie succeeded no one would’ve cared if the sequel had been by the same director. It’s actually the fact the 90% of this film was created and finished with MGM Oz Style visuals when Warner Bros was brought in to analyze everything in comparison to MGMs Oz, which they own and this is a spiritual prequel to. They wanted pretty much everything scrapped, even down to the specific shade of the Wicked Witches green skin. So once that happened, the entire project had to be vaguely restyled to not resemble MGM Oz so closely and THAT is what killed his passion for it, because Raimi WANTED to make an MGM Oz prequel and it no longer truly is that, and is more of a vaguely inspired prequel lol. While I’m sure the alleged Franco drama played a part in “someone else can direct the sequel”, it’s truly more studio meddling and the ruining of a vision that squashed his passion for it.

[@TimeSyncS]

@MBG.426 that would certainly explain why so many visuals were unfinished, their being changed too close to the debut. But, as the video points out, the film didn't so much fail as it just wasn't a resounding success. It turned a modest profit. But as a whole. I think we could both say that it would have been more trouble than it was worth to try to keep going when the audience response was lukewarm, the legal trouble was too sharp, the director was uninterested, and the star was a liability

[@Attmay]

@@MBG.426"Hey, haven't I seen you before in some copyrighted movie?" "We resemble but are legally distinct from the Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild, the Loll..."

[@Attmay]

@@TimeSyncS it should've been Robert Downey Jr. James Franco is no Frank Morgan. He's not even David Tomlinson in *Bedknobs and Broomsticks.* He's just ... there. When the best character in the movie was created entirely on a computer, that speaks volumes. It only makes me appreciate the puppetry on *Return to Oz* even more. Despite dozens and dozens of books, Oz has never proven to be viable as a film franchise, just standalone movies. *Wicked* has a mighty long yellow brick road to ease on down. EDIT: did not know the doll was a puppet pasted over entirely with CGI.

[@KilamajaroKen]

One of the biggest reasons for this movie's existence was the popularity of Wicked: The Musical. At this point, the musical was running for about 10 years. Disney misses out of the movie rights as they were already owned by Universal. So Disney decided to make their own since the character's are public domain. This also starts a trend of Disney trying to make their own version of Wicked. Oz, Maleficent, Frozen, Cruella. Hell, they even got the star of Wicked in Broadway, Idena Menzel, to be Elsa. Let It Go is basically Defying Gravity.

[@OscarFowler]

When this movie was announced, my first thought was, "Oh good - this must be the movie version of Wicked that they absolutely must be working on!" We're finally getting that adaptation more than 10 years later, but the trailers don't give me much hope that it'll be good. Given the quality of the source material, I'm really surprised there wasn't a great movie version of Wicked out by 2009.

[@felipesimao4498]

Best comment EVER!❤

[@dankennedy3995]

This comment is spot on. I only vaguely knew that Wicked existed when I heard of this movie. Even I knew it was just a way to try to steal the prequel spotlight. Having since seen Wicked, the musical, wow, Oz can't even touch the story to the point where it's almost an embarrassing comparison.

[@Attmay]

@@OscarFowler they waited on purpose for the original Broadway leads to age out of the parts. And Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard? Seriously?

[@Attmay]

@@OscarFowler The mouse couldn't get the IP they actually wanted so they got one of the stars.

[@Dreadjaws]

Funny story. When I went to see this in theaters and the movie started, a bunch of people began to protest because they thought the starting scenes in black and white were a mistake of the projection. They even went to call someone and they had to be told that this was deliberate. I felt embarrassed for them. How did they not figure out it was on purpose? Particularly with the aspect ratio being different as well.

[@isenhartproductions2677]

Lol the opposite thing happened to me a few years ago when I watched The Suicide Squad. The color went out halfway through and I thought it was a stylistic choice but after 10 minutes I realized something was wrong

[@Attmay]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[@RealBradMiller]

I went to see Pan's Labyrinth and instead they played Apocalypto. 😂😂😂 During the Spongebob Movie, the projector froze when Patrick was staring into the mirror, and we all thought it was a drawn out joke... 😂

[@jessybaeken7899]

@@isenhartproductions2677😊goede😊kwaliteitk😊I 😊nl lllronln llkllbkl😅kkklnnnlbbjo billijk invul lnl nnlbl

[@maximiliancordedda]

That's so bizarre, have they never seen the og Wizard of Oz?

[@constructionproduction4965]

This film is one of those films where you enjoyed it as a kid but you haven’t re-watched it to see if it’s still holds up to your memory

[@theroguecybersoldier2629]

I watched it a bunch when it came out, and still do. I like it and it's good enough for a prequel to the MGM classic

[@constructionproduction4965]

@@theroguecybersoldier2629 no, I was just saying that it’s like a common sentiment with films that he talked about in the series. I liked it when I was younger but it’s been more than a decade since I watched it and during the review I remember scenes thinking oh I remember how strange that’s one scene was. etc

[@LilyApus]

Oh god I was gonna say something about what do you mean as a kid this movie isn't that old, then I saw it's from 2013 lmao, I'm just old I guess, by 2013 I had already stopped being a teenager

[@constructionproduction4965]

@@LilyApus well as we get older, a decade isn’t a lot, but when you’re younger, it’s a lot

[@LilyApus]

@constructionproduction4965 Perhaps but I phrased that wrong, in 2013 I was already an adult lmao, so I didn't think of it as that long ago

[@TomWDW1]

When a film from the 30s, filmed entirely on a sound stage, looks more realistic than your 2010's film... you've missed the mark, lol.

[@tylerdurden788]

I like the original one for the story and 2 iy looks like it pushed the technology envelope forward

[@beeman2075]

The most memorable scene in this film for me is the Kansas magic show scene where Joey King's character says to Oz 'Make me walk!' Joey gives such a heartfelt performance in that brief moment, contrasted against Oz being a charlatan showman with some heart but unable to help her in any way. That scene just rang far more genuine in emotion for me than the rest of the film.

[@isenhartproductions2677]

Agreed, that was one of the few glimpses that showed how good this movie could have been.

[@marcusaaronliaogo9158]

Ngl I also think the porcelain girl is adorable

[@Attmay]

She was the best character in the movie.

[@johannesseyfried7933]

​@@marcusaaronliaogo9158Until she started yelling. That then ruined it a bit.

[@OneShot-nu6nj]

@@isenhartproductions2677 how would you make an OZ prequel? also excited for the wicked 2 part movie?

[@alimfuzzy]

It's sad that, Bruce Campbell plays such a great conman, and his age would be right for the story. But always gets overlooked by the studio execs.

[@isenhartproductions2677]

He would have done great in the role

[@wickedlateok1697]

Bruce Campbell openly doesn't like acting and generally only does it as favors for his director friends, namely Raimi. He never really wanted to be an actor and never imagined he'd make a career out of being one. I will say it's true that studio execs overlooked him unfairly in the 90s, as he was the first choice to star in Darkman and as Dr Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, but the studios felt he wasn't known enough.

[@selfperformedsparagmos]

​@@wickedlateok1697Do you have a specific source or interview where Bruce Campbell says he doesn't like acting? Like, I know he does a lot of roles as favors, and he has talked about his discontempt for Hollywood and specifically big budget movies, but I've never heard anything to suggest he just hates being an actor?

[@Jillmasterofunlocking]

He likes being an actor, but generally doesn't like big Hollywood productions, and only really does them when working with raimi, or at least that's the impression I've gotten from interviews.

[@kohtahirano4546]

Considering how closely the plot of OTGAP follows Raimi's Evil Dead Army of Darkness, it would've been too on the nose of a hackjob.

[@jayreed9370]

I've spent my whole life wishing someone would adapt the entire Oz series. We have the technology for this now. Save us from yet another "reimagining!"

[@anonymouslucario285]

Then stop wishing cause it's not gonna happen

[@Justadudewhogames]

The only good "reimagining" is wicked

[@Jose04537]

Warner Bros owns the movie rights, only them can.

[@maximillianlylat1589]

There was a cute little anime adaptation of 4 books of the series. It was called the wonderful wizard of oz and it used to air on THIS network. Highly recommend it if you want to see any kind of adaptation. Its a much older anime like from the 70s and has a really cute art style. Correction: 80s anime, not 70s

[@maximillianlylat1589]

​@@Jose04537isnt it a public domain franchise tho? Unless you're talking about specifically the MGM movie

[@MeganKoumori]

"I want to go see 'Wicked.'" "We have 'Wicked' at home." _Wicked at home..._

[@TempoLOOKING]

You mean The Wiz 😂

[@yavoth5850]

I completely erased any memory of this film until now! What fun to revisit it with you

[@isenhartproductions2677]

Right? It made half a billion dollars but has been pretty much forgotten about

[@800Ms-k6n]

@@isenhartproductions2677 Could you do "The Nutcracker and The Four Realms" (an adaptation of the classic Nutcracker story) next? It was also part of Disney's failed next big thing. It was kinda of a messy production from Lasse Hallstorm to direct the movie then came Joe Johnston to direct a month of reshoots with Tom McCarthy writing new pages for reshoots. Then both Hallstorm and Johnston agree to recieved a directing credit together (one of the most rare thing that's ever happen on a huge movie, often times reshoots director went uncredited due to DGA rules but not with Johnston this time) but McCarthy was uncredited as writer for some reason despite some of the trailers attached his name to the writing credit. It also had Keira Knightley in the most weirdest performance i could ever think of from her with a unintentionally hilarious voice. It failed at the box office, losing Disney over $65 million. I'd love to see you break down that failure of a movie given how huge and impactful the source material was but Disney really messed it up

[@orangeslash1667]

@@isenhartproductions2677 Wasn't the Wizard of Oz film made by MGM??????? Als did you see Disney's Return to Oz???????

[@isenhartproductions2677]

​@orangeslash1667 yes MGM made wizard of Oz but Warner Brother’s bought the rights to a large portion of their movie catalog

[@Attmay]

@isenhartproductions2677 Ted Turner bought MGM only to have to sell it back to its old owner because of a cash flow problem, but he kept the MGM library, and then when his company merged with Time Warner in the 90s, that's how they got it. Meanwhile, CBS had the TV broadcast rights to both Oz and *Gone with the Wind* but relinquished the latter to Ted Turner and kept the former for themselves until the 90s.

[@tylerlong5112]

Franco gives off conman’s sidekick energy rather than the leading man.

[@TimoteoDeBaum]

Yeah he wasn’t a good Oz

[@One.Zero.One101]

He is a baffling actor. He is really good in some movies and really bad in some. I know this can happen to good actors but James Franco has an unusually high number of botches for an actor of his level.

[@davidhong1934]

I mean, that could work 1. Comic relief is expected to fill in for the main character 2. New protagonist is Initially flippant and continues shenanigans 3. Tragedy forces comic relief to recognize the severity and consequences of new role 4. After introspection, comic relief takes responsibility and acts more seriously 5. Use climactic confrontation against villain to demonstrate the effects of maturity 6. Story concludes, possibly including a gag in which the actual main character enters, only to be thrown out of the plot again

[@OpticalSorcerer]

NGL, I put this in the "should've been an animated musical" pile for Disney.

[@mermaidtingzzz]

That’s much all their reimaginings and Star Wars projects.

[@Attmay]

@@OpticalSorcerer they can't even do that right anymore if the wishy-washy *Wish* is any indication.

[@OpticalSorcerer]

@@Attmay That seemed more like a corporate thing. The OG concepts changed WAY too much for it to be natural progression, imo. Plus Julia made it clear that Disney didn't really clue them in on what was going on when writing the songs; Jennifer even said "This Wish" was made before the script was written, explaining why it was vague.

[@ParadoxFreak]

They thought this film was too dark for a PG film? Did Disney forget they also made Return to Oz decades earlier? 😅

[@Attmay]

I didn't. I was a fan of that ever since it was first on The Disney Channel shortly after it came out.

[@anubusx]

That film is disturbing.

[@SirBlackReeds]

Different executives and a different MPAA back then.

[@Attmay]

@anubusxnot compared to *Blank Check,* it isn't.

[@williamhanekom9882]

This film had its moments, but I'm still incredibly salty at how the wicked witch was handled. It's one thing to take an iconic villain and make them a woman scorned cliche, but the fact that she was manipulated and didn't turn wicked on her own volition is just insulting. She didn't even change that much when she transformed, which is ironic for the director of the evil dead movies.

[@lavernebennet7395]

yeah like it was always going to pale in comparison to Wicked's version of her backstory but even without that it's like cmon man

[@Attmay]

@lavernebennet7395they are both problematic.

[@lavernebennet7395]

@@Attmay oh yeah I'm hardly saying Wicked is perfect, just that the comparison is unavoidable and one is clearly better than the other

[@NoshuHyena]

The replacement of the china girl reminds me of the The Thing remake, where all the effects were bad CGI, but later on it was revealed that they were originally all practical effects and models, and when footage of the original effects reached the public, they looked absolutely incredible compared to what we got.

[@davidcarter4877]

The Temple Run tie-in game was the superior version ngl.

[@MichaelCharles-zn6rh]

i was SO mad when they pulled it from the app store

[@jackmanning1117]

I still have that on my phone

[@johannaelloso9418]

THIS IS RHE ONLY THING I REMEMBER ABOUT THIS MOVIE BECAUSE IVE NEVER SEEN IT

[@maddieadaddy]

​@@jackmanning1117You're so lucky lol

[@OctaviusGeorge]

You all forget this film was supposed to be watched in stereoscopic 3D and checking interviews with Reimi, it is show he took it seriously and went to school to learn everything about 3D and how to implement it and that makes the blocking, framing, CGI and photography look weird when seen in 2D, 3D was an integral part of the film and watching it without it is like watching the original Wizard of Oz black and white from start to finish without that striking transition. (Watched the movie on 3D on the quest 3)

[@kookiecat79]

I saw it in 3d at the cinema when it came out. Made such a difference.

[@thepinkestpigglet7529]

The 3d gimmick was so fucking annoying people were making entire movies where the only thing going for it was the novelty of 3d

[@empireofdirtproductions6997]

As annoying as that digital 3D trend was , this movie looked really good in IMAX 3D.

[@gos_707]

Fun fact, Disney infinity a toy comes to life game. Similar to Skylanders and Lego dimensions. Were originally attached to model characters for James Franco, and Mila Kunis, as Oz and the wicked witch. There were some concept arts of it, but it was never released to the public, but you can find some concert arts to what could’ve been.

[@gabrielmenchaca1715]

And you know what’s funny, Lego Dimensions has The Wizard of Oz in their game. >D

[@ajzeg01]

You know it was bad when they included The Lone Ranger but not this

[@RariettyC]

More 2010s big budget fantasy movies should have taken notes from Lord of the Rings (by using on-location shooting to build a believable fantasy world), but instead they all thought they could pull an Avatar if they put the actors in front of a blue or green screen (while ignoring that Avatar's environments only really look that good because James Cameron is a meticulous time hog who exists beyond the normal limits afforded to a typical VFX pipeline)

[@lmf8503]

I am a big fan of the OZ books. I would love to see actual adaptations, but it is very difficult for anything to step out of the shadow of the 1939 film and Wicked. One other thing of note: When Oz lands in Oz, the aspect ratio changes, colour is added AND the 3D gets cranked up. That alone made it worth seeing in theatre.

[@jmann6130]

Yeah I know what you mean I grew up reading the books so there’s so many characters we have been robbed from seeing most obviously Princess Ozma and Mombi and my personal favourite Tok-Tok

[@thelostmessenger]

​@jmann6130 I want to see pumpkin head and the saw horse!

[@christiansenator]

I find it insane that despite being responsible for like 19 out of the Top 20 grossers of all time, Disney also produced enough stinkers to create this genre. It's also fascinating how the latter directly informs the former, they retreated to such safety with Star Wars, Marvel, and live action remakes

[@Attmay]

Cultural inflation.

[@KeeganMcKinney]

Personally, aside from the missing slippers, I don't see the need for a sequel to this prequel.

[@untunedguitar45]

And besides we already got a sequel of sorts with The Legends of Oz: Dorothy Returns

[@connection7165]

​@@untunedguitar45That movie is so boring lol it has nothing of what makes the wizard of oz magical.

[@cameronharms7109]

I was so excited for this film when it was released. I didn’t mind the aesthetic. What bothered me was all these powerful women just dropping their panties for this lame conman

[@Attmay]

@@cameronharms7109 fear of male sexuality permeates everything Disney has ever done outside the Howard Ashman era.

[@800Ms-k6n]

Could you do "The Nutcracker and The Four Realms" (an adaptation of the classic Nutcracker story) next? It was also part of Disney's failed next big thing. It was kinda of a messy production from Lasse Hallstorm to direct the movie then came Joe Johnston to direct a month of reshoots with Tom McCarthy writing new pages for reshoots. Then both Hallstorm and Johnston agree to recieved a directing credit together (one of the most rare thing that's ever happen on a huge movie, often times reshoots director went uncredited due to DGA rules but not with Johnston this time) but McCarthy was uncredited as writer for some reason despite some of the trailers attached his name to the writing credit. It also had Keira Knightley in the most weirdest performance i could ever think of from her with a unintentionally hilarious voice. It failed at the box office, losing Disney over $65 million. I'd love to see you break down that failure of a movie given how huge and impactful the source material was but Disney really messed it up

[@tiamystic]

Oh yeah I forgot that existed. What was the story again…? Saw it once and forgot everything except the costumes

[@untunedguitar45]

@@tiamysticbasically it was a role reversal thing, the rat king was really an old woman who was misunderstood and the sugarplum fairy turned out to be a twist villain

[@KTheKrusader]

Yes I would too! I remember being so excited for it because I’m a huge fan of the source material but felt like the film didn’t do it as much justice as I hoped in a lot of ways. It had so much potential- if only things behind the scenes and with the writing happened differently.

[@vanillac0keh3ad]

Agreed except Keira Knightleys performance was fantastic. Loved her voice tbh.

[@Attmay]

@@800Ms-k6n between this and *The Sorcerer's Apprentice,* how long before the dancing hippos got their own movie if those were hits?

[@CountCrane2065]

I feel bad for everyone who worked on that practical puppet. Such a waste

[@Zombiesnyder13]

Sam Raimi is too good for Disney

[@TheHalloweenSpirit]

He did a good job with Doctor Strange IMHO

[@gabrielmenchaca1715]

@@TheHalloweenSpiritsame here

[@nathanliteroy9835]

@@TheHalloweenSpirit Disagree, thought it was uneven and lazy, especially Scarlet Witch's part

[@JohnnyCage-td5ud]

Shut up ​@@nathanliteroy9835

[@EllaBrownHart]

I have to say as a fan of the entire 14 book original oz series: the misogyny in this movie is really annoying to me. Baum was a supporter of early feminist movements of his time, and you can see that in how Oz is functionally a matriarchy, with the wizard being a usurper who deposed the rightful ruler (Ozma.) So to see this movie where the most powerful people in this world are fighting over and becoming war criminals for a man?!? It completely destroys the vision of Oz Baum was trying to create.

[@BeansKneez]

this!!! i remember so little about this movie, but mila kunis's character was so infuriatingly "woman written by a man" i never forgot about it.

[@nathanliteroy9835]

After this movie I started to think that Reimi is a hack, and it colored how I saw his other movies - or maybe opened my eyes. He's a good director, but when it comes to doing the story, he's unable to - when he was asked to do Warcraft movie, he also made an original script instead of adapting what's already there. It was so sad to see how he relied on primitive predictable narrative done in a dumb way that is built around a love story, a failed protagonist, and that idiotic fighting over him. Biggest yawn.

[@Attmay]

@@BeansKneez she hasn't exactly done other women favors in real life.

[@cecilj40]

oz isn’t a matriarchy though…? it’s just a monarchy. Ozma is ruler because her dad was mysteriously “taken care of” and never heard from again lol.

[@LightspeedA113]

You should talk about A Wrinkle In Time (2018) next

[@Attmay]

@@LightspeedA113 Disney screwed that up twice!

[@DespiteEverything42]

12:00 onwards.. seeing this makes me so sad!! Not only did the puppeteer(s) put so much work and effort into this creation but the scenes which show the marrionete interactions without CGI actually look BETTER than the final project.. they could have done so much more with this character Otherwise i always remember liking this movie? It was a cool concept, i had heard of Wicked but didnt have the money or ability to find it so i was like 'This must be the same thing, minus the music' so i kinda inflated it cause now when i look back on it, there are some really good parts but the rest of it is like.. ugggrjaha

[@leedouglass4106]

I saw this in theaters because my husband wanted to?? And it was... Well, I'm excited to watch this video about it lol

[@owenkelly3476]

2:21: "I'm ruined. There's nothing left for me now..except Disaster Artist."

[@mrmichaelencke]

I enjoyed this film. It is a fun adventure that has several problems but they don’t bother me much.

[@loremaster234]

Same

[@Skaiser_Wilhelm7938]

Crucify me, I liked this film on release, even though I wasn't a big fan of the Wizard of Oz. The fact that Sam Raim directed this film has only made this film more special and significant.

[@Eric_1991]

Same

[@Alejandroigarabide]

Minus budget and marketing, the film only ended up grossing less than 40 million dollars of pure profit. Not the kinds of money Disney sees as franchise potential.

[@wattsisnaim8111]

One of the DVD bonus features talked about the pitch meeting that led to the film. After several bad pitches, the guy was asked, "What are you reading to your kids right now?" "We're reading the Baum books. We're in the 4th one where it tells how the Wizard got to Oz." "Now THAT'S a movie I would like to see!" As someone who has READ the Oz books, the problem here is, that's NOT what the whole book is about. That's literally just from one chapter, just a page and a half! And yet, they still changed most of it! There is a fundamental problem with any adaptation of an Oz property. There are a lot of interesting characters and stories in the books, that would be great to see on screen, BUT the 1939 film is what the world knows as Oz. Not only does it create certain copyright issues (like Ruby Slippers), but areas where it differed from the book are considered canon to most people. Such as the idea that Oz was just a dream, or having "real world" characters represented as a parallel character in Oz. Not to mention, making the Wicked Witch of the West the primary villain. If a screen version doesn't include these elements, people think it isn't following the source material. This movie suffers from trying to build from the actual source material, but not much of it, and yet try to follow the 39 film, but not too closely, and also be it's own thing, yet part of a greater franchise. I agree, more practical effects, less CGI. Also, it came out when 3D was all the rage, so they spent WAY too much time throwing stuff at the camera to impress audiences. For what it was, I don't think it was that bad, but definitely not that great either. Like Oz himself, it didn't achieve greatness, but goodness.

[@bradwolf07]

I always wondered how James Franco got the part of the Wizard. Sure, he has the conman vibe, but not a successful one. Another comment mentioned Bruce Campbell, and I agree with them. He would have been PERFECT for the role. Sadly, he was overlooked AGAIN

[@robertlauncher]

One of the most annoying things is its halfhearted aping of Wicked’s take on the Witch of the West. She’s in love with the Wizard at first and it adds nothing to this interpretation. She’s still just evil like the MGM film by the end, and Oz never has to come to terms with the consequences of his lies because everyone else just loves him anyway. It feels like such a cheap nod to another version.

[@SirBlackReeds]

"The movie just wasn't very good," regardless of whether the statement is factually correct, has never stopped studios from making sequels before.

[@fandomdomination3071]

As a massive Oz fan I have a lot of nostalgia for this movie, I remember I was so excited to go to see it when it came out. I’m really glad wicked is bringing us back to Oz in the cinema, because there’s so much to that world that hadn’t been explored. There’s 14 books!

[@GarfieldRex]

The film wasn't bad, I would put it to my kids, but is one you'll never remember or watch again. Forgettable is the killing word for this franchise.

[@TheMovieAndCartoonFan]

I remember watching this movie in my 4th Grade before Summer Break back in 2015. I still remember the witch transformation scene really getting to me as a kid.

[@Deva-fi6qt]

Thank god Wicked (2024) has a director who realizes that they need to have physical sets instead of using green screen to make the Oz world feel so real.. bc the green screen choice for this movie is horrendous..

[@jonathansmith4737]

Extremely underrated channel, I'm guessing alot of these failures are before alot of the average youtube viewer was born.

[@mr.sand7899]

James Franco comes off as if he's stoned throughout this whole movie.

[@Attmay]

He probably was.

[@walker1984]

It's funny though because Franco has given a good performance before. Did he just not care about the idea of doing a Wizard of Oz prequel?

[@asdfghjkl3003]

I remember watching this at eight years old and having no clue what was going on

[@Rachel-xu4br]

I had a new appreciation of the Wizard of Oz after watching this movie the first time. The thing that makes it stand out more than ever is all the little special effects they managed to do without CGI. They didn't CGI sparks coming out of her finger tips from trying to grab Ruby slippers, or a tornado ripping through a farm. That red smoke and flames were so real, it even caught Margaret Hamilton (Witch) on fire. The Wizard of Oz crew had actually work hard in order to get their effects, but not going to lie, some with huge risk. The only thing that's good about the CGI in this film is that it didn't hurt anyone. The only way this film would've been made with practical effects would be if Tim Burton directed it. He's the only person in the industry (that I can think of) that tries to use Claymation (for example) anytime he can still and other practical effects.

[@Deva-fi6qt]

14:45 "it's like watching a car crash, you can't look away" LMAOO that's a perfect definition for this movie 😭

[@walker1984]

It might have been better off merging 2D animation and real people like Mary Poppins and Roger Rabbitt

[@kidicarusuprising6233]

I have no idea why I loved this movie back in the 2010s. :/ Nothing ever compares to the OG Wizard of Oz ^_^

[@mitch4672]

This movie never needed a sequel, it was a fantastic, standalone thing. Plus, it could serve as a prequel to the original wizard of oz.

[@gqueirogabr]

My man took no heat off that swing at James Franco 😅😅😅

[@VinluvAntonHandesbukia]

Also a big point is that the film wrapped up all possible arcs that could’ve been explored. Leaving literal scaps

[@maxwellkafka]

I vaguely remember thinking it was OK, but haven’t thought about it since now

[@tonybrewer7536]

Same

[@roberttreacy8271]

I saw this movie in the theaters and I remember enjoying it. I should definitely give it a rewatch, especially with Wicked coming out soon.

[@TheBeird]

Another good entry. You gotta do Pan next. That film looks bonkers, as though it were pulled in several directions by people who hated each other, the audience, and life itself

[@whatalsaid]

Wicked has a lot to do with why this movie was greenlit, and ironically enough, Wicked is probably also the reason this movie never got a sequel. The film version of Wicked was announced by Universal just two years after Oz came out, and Disney probably figured that they wouldn't be able to compete and abandoned ship on the sequel.

[@Attmay]

And they got the rights to some other Gregory Maguire boomer revisionist clap trap as a consolation prize while making that into a Disney Channel Original Movie IIRC.

[@christopherkim7549]

I actually loved this film. Sure it will not win any Oscars and could have been so much better. But considering all the crappy movies that comes out these days , especially from Disney, this movie is quite good.

[@ToaAxiomMan]

Given the description of what the unmade sequel's synopsis (take it with a grain of salt, this is only just my speculative fan theory) would've been likely either Oz and Glinda's daughter would've been either an expy of Ozma or actually turning out to be Ozma and that the one behind the curse could be the Nome King

[@OneShot-nu6nj]

honestly that would track.

[@ToaAxiomMan]

​@@OneShot-nu6nj definitely as well I feel like it would probably have both Mombi and obviously other Oz related characters like Quox, Tik Tok, The Witch of the North (since in the Oz book canon Glinda and the Witch of the North were seperate characters in this film's continuity, Glinda IS the Witch of the South), The Tin Man and maybe the Scarecrow

[@OneShot-nu6nj]

@@ToaAxiomMan ooh and thats true. interestign with these what ifs ans could have beens.

[@ToaAxiomMan]

@@OneShot-nu6nj I feel like I tend to be creative with these Oz related ideas

[@OneShot-nu6nj]

@@ToaAxiomMan same here.

[@tankart150]

Sky High was supposed to be kickstart a franchise, but Disney didn’t make any action figures for it.

[@Attmay]

You would think a Kurt Russell action figure would have been higher on their list of priorities.

[@MrChristophSteininge]

I watched the movie, and while not super excited I found it well made and enjoyable. Why must every well made movie be expanded into an endless franchise? The movies which bore such expectations never got a sequel like Stardust from 2007, for example. I would have watched such a movie but it never came to be.

[@movies_matteo7271]

I'm a huge Oz fan and think Oz The Great & Powerful is a delightfully wonderous film that sits well amonst the Oz legacy. It's not perfect but it's got so much genuine wonder, awe and heart. Raimi brought his A-game with the direction, and the 3D was actually fantastic and not just an afterthought as it was for many films at the time. Fwiw, I noticed that alot of Wicked fans get critical of Oz The Great and Powerful because it is an alternate prequel and challenges something beloved to them. I love them both and think there's plenty of room for them to be enjoyed by Oz fans!

[@Attmay]

I consider wicked a perversion of the entire Oz world and have had enough of the attempt to rehabilitate the reputations of villains. It's killing storytelling.

[@gamecokben]

This movie was worth it for the cuteness of the monkey bellhop

[@bluboy4ver2]

I’m sure Disney lost all interest in a sequel once Universal’s Wicked movie started going into effect. You can see how seriously Universal is taking their Oz film and Disney’s heart was never really in it which is a shame because it’s one of the few American Fairy Tales.

[@schneejacques3502]

Shame because the wicked film cgi looks horrible.

[@willerpelding9924]

@@schneejacques3502Trust me, in the actual movie, it looks WAY better.

[@josephnjuguna1986]

Indeed ​@@schneejacques3502

[@Elphaboy]

I wish the wizard was Lee Pace, he would have amazing!!! And I fully agree with your criticism of Mila I was fine before she was green but once she was green all I head was angry Meg ALSO the fact that they didn’t make Rachel use an American accent it actually only made it look like Mila couldn’t do an English accent it was NOT a good choice Sam really REALLY sucked here!!!!!!!

[@jacobwhite1360]

Why do I feel bad.. I really liked Franco in Rise of the Planet of the Apes as well as 11:22:63 🤣😳

[@lilhernandez6679]

Just wanna say your videos are really funny and interesting keep doing what you’re doing!!!

[@malcolmdevlin3434]

I do think there's a certain amount of charm to the whole "film it all on a sound stage" aspect, if it didn't so obviously look like that's what they did. The land of Oz should be so fantastical that it couldn't possibly look like anywhere in our world, kinda like Pandora in Avatar. Except the effects used in Avatar still hold up today

[@Terminal_Apotos]

I actually really like this movie, Sam Raimi is an amazing Director and James Franco was great in the leading role.

[@ko379]

I remember seeing this in theaters. It was one of the first movies I remember making me think “huh, that wasn’t so good, and I may be a little offended at how they used some of those characters”

[@commiehunter733]

Oz the great and powerful was a solid movie... adults and kids can both enjoy it

[@TheGrifhinx]

How about Disney stop milking IPs and just... do one piece of every IP then move on

[@Powherkrangunch]

Great review of Oz. I remember watching it and being super disappointed. I'm a bigger fan of the Star Wars prequels myself but this movie just had the wrong story in the wrong moment all over the place. Damn it could have been something fantastic, but I'll give them points for trying.

[@BizzareFriend]

I rmeber watching this when it came out and being confused with the plotwists 😭 and the story just kept getting longer and longer

[@fergusclarken8437]

Can we get a sequel without James Franco?

[@maemadl54]

I liked it when I was little and it first came out, but when I tried rewatching it a few years later I was bored out of my mind

[@whammyhammy2075]

Wicked is here to save us

[@KevinThurman]

Forgot to mention that Oz was a predator taking advantage of a naive young girl, then took advantage of her equally naive sister right in front of her. So you wonder why she couldn’t control emotions she had no understanding of? But she’s the bad guy and Oz is our apologetic hero. 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼

[@redbearddan2000]

I don't know whether it fits the category, but I'd like to see a video about such movies as Around The World in 80 Days (2004) and Alice Through The Looking Glass which were Disney's huge box office bombs in past

[@nathanliteroy9835]

This movie after the previous one was the reason why I was sad when hearing that Reimi was going to do Dr. Strange. And I'm sad that my expectation was fulfilled. I also wanted to like Oz movie because I've read the sequel books as a child and there was tons of wonderful quirky stuff there, and the Oz country is interesting and strange. However not only the worldbuilding was hollow, but narrative was also formulaic and dumb.

[@SkyeID]

I never even heard of this movie. The last Oz media I've seen is the frightening 1985 film "Return to Oz" with Fairuza Balk.

[@vim2339]

I don’t know how the Oz movie fail ! I really love that movie soo much ❤

[@Odaniboi]

I loved the film when it came out. Today, it’s a guilty pleasure, because I know it’s really rough, but it has sentimental value, as well as a few really good moments lol

[@sheismymom]

I remember seeing it in theatres. As an Oz fan I was really disappointed.

[@SeasideDetective2]

I don't this film needs a sequel. It sets the stage for the original just fine.

[@Dr.LongMonkey]

I remember going to the theater expecting this to be like Wicked. I was disappointed

[@alannabrown4184]

I saw this movie in 3d in theatres TWICE. It was the most magical thing I’d ever seen at the age of 11. And kick started my Franco obsession. Now grown up I can see why no one liked it😂 but it had so much potential. So sad but the real issue to me was Mila kunes. Who tf gave her that role

[@Attmay]

I guess Lacey Chabert didn't want it.

[@Jake-ox2rd]

I worked at a movie theater when this came out and Disney threatened the theaters that if they didn’t dedicate a certain amount of space to advertising then they wouldn’t let the theater have Age of Ultron.

[@WhatWasThat225]

How you gonna hire Sam Raimi and tell him to "tone it down?" It's like hiring Tom Savini then telling him he can't make any gore. Which, I mean, we all already know how that went...

[@blainebishop5913]

I’ve noticed that after the live action/CGI remakes were well established, making movies based on rides became their Next Big Thing. Tomorrowland, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion… Of this style, I’ve pretty much forgotten about Oz and A Wrinkle in Time. I personally thought they had a good thing going with mid-budget CGI movies like Bolt and Meet the Robinsons, but Wreck-It Ralph and, especially, Frozen solidified a path moving forward. Besides all the acquired IPs.

[@Attmay]

None of it justified throwing traditional animation under the bus.

[@jramirez8637]

a huge chunk of it is nostalgia since I was 10 years old when this movie was released but I've always genuinely enjoyed this movie, as bad as it is overall. The costume design has always been *THE* highlight for me.

[@Bookspine5]

Damn!!! I forgot about Oz ...

[@gstone8255]

I love this movie ❤️❤️ It’s amazing 👏👏❤️

[@hammer.12gh]

Mila Kunis doing the typical evil laugh was to me the absolute worst and literally the only thing I remember of the entire movie.

[@AaronL0905]

A lot of wizard of oz properties will also come with the disadvantage of the original being just an amazing masterpiece of practical effects

[@sharkanenoa5928]

This is the last movie sam raimi directed before doctor strange in the multi verse of madness and I feel sad for him

[@trevorthesorcerer]

Something interesting. The film was probably canceled by the end of 2013 since thier were supposed to be two Disney infinity figures featured from the movie.

[@nicoleh3703]

I think they'll wait until 2039 for when Oz enters the public domain.

[@gabrielmenchaca1715]

I was only interested in this movie because of Sam Raimi. I was 11 when this came out and the thing that grabbed my attention was that one of the trailers had the phrase, “From the director to the Spider-Man trilogy”. I didn’t really care that much about The Wizard of Oz but I love Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and if they hadn’t shown that phrase in the trailer or if I didn’t find out that Raimi was directing, I would not have seen it. I don’t even remembered if I liked it or not. It was just a movie that I saw, that’s it. This movie must’ve kept him away from the director’s chair for awhile because between this and Doctor Strange 2, it had been 9 years since he directed a movie. I feel really bad for Raimi.

[@AngryAnt0]

I'd never seen this film and once I started to watch your video, I actually paused it to go and watch it and ohhhh boy, what a stinker (and I even enjoyed John Carter). Honestly seeing a comment saying it's better in 3d makes alot of sense, every second shot felt like it was made just for 3d or a potential ride at Disney world. I actually like Franco as an actor in his more recent work (1963 for example), but this is not exactly his masterpiece. For me personally I liked the black and white opening act, I felt that was a very nice touch and a homage, but that was about it. I haven't seen the original film since I was a kid, but even then, I can recall more scenes after 20+ years than I can with this film after watching it less than 2 hours ago.

[@colette5413]

i remember seeing this in theaters but i could not tell you a single thing that happened. i do remember the temple run game that was available for purchase in the app store though lol