Will John Boorman’s Wizard of Oz be Wonderful?

Posted by Robin Ruinsky (robin@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 7, 2008

The Wizard of Oz

I liked the movie Excalibur. I think it’s the best depiction of the Arthurian legend put on film. Director John Boorman (Hope and Glory) based it on Thomas Malory’s fifteenth century book Le Morte d’Arthur and it’s an effective adaptation of Malory’s work.

Now Boorman has signed on to direct a new film of a book that has grown into a legend, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Boorman could be an interesting choice for the job of adapting Baum’s classic book into a new non musical animated film version. Boorman took the world of King Arthur and brought it down to earth making the legends come to life by letting his heroes be flawed. He made Arthur, Guinevere, the knights, even the Wizard Merlin more alive by making them human.

Boorman took the terrors of England under siege during WW2 and by showing the events through the eyes of a child made the bombed out landscape a playground for nine year old protagonist Bill. Who can forget Bill saying “Thank you Mr. Hitler” upon seeing his school destroyed by a German bomb.

What will Boorman do with Oz? The film is going to be created with computer animation and this can really open up the world of Oz in contrast to Dorothy’s Kansas prairie. It’s the first time Boorman has directed an animated film. Let’s see what he does with the technology.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz will have a built in audience of fans who can’t get enough Oz. As the television miniseries “Tinman” showed, there’s more than one way to tell the story of Dorothy, her dog Toto, the Tinman, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and their journey to wish fulfillment in Oz.

Are there Wizard of Oz fans out there and if so how do you feel about the prospect of a new film adaptation?

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robert_trek123

I like the idea of a computer animationed generated version of the wizard of oz , I remember the old cartoon movie show of wizard of oz the one made for tv that had a person telling the story to kids in the background it was pretty close to the book version , also saw the 2009 tv oz computer generated scare crow, with the music and power use with the scarecrow hitting the lights and going down the yellow brick road, which the the tv ad , had more of a gray look too the yellow brick road, so yes it they put time and detail into it would make a great computer animated movie if they follow the full story in the book, with no changes etc from the book of wizard of oz story, I would be up for seeing a 3d computer graphic movie of it, but they would have to get the look just right of the characters and land of oz in which it takes place , that I think would be the most hard part of it , because they is very different ideas on how every thing has to look right?

robs_trek123

also I think it is importent for the art of oz to look its best, and maybe show things from different perspectives of the characters , like show the view from Dorothy eyes of thought the other characters too, it maybe not a great idea but what if you saw the whole story of wizard of oz from dorothy view on what going on around her , as if you where dorothy and you where looking thou her eyes during every thing happening to her from the start of the show to the end of the movie, as if you were dorothy looking out of her eyes during the whole oz plot , I don't think its been done from the view of dorothy herself , as the main view of the movie , any ideas others would be great too for the people creating it , the more ideas they have to work with the better it could be made right?

robs_trek123

http://blogofoz.blogspot.com/ first found here

this has the animated scarecrow clip

Scarecrow -GE Commercial 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HieieGE3UNI&eu...

youtube url of it

Jo_A

I think it will be great, and to approach it in such away that hasn't been done to an Oz movie. I know im going to watch it.

Will John Boorman’s Wizard of Oz be Wonderful?

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