Dorothy and the Witches of Oz

Dorothy and the Witches of Oz is a 2012 film directed by Leigh Scott, based on the early 20th century novels The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Ozma of Oz, The Road to Oz and The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Paulie Redding, Billy Boyd, Eliza Swenson, Mia Sara, Lance Henriksen, and Christopher Lloyd. A longer version of the film was originally released as a TV miniseries in 2011 called The Witches of Oz, distributed by MarVista Entertainment.[1] The miniseries was over an hour longer and had earlier versions of the special effects. The miniseries was originally released in 2011 in Europe, though its United Kingdom premiere was not until July 5, 2012 on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Dorothy and the Witches of Oz
Directed byLeigh Scott
Produced by
Screenplay byLeigh Scott
Story by
Starring
Music byEliza Swenson
CinematographyLeigh Scott
Edited by
Production
company
Palace/Imaginarium
Distributed byIFI Studios (theatrical)
Release date
  • February 17, 2012 (2012-02-17)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Development of the miniseries/film began while director Leigh Scott was making direct-to-video films for The Asylum. Production began in December 2009 and filming took place throughout Connecticut and New York City.[2]

Plot

An adult Dorothy Gale is now a successful children's book author and has moved 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.[3][4]

Cast
  • Paulie Rojas as Dorothy Gale, a successful children's book author from Kansas.[5]
    • Marissa Smoker portrays a younger Dorothy Gale
  • Eliza Swenson as Billie Westbrook, Dorothy's agent and friend who is the Earth-based form of the Wicked Witch of the West.
  • Billy Boyd as Nick Chopper, Dorothy's boyfriend.
  • Christopher Lloyd as the Wizard of Oz, the ruler of the Emerald City.
  • Ari Zagaris as Allen Denslow, the illustrator of Dorothy's books who is the Earth-based form of Scarecrow.
  • Ross Edgar as Rick, a man who only appears in the original version of the film.
    • Jordan Turnage as Tin Man, the true form of Rick.
  • Barry Ratcliffe as Bryan Jennings, Dorothy's lawyer who is the Earth-based form of Cowardly Lion.
  • Mia Sara as Princess Langwidere, a witch who is an ally to the Wicked Witch of the West and has many heads that she changes.
    • Sasha Jackson as Ilsa Lang, a popular Hollywood actress who is one of the thirty-one different heads of Princess Langwidere.
    • Jessica Sonneborn as Ev Locast, one of Princess Langwidere's thirty-one different heads.
    • Elizabeth Masucci as Jennifer Mombi, a New York citizen whose head is claimed by Princess Langwidere. Her surname is a reference to Mombi, the Wicked Witch of the North who first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz.
  • Sean Astin as Frack Muckadoo,[6] a servant of Princess Langwidere.
  • Ethan Embry as Frick Muckadoo, a servant of Princess Langwidere.
  • Lance Henriksen as Henry Gale, Dorothy's old-fashioned uncle who lives in rural Kansas.
  • Jeffrey Combs as Frank, the author of the original Oz books and Dorothy's real father. His full name is L. Frank Baum.
  • Noel Thurman as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South and ruler of the Quadling Country.[7]
  • Brionne Davis as Simon, Ilsa's ill-tempered mysterious assistant who is an unknown creature that works for Princess Langwidere.
  • Al Snow as the Nome King, a cruel king of the Nomes who is set on revenge on the Tin Man.[8]
  • Liz Douglas as Aunt Em, Henry's wife.
  • Brooke Taylor as Locasta, the Good Witch of the North and younger sister to Glinda.
  • Sarah Lieving as the Wicked Witch of the East, the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West.
  • Chanel Ryan as Pinney Pinney
  • Rajah as Toto, Dorothy's beloved dog and loyal companion.

Release

Dorothy and the Witches of Oz was released theatrically in the United States on February 17, 2012.[9] The film opened in select AMC Theatres, Harkins Theatres, Rave Motion Pictures, and Marcus Theatres venues in Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. The film was then shown at film festivals and exclusive events in New York, Kentucky, California, Virginia,[10] Missouri, Pennsylvania,[11] and North Carolina throughout the course of the year.

The original version of the film, in the form of the miniseries The Witches of Oz, was released on home video in France on November 9, 2011, in Germany on December 8, 2011, and in the United States on April 10, 2012.[12]

Reception

Despite an overall negative response from critics and audiences to the original miniseries version, the later film version Dorothy and the Witches of Oz received better, but still mixed, reviews during its theatrical run. Bob Fischbach of the Omaha World-Herald praised the film for its contemporary twist on the story, but stated that it was "cheesy, but fun for family."[13] Patrick Luce of Monsters & Critics gave the film a positive review, and stated that "hopefully this won't be the only trip to Oz we'll get to take".[14]

Soundtrack
Dorothy and the Witches of Oz
Soundtrack album by
Eliza Swenson
Released2012
GenreClassical
LabelImaginarium
ProducerEliza Swenson

The soundtrack to the film, composed by Eliza Swenson, was released on iTunes, and then on a soundtrack CD in February 2012.[15]

Track listing
  1. "From the Beginning"
  2. "Billie Westbrook"
  3. "A Place Called Oz"
  4. "The Changing Word"
  5. "Friend and Foe"
  6. "This Ride's On Me"
  7. "The Emerald Key"
  8. "She Doesn't Like Surrender"
  9. "Memory Dust"
  10. "Good Witch?"
  11. "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
  12. "Kansas 1889"
  13. "Good Witch of Manhattan"
  14. "One Way Ticket to Oz"
  15. "Oz Suite"

See also

References
  1. Yahoo.com Archived December 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Newstimes.com
  3. Blu-ray.com
  4. Marcustheatres.com Archived April 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Sefijaonline.com
  6. Theonering.net
  7. Alienbee.net
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2013-01-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Movieline
  10. Radford.edu
  11. Publicopinion.com
  12. Alienbee.net
  13. Omaha.com
  14. Monstersandcritics.com Archived July 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  15. Cdbaby.com
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