I don’t want to be a good man. I want to be a great one – Oscar Diggs/Oz
~Oz The Great and Powerful
Best known for his brilliance in bringing the Spider-Man Trilogy to the big screen, Sam Raimi set out to create a very different fantasy world in Disney’s latest film Oz The Great and Powerful. Only learning after the film was made that Walt Disney had aspired to produce an animated film based on the first of L. Frank Baum’s Oz works, Raimi was “surprised and honored to make it.”
After attending an early screening of the film, I had an opportunity to attend the press conference where Raimi (along with other members of the cast and filmmaking team), spoke about his involvement with the film, evolution of Oz’s character (aka Oscar Diggs), and what it took to create the fantasy world he finds himself in after being swept up in a balloon from his small town in Kansas. The prequel is set before the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and inspired by Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
As the film opens, we meet Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician in Kansas, who wants “more” than to simply perform in small-town circus shows. The film begins in black and white, and while it definitely has the same initial feel as 1939 film which also begins in black and white and transitions to color, the purpose was to help develop a character that was authentic and believable. “We were trying to set up Oz’s knowledge as a tinkerer and his awareness of Edison’s kinescope and early motion picture cameras so that we could properly support the idea that he could have created this technology with the help of the tinkerers once he got to the land of Oz (Raimi).”
One of the unique aspects of the film’s plot is the fact that it details the untold story of Oz, yet is highly reminiscent of Baum’s works. Raimi and the team studied Baum’s books but knew that it was more important to re-create rather than retell the story. “I decided I could be truest to the fans of Baum’s great work if I recognized what was great and moving and touching and most effective about those books to me, and put as much of that into this picture as I could.”
As compelling as the story is, what I find most intriguing about the film is it’s visual aspect. There aren’t many films that can compare to the rich beauty, vivid detail, and vibrant colors seen in the world of Oz. Additionally, Raimi was challenged with creating this world in 3D. I was surprised to learn that Raimi had little knowledge of the technology and actually went to school to learn about 3D. “I had to meet with technicians and study the camera systems and go to effects houses and hear what the different visual effects artists had to say about working with the systems (Raimi).” Raimi recalls getting headaches when he saw older 3D movies and wanted to understand why this was the case so that he could create an immersive 3D movie that enhanced (rather than distracted) the audience’s experience. He studied those reasons and worked intently with the storyboard artists, visual effects artists, concept artists, landscape artists, and those who work on greenery “to learn how to create a world form the ground up.”
The film, as you can imagine, is highly visual and while I was completely immersed in the story, I find myself captivated by even the tiniest details, particularly in the world of Oz. Attention to detail was important to Raimi… “every single blade of grass and little blossom has been thought out by an individual artist…every insect is created by artists.” There is so much detail in the film, that some things, like creatures that inhabit the land, that can only be seen in the background, yet were thoughtfully designed and animated. “I’ve never been part of anything so gigantic before (Raimi).”
As I mentioned above, we know that Walt Disney dreamed of making an Oz film, perhaps much like this one. After the team had wrapped, Raimi was shown a reel which featured Walt Disney trying to get the rights to the Oz books. It was a dream and a passion of his and “it was very touching because all I wanted to do was make the ultimate Walt Disney picture…it could be for families…it could be uplifting (Raimi).” After having seen the film, I can wholeheartedly say that I think Walt would have loved it. It has princesses and witches…bluebirds and cuddly creatures.
Oz the Great and Powerful debuts in theaters nationwide this Friday, March 8th 2013.
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to cover the press junket which helped facilitate the writing of this post.
Images: Disney
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