Oz the Great and Powerful

          Oz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Joe Roth, and written byDavid Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. The film stars James Franco as the titular character, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Rachel Weisz as Evanora, and Michelle Williams as Glinda. Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, and Tony Cox are featured in supporting roles.

           The film is based on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels^[2] and is a prequel to the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. Set 20 years before the events of the original novel,^[3] Oz the Great and Powerful focuses on the origin of the Wizard of Oz, whose real name is revealed to be Oscar Diggs, and who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora (the Wicked Witch of the West whose non-canon origin is elaborated upon), Evanora (the Wicked Witch of the East), and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.

           Oz the Great and Powerful premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on February 14, 2013, and with general theatrical release by Walt Disney Pictures on March 8, 2013, through the Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats, as well as in conventional theatres. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box office success, grossing $493 million worldwide in revenue; $234 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada.

Plot

           In 1905 Kansas, Oscar Diggs works as a magician in a traveling circus. An inveterate womanizer, Oscar flirts with the circusstrongman's wife, and the strongman threatens him. Oscar escapes in a hot air balloon, but is sucked into a tornado that takes him to the Land of Oz. There he encounters the beautiful but naive witch Theodora. She believes him to be a wizard prophesied to destroy the Wicked Witch who killed the King of Oz. En route to the Emerald City, Theodora falls in love with Oscar. They encounter the flying monkey Finley, who pledges a life debt to Oscar when he saves him from a lion.

           At the Emerald City, Oscar meets Theodora's sister Evanora, who tells him the Wicked Witch resides in the Dark Forest and can be killed by destroying her wand, the source of her powers. Oscar and Finley are joined en route to the forest by China Girl, a young, living china doll whose village and family were destroyed by the Wicked Witch. Oscar fixes the China Girl's broken legs with glue. They reach the forest and retrieve the wand, but they discover the "Wicked Witch" is Glinda the Good Witch who identifies Evanora as the true Wicked Witch. Evanora sees this with her crystal ball and tricks Theodora into thinking he is trying to court all three witches. She offers Theodora a magic apple that she says will remove her heartache; Theodora bites it and turns into a green-skinned crone.

            Glinda brings Oscar's group to her domain in Oz to escape Evanora's army of Winkies and Flying Baboons. She confides to Oscar that she knows he is not a wizard, but still believes he can help stop Evanora. He reluctantly takes charge of an "army" of Quadlings, Tinkers, and Munchkins. Theodora enters Glinda's domain and angrily reveals her new, hideous appearance to Oscar. She threatens to kill him and his allies with the Emerald City's well-prepared army. Oscar despairs of his chances. After telling China Girl about the exploits of his hero Thomas Edison, he conceives a plan that relies on trickery.

              Glinda and her subjects mount a fake attack on the Emerald City using an army of scarecrow puppets whose true nature is hidden by thick fog. The witches are tricked into sending their Flying Baboons through a poppy field that puts them to sleep. Two Flying Baboons capture Glinda, who is brought to the city square and chained. Oscar infiltrates the Emerald City with his allies, but appears to abandon them in a hot air balloon loaded with gold. Theodora destroys the balloon with a fireball. Oscar secretly reveals his engineered death to his friends. Using a hidden smoke machine and image projector, he presents a giant image of his face amid smoke and flame as his "true form", and calls upon "the stars themselves" (a fireworks display) to intimidate the Wicked Witches. Evanora fearfully hides in her castle while Theodora flees on her broom after her attacks fail to hurt the "invincible" wizard. China Girl frees Glinda, who defeats Evanora, destroying the Wicked Witch's emerald necklace that hides her true, crone-like appearance. The banished Evanora is carried off by the two remaining Flying Baboons.

              Oscar, now ruler of Oz, uses his projector to sustain the belief he is a powerful wizard. He also presents gifts to his friends: Master Tinker, who helped build his machines, receives Oscar's camping tool; Knuck, the grumpy Munchkin herald, receives a mask with a smiley face; the long-suffering Finley receives Oscar's friendship along with his top hat; and China Girl accepts her friends as her new family. Finally, Oscar takes Glinda behind the curtains of his projector, thanks her for making him a better person, and they kiss.

Cast

• James Franco as Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, or "Oz", a womanizing con artist, stage magician, and barnstormer^[10] who is part of a traveling circus in the Midwest. He is whisked in a hot air balloon by a tornado to the Land of Oz, where he is believed to be a wizard destined to bring peace to the land, forcing him to overcome his dubious ethics to convince his peers he is the hero needed by the people of Oz.

• Mila Kunis as Theodora, a beautiful and naïve good witch who has the Land of Oz's best interests at her heart. She believes that Oscar is the wizard prophesied to defeat the seemingly evil Glinda from the Dark Forest, developing an attraction to him in the process. Evanora gradually manipulates Theodora into thinking Oscar has betrayed her for Glinda, ushering her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West.^[11]

• Rachel Weisz as Evanora, the protector of the Emerald City and former advisor to the original King of Oz, whose murder she has committed prior to the events of the film, framing his daughter Glinda for the murder. Being a Wicked Witch, she has a hideous form which she hides by wearing a necklace that gives her the appearance of a stunning young woman. She deceives Oscar by framing Glinda for the King's murder and telling Oscar that Glinda is the Wicked Witch rather than herself.

• Michelle Williams as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. She rules and protects a peaceful kingdom in Oz inhabited by kind Quadlings, tinkers, and Munchkins. Oscar originally believed her to be the Wicked Witch responsible for terrorizing the land. She guides Oscar to achieve his destiny of defeating Evanora, becoming his love interest in the process.
  • Michelle Williams also plays Annie, an old flame of Oscar's and future mother to Dorothy Gale.^[12]

• Zach Braff as the voice of Finley: Finley is a winged monkey who pledges an irrevocable life debt to Oscar, believing him to be the prophesied wizard, for saving him from theCowardly Lion.^[8] He quickly regrets his decision when Oscar reveals he is not a wizard, but nonetheless becomes his loyal ally.
  • Braff also plays Frank, Oscar's long-suffering yet loyal assistant in Kansas.

• Bill Cobbs as the Master Tinker, the leader of the tinkers who are ruled by Glinda. He would later build the Tin Woodman.

• Joey King as the voice of China Girl, a young, living china doll from China Town where everything, including its inhabitants, is made of china. Her home is destroyed by Evanora, leaving her its only survivor when she is found by Oscar, with whom she forms a strong friendship after he used glue to fix her legs.
  • King also plays a girl in a wheelchair visiting Oscar's magic show in Kansas.

• Tony Cox plays Knuck, the quick-tempered herald and fanfare player of Emerald City who is allied with Glinda.

Stephen R. Hart and Bruce Campbell play Winkie guards at the Emerald City.^[13] Abigail Spencer plays May, Oscar's temporary magic assistant in Kansas and one of his several fleeting loves in the film.^[13] Tim Holmes plays the strongman who attacks Oscar for trying to court his wife, prompting Oscar to take the hot air balloon that sends him to the Land of Oz.

Raimi, who often casts friends and actor-regulars in cameo roles, cast his brother Ted Raimi as a small-town skeptic at a magic show who yells, "I see a wire!", two of his former teachers — Jim Moll and Jim Bird — as Emerald City townspeople, and the three actresses from his directorial debut The Evil Dead — Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly — as Quadling townspeople.^[14]