Do you have a New Year’s wish? Does it have anything to do with Sam Raimi’s Oz The Great and Powerful, which will be making its way toward theaters in March 2013? If so – or even if your wish is disconnected from Raimi’s fantasy adventure – Disney is encouraging you to stop watching the dropping Times Square ball long enough to Tweet your New Year’s wish with the hashtag #DisneyOz. They’ve even made a nifty countdown montage of Great and Powerful footage to help put us all in the New Year’s Eve mood. Check it out:
What images stand out? I really like the shot of James Franco’s magician sliding down a pile of gold coins, doing his best Scrooge McDuck impersonation. Whose money is that? I always believe the wizard behind the curtain in Oz was a phony, a man of half-truths. Could this be someone else’s fortune, and the root of the problems in Oz this time around? Also, it’s hard not to get excited by that whirling dervish of dark and fiery imagery as the Wicked Witch of the West appears at the end of the countdown. If there’s one reason for Raimi – or any filmmaker – to bother returning to Oz, it’s because advancements in technology mean they can improve on the rudimentary effects in the classic.
Then again, it worked pretty well back then, and if it ain’t broken, maybe Raimi should be trying to fix it. We’ll find out eventually, as Walt Disney plans to usher audiences back to the Emerald City of Oz on March 8 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D. I’m surprised the movie has yet to be rated. Will Raimi keep it to a G or PG or will they possibly have to bump up to PG-13? And will that affect you decision to see OZ The Great and Powerful? Let us know in the comments section!
