Today In Disney History ~ March 8th
Oz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Joe Roth, from a screenplay written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. The film stars James Franco as the titular character, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams with Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, and Tony Cox in supporting roles. Based on L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels and set 20 years before the events of the original novel,[4] Oz the Great and Powerful is a spiritual prequel to the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, The Wizard of Oz. The film tells the story of Oscar Diggs, a deceptive magician who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.
Kapner began developing an origin story for the Wizard of Oz after a lifelong interest of wanting to create one for the character. Walt Disney Pictures commissioned the film’s production in 2009, with Joe Roth as producer and Grant Curtis, Joshua Donen, Philip Steuer, and Palak Patel serving as executive producers. Raimi was hired to direct the following year. After Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp declined the titular role, Franco was cast in February 2011, with principal photography commencing five months later. Danny Elfman composed the film’s score.
Oz the Great and Powerful premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on February 14, 2013, and with general theatrical release on March 8, 2013, through the Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats, as well as in conventional theaters. It grossed over $493 million worldwide against a $200 million budget and is the thirteenth highest-grossing film of 2013. The film won the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Live Action Family Film. Kunis, for her portrayal as the Wicked Witch of the West, won the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.
TMSM Today in Graphic by Sherry Rinaldi DeHart; Wiki
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