Oz, The Great and Powerful (2013)
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A deceitful stage magician is swept into the Land of Oz and must navigate the whims of three powerful witches to become the legendary wizard.
The story
In 1905, a circus magician and con artist named Oscar Diggs is swept away by a tornado to the Land of Oz. Upon arrival, he is met by the witch Theodora, who believes he is the prophesied wizard destined to defeat the Wicked Witch and become the land's ruler. Seeking fame and wealth, Oscar agrees to help her reach the Emerald City. Along the way, he befriends a flying monkey and a living china doll. He must navigate the complexities of the land and his own deceptive nature while dealing with the conflicting agendas of three powerful witches: Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being swept to the Land of Oz by a tornado, Oscar Diggs, a con artist and magician, is mistaken for a prophesied wizard. He joins forces with the witch Theodora to reach the Emerald City. Along the way, he befriends a flying monkey named Finley and a living china doll. At the Emerald City, he is misled by Evanora into believing Glinda is the Wicked Witch. However, he later discovers Evanora is the true villain. After Theodora is transformed into a green-skinned witch by Evanora's trickery, Oscar works with Glinda to defeat Evanora's forces using illusions and machinery. Oscar stages a fake death and reappears as a giant spectral image, convincing Theodora he has real magic. Evanora is defeated, and Oscar becomes the ruler of Oz, maintaining the illusion of his magical powers while acknowledging his feelings for Glinda.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sam Raimi
- Writers
- David Lindsay-Abaire · screenplay; Mitchell Kapner · screenplay; Mitchell Kapner · story
- Cast and characters
- James Franco · Oscar; Mila Kunis · Theodora; Rachel Weisz · Evanora; Michelle Williams · Glinda; Zach Braff · Finley; Bill Cobbs · Master Tinker; Joey King · China Girl; Tony Cox · Knuck / "Sourpuss"
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- identity; deception; heroism
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; whimsical
- Premise and plot tags
- prequel; origin story
- Source material / true-story basis
- L. Frank Baum's Oz books
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was commercially successful, becoming the highest-grossing Oz-related film until 2024.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 56% · scale: percentage · review count: 270; Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: 100 · review count: 42; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award · Best Live Action Family Film · Win; MTV Movie Award · Best Villain · Win
- Production trivia
- The film features a transition from black and white to color, mirroring the 1939 film.; Mila Kunis's makeup and prosthetics took four hours to apply and one hour to remove.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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