Sam Raimi had a massive problem in 2013. He had to convince the world that we needed to see how a third-rate circus magician from Kansas became the guy behind the curtain in the most beloved fantasy world in cinema history. Honestly, it was a tall order. Oz the Great and Powerful wasn't just another blockbuster; it was a $215 million gamble on nostalgia that tried to dance around the legal landmines of the 1939 MGM classic while staying true to L. Frank Baum’s original books.
It worked. Sorta.
People forget that this movie was a genuine hit at the box office, pulling in nearly $500 million globally. But if you talk to a hardcore Oz fan or a cinephile today, the reaction is usually a complicated sigh. It’s a film caught between two worlds—the bright, practical-set charm of the past and the mid-2010s obsession with "Alice in Wonderland" style CGI.
The Legal Nightmare of Yellow Bricks
You’ve probably noticed something weird about the colors in this movie. They're off. Not bad, just... different.
That’s because Warner Bros. owns the rights to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, specifically the iconic visual elements like the ruby slippers and that exact shade of "brick" yellow. Disney, meanwhile, only had access to the original public domain books by L. Frank Baum. This meant Sam Raimi and production designer Robert Stromberg had to literally reinvent the wheel. They couldn't use the specific spiral of the yellow brick road we all know. They couldn't make the Wicked Witch of the West look exactly like Margaret Hamilton.
They had to create a "new" old Oz.
This legal tightrope is why the Emerald City looks more like a collection of Art Deco skyscrapers than the storybook castle from our childhoods. It’s also why Mila Kunis’s transformation into Theodora is such a point of contention. Without the ability to use the specific prosthetic shapes owned by MGM, the makeup team had to find a new way to define "wicked." Some think it looked fresh; others felt it looked like high-end cosplay.
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James Franco and the Problem of the Fraudulent Hero
Let’s talk about Oscar Diggs.
James Franco plays the Wizard as a sleazebag. He’s a womanizer, a con artist, and a man who admits he’d rather be "great" than "good." It’s a bold choice for a Disney protagonist. Usually, these characters have a heart of gold buried under a thin layer of dust. Diggs, however, is pretty much a jerk until the final act.
Raimi has always loved a flawed protagonist—look at Ash from Evil Dead or even Peter Parker’s ego in Spider-Man 3. But Oz is different. We know who this man becomes. We know he ends up as a "humbug" hiding behind a projection. The film’s greatest strength is actually leaning into that fraudulence. When the Wizard finally wins, he doesn't do it with magic. He does it with a kinetoscope and some smoke bombs.
It’s a tribute to the power of cinema itself. That’s very Sam Raimi.
But there’s a flip side. Many critics, including those at The Hollywood Reporter at the time of release, felt Franco was miscast. He has this permanent smirk that makes it hard to feel the stakes. When he’s flirting with Michelle Williams’s Glinda, it feels more like a modern improv set than a grand fantasy epic. It’s jarring. Yet, that jarred feeling is exactly what makes the movie weirdly memorable a decade later. It doesn't feel manufactured by a committee in the way some modern Marvel movies do. It feels like a weird, expensive experiment.
The Three Witches: A Masterclass in Misdirection (and Green Makeup)
The marketing for Oz the Great and Powerful was brilliant because it hid which sister would actually become the Wicked Witch. You had:
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- Evanora (Rachel Weisz): Clearly evil from the jump, but with a refined, royal malice.
- Theodora (Mila Kunis): The innocent sister whose heart gets broken.
- Glinda (Michelle Williams): The "Good" witch who might be more manipulative than she lets on.
Theodora’s descent into villainy is the emotional core of the film, even if it happens way too fast. One bite of a magic apple and she’s suddenly a cackling villain? It’s a bit much. But it highlights a theme Baum touched on in his books: Oz is a place where your internal state dictates your external reality.
Rachel Weisz, for my money, is the MVP here. She treats the material like Shakespeare. She isn't "acting" for a kids' movie; she’s playing a power-hungry dictator who happens to wear feathers. The contrast between her grounded performance and the CGI-heavy environment is what keeps the second act from falling apart.
Visuals: Practical Sets vs. The Green Screen Abyss
Robert Stromberg won an Oscar for Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, and you can see his DNA everywhere in Oz the Great and Powerful.
Disney built massive physical sets for this movie. The Whimsie Woods and the graveyard were real, tangible places. But the film is so heavily layered with digital "sweetening" that it’s often hard to tell what’s real. This was the peak of the "everything must look like a painting" era of filmmaking.
- The Black and White Opening: This is a 4:3 aspect ratio masterpiece. It’s arguably the best part of the movie. It captures the dust-bowl grit of Kansas with a 3D depth that actually serves the story.
- The Transition: When the screen expands and the color bleeds in, it’s a direct homage to the 1939 film, but with 2013 technology.
- China Girl: The character of the China Girl (voiced by Joey King) is a technical marvel. She feels physical. Her porcelain skin catches the light perfectly. She is the emotional anchor of the journey, far more than the winged monkey Finley (Zach Braff).
Why We Don't Have an Oz 2
You’d think a movie that made $493 million would get a sequel.
Disney actually started development on one immediately. Mitchell Kapner, the co-writer, was hired to pen a follow-up. But it never happened. Why? Part of it was the lukewarm critical reception (it sits around 58% on Rotten Tomatoes). But the bigger issue was the shift in Disney’s strategy.
Shortly after Oz, Disney found the "Live-Action Remake" goldmine with Maleficent and Cinderella. These weren't prequels to public domain books; they were direct translations of their own animated hits. Oz the Great and Powerful was a weird middle child. It wasn't based on a Disney cartoon, and it couldn't legally be a prequel to the movie everyone actually loves. It existed in a lonely bubble.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Lore
People often complain that the movie contradicts the "history" of Oz.
Here’s the thing: L. Frank Baum’s books are incredibly inconsistent. He changed the backstory of the Wizard multiple times across the 14 books he wrote. In some versions, the Wizard is a benevolent ruler; in others, he’s a literal usurper who helped overthrow the rightful King of Oz.
Raimi’s film actually stays truer to the spirit of the books than the 1939 movie did. In the books, Oz is a real place—it’s not just a dream Dorothy has because she hit her head. By making the Wizard’s journey a physical, permanent relocation, the 2013 film aligns with Baum’s vision of a hidden continent on Earth.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re going back to watch Oz the Great and Powerful, or if you're a writer/creator looking at how to handle legacy IP, keep these points in mind:
- Watch the shadows: Sam Raimi’s horror roots are all over this thing. The "Baboon" chase in the dark forest is genuinely terrifying and uses classic horror framing.
- Look for the cameos: Bruce Campbell (a Raimi staple) shows up as a Winkie Gatekeeper. It’s a small moment, but it’s pure Raimi.
- Analyze the "Magic" vs. "Science" dynamic: The movie is really about a man who realizes that technology can be just as inspiring as actual magic. In a world of superheroes, a hero who wins with a projector is actually pretty refreshing.
- Contextualize the CGI: Don't compare it to 2026 standards. Look at it as a 2013 time capsule of the "Post-Avatar" boom.
The film isn't perfect. It’s messy, it’s arguably too long, and the tone shifts wildly between slapstick and melodrama. But it’s a sincere attempt to build a bridge to a story we all think we know by heart. It reminds us that even a "humbug" can find greatness if they just find the right audience to believe in them.
The next time you see that green face on a Halloween costume, remember that the "Great and Powerful" Oz wasn't a god or a king. He was just a guy from Kansas who knew how to put on a really, really good show.
To truly appreciate the craft, pay attention to the musical score by Danny Elfman. He intentionally avoided the motifs of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" because of those pesky rights issues, creating a circus-inspired theme that feels more like a carnival than a fairytale. It’s that kind of detail that makes the movie worth a second look, even if it never gets that long-rumored sequel.
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Next Steps for Oz Enthusiasts
- Read "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum: Focus on the "Wizard Behind the Screen" chapters to see how much the 2013 film actually lifted from the text versus the 1939 movie.
- Compare the "Wicked" Archetypes: Watch this film alongside the Broadway musical Wicked (or the film adaptation). See how different writers handle the origin of the green skin and the hat.
- Explore Sam Raimi’s Non-Superhero Work: If you liked the visual flair, check out The Hudsucker Proxy (which he co-wrote) to see his obsession with Art Deco and retro-futurism.