The Wizard of Oz, the beloved 1939 musical, is under copyright protection until at least 2035. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's original novel, has been in the public domain for over sixty years, and the rest of his numerous sequels are also there. That means that anyone who wants to make a "sequel" to the movie can legally do so, just as long as they avoid the specific copyrighted portions of the film (namely the music, costume, makeup, and design choices, and story elements specific the movie). And filmmakers have, from big-budget movies such as Return to Oz and Oz the Great and Powerful to cheap animated specials.
CBS, which for years presented the movie on an annual basis, was the original home of Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz, though I don't know if they specifically commissioned it or bought the project during or after completion. Either way, it takes the book's approach of presenting the events as really happening rather than all being a dream, like in the movie. It, like many of the other specials, seems to have very little to do with Thanksgiving.
The story starts with Dorothy encountering the Wizard at the Kansas farm, whose giant green turkey balloon quickly takes her, Toto, and a mince pie right back to Oz. There, they encounter Jack Pumpkinhead (an original Baum character, who first appeared in the second Oz book) and the evil Tyrone the Toy Tinker (created for the special), who has a plot to bring an army of giant tin solders to life and march on the Emerald City. Quickly stealing the Powder of Life Jack was guarding, Tyrone brings the turkey balloon to life, leaving Dorothy, Jack, and the pie (which also came to life) to chase after him. Along the way, they encounter two more Baum characters, the Hungry Tiger and Tik-Tok, a wind-up robot, as they make their way to the castle.
Like Intergalactic Thanksgiving, this special could probably have used a longer running time. It feels very rushed, and the journey to Tyrone's castle seems to hardly take any time at all, with most of it given over to the introduction of the Tiger. That said, I'm not sure if a longer version would have been better. An hour run time would have likely made it even more obvious that Jack, Tik-Tok, and the Tiger were simply stand-ins for the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion (the pie, on the other hand, is fine standing on its own). Plus, there isn't a doubt about the outcome from the beginning. Of course Dorothy will convince Tyrone to become good, via mediocre song.
As I said, the actual Thanksgiving content is minimal, so much so that the special was eventually renamed Dorothy in the Land of Oz, apparently to allow showings any time of the year. Thanksgiving is primarily mentioned only when the Wizard is discussing the turkey balloon, and the song that convinces Tyrone to reform keeps pointing out that Christmas was just around the corner. And that's it.
Speaking of Intergalactic Thanksgiving, this one also has the vocal talents of Sid Caesar, who played the Wizard (who was also the special's narrator) as well as the pie. Tyrone was voiced by veteran voice actor Robert Ridgeley, who achieved some live-action recognition late in his life thanks to roles in films such as Philadelphia and Boogie Nights.
All in all, Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz isn't terrible, but it's not exactly inspired either. This one might be primarily for young kids who love the movie and for Oz completists. Everyone else can look for a better special.
Next time: A stranger's just a friend you haven't met
No comments:
Post a Comment