The Franco Factor

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/mar/07/oz-the-great-and-powerful-review

Big Budget Misfire?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/oz-the-great-and-powerful-a-big-budget-misfire-thats-the-very-opposite-of-magic/article9479230/

Homage with a heart

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/08/sam-raimis-oz-the-great-and-powerful-is-a-homage-with-a-heart-3531527/

Risky Business

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/07/oz-the-great-and-powerful_n_2830485.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment

Neither great, nor powerful

http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/ann-hornaday-reviews-oz-the-great-and-powerful/2013/03/07/8e1cc3f8-859d-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html

A worthy companion to a classic

http://www.lvrj.com/neon/charms-twists-make-oz-the-great-and-powerful-worthy-companion-to-classic-196266711.html

Lacks the sparkle of the original

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/18636531-421/oz-the-great-and-powerful-lacks-the-sparkle-of-the-original.html

Raimi and Williams it seems had some very different ideas. Oz the Great and Powerful which opens it’s doors this Friday much to the joy of loving fans around the globe sees Glinda taking more of a helpless role than we’ve previously seen in past Oz incarcerations.

Raimi says this was a conscious choice, and one he and Williams often discussed on set.

Glinda can’t be omniscient because then she has no struggle.

Williams said.

If she already knows everything about the situation, there’s nothing for her to discover.

The film which is not quite a prequel and certainly not a sequel stands on its own amongst the plethora of Oz remakes and reboots. It references the Oscar winning musical and for anyone who loved that, you’re in for a treat.

This Friday we’ll all watch in ore as James Franco plays the lackadaisical wizard Oz, starting out from humble beginnings as a magician/ conman who finds himself accidentally transported into the weird and wonderful world of Oz. It is in this magical and mythical land that he encounters Glinda (played by Williams) and of course the pair of less likable sister-witches Theodora and Evanora (Played by Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz).

Michelle said that in preparation for her role in the film, she read a bio of Baum and nearly all 14 of the authors astonishing books which included a ‘Keeping Glinda’ notebook.

Sam Raimi’s new adventure comes 113 years after the release of one of the worlds most loved children’s books “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. A story that defined a generation, and introduced us to some of the most memorable characters the world has ever known.

A twist on a classic, “Oz: The Great and Powerful” takes us to a pre-Dorethy Land of Oz, and tells the tail of an unlikely hero. The story of how the uncooth Wizard (Played by James Franco) came to be in the land of Oz. Raimi might be treading new ground with his never before told story, but he’s certainly not the first to adapt Baum’s iconic book for a modern generation. Frank Baum himself was actually the first, bringing his book to the stage in 1903. Since then, The Wizard of Oz and It’s characters have been played by thousands of different actors, infront of millions of people though Ballet, Stage, Film, Television and Music.

In our Gallery below, we’ve taken a glance at Oz through the years, from the book released in 1900, to Michael Jackson’s portrayal of the Scarecrow, to Muppets and finally to Sam Raimi’s epic new adventure

Watch the epic second trailer for Disney’s Oz: The Great and Powerful.

The great and powerful diva with the great and powerful voice will record the lead single ‘Almost Home’ which will be released on the 19th Feb this year with David LaChapelle to shoot the music video. LaChapelle worked with Mariah on the video for her 2001 hit ‘Loverboy’ from her ‘Glitter’ soundtrack.

Mariah has co-written and produced the song with her production team along with collaborators Simone Porter, Justin Gray and Lindsay Ray.

Oz the Great and Powerful lands at cinemas on March 8th.

Visit Mariah Carey on Itunes.

The article will give D23 readers an exclusive tour of the land created by director Sam Raimi, as well as some inside information from the movie’s stars Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff.

The article goes on to illustrate the many connections between Disney and Oz, including the man himself, Walt Disney’s historic attempts to bring the wonderful word of Oz to the silver screen, the story also features some amazing never before seen images from Disney’s vaults with a nostalgic look back at Disney’s 1985 classic ‘Return to Oz‘.

D23 will be out on Feb 12th throughout the US and on Disneystore.com.

The UK got it’s first taste of Oz the Great and Powerful recently, with a TV spot featuring footage from the up and coming movie. The epic adventure which hits theaters on 8th March 2013 tells the story of how a simple wizard came to find himself in the wonderful land of Oz.