#The Wizard of Oz in Pictures

[uwmspeccoll]

Unfolding Oz

Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s original classic, The Wizard of Oz in Pictures is a delightful, tiny accordion book created by book artists Peter and Donna Thomas and printed in 2001 in an edition of 26 lettered and 75 numbered copies in Santa Cruz, California. The couple have worked collaboratively since 1977, creating over 500 handcrafted books. The Wizard of Oz in Pictures was commissioned for the International Wizard of Oz Club, and is reproduced from a one-of-a-kind of the same name by Donna Thomas that used her own handwritten text and watercolor illustrations. Donna Thomas writes:

It tells the story in one continuous illustration (follow the Yellow Brick Road!) that is folded as an eight-panel accordion. I chose to use our nested accordion binding to complement the theme of movement in the story, from the flying house to the flying monkeys, and the cloth binding material was inspired by Dorothy's gingham dress.

Our copy is an artists' proof and is a gift of the artists. You can view nearly all of Peter and Donna Thomas's artists books in our online catalogue raisonné of their work.

View more posts with work by Peter and Donna Thomas.

-Melissa, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[salmonella-destroyer-of-worlds]

[toiletpotato]

Hinton Battle was the original Scarecrow in The Wiz, Mabel King was the original Evillene* (in both the stage show AND the movie), and Tasha Thomas was the original Aunt Em.

*Evillene is the name of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wiz, so this is a picture of two Wicked Witches of the West meeting (!!!!!!!!!)

BONUS:

[brokehorrorfan]

Phantasia Cult, a new horror merch company, just launched its first drop with The Witch, Midsommar, Hellraiser, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Twin Peaks, and The Wizard of Oz.

Two-sided designs are up for pre-order on T-shirts ($18) and long sleeves ($22) until September 14.

[dazzelmethat]

Finished all the Oz books. 70 hours for the price of one book on libro.fm. My favorites were the glass cat Bungle and the Patchwork girl Scraps.

I had such vivid imagery in my head for them while I was listening. I tried to capture the feeling here. It was interesting trying to find other references for how they were drawn .. and how to convert it into what my imagination was like.

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Return to Oz (1985, Walter Murch)

02/02/2024

Return to Oz is a 1985 film directed by Walter Murch, an unofficial sequel to the famous film The Wizard of Oz directed by Victor Fleming and produced by MGM in 1939. The film earned an Oscar nomination for best special effects.

Several months have passed since the events of The Wizard of Oz, and Dorothy Gale is melancholy because she continues to do nothing but dream of her magical adventure, and that Uncle Henry and Aunt Emma don't believe her.

Later, Dorothy discovers to her horror the Yellow Brick Path in ruins and, running along it with Billina, finds the Emerald City, Grey, desert, largely destroyed and with petrified inhabitants, including the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.

The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures without the collaboration of MGM, or Warner Bros., the studio that currently holds the rights to the 1939 film.

The film's screenplay is based on L. Frank Baum's second and third novels, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz, both sequels to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

George Lucas, Murch's friend and colle8, had to personally intervene, guaranteeing the studio that he would act as executive producer or even director in case of problems.

The soundtrack of the film was entrusted to the composer and musical writer David Shire, also know for numerous TV soundtracks, theater musical and for many films including Saturday Night Fever. The entire musical sequence from Dorothy's Theme to the Rag March of the final scene is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra.

The Italian dubbing of the film was directed by Renato Izzo, Gruppo Trenta.

On home video, in Italy, the film was released in VHS format by Walt Disney Home Video in 1986. The DVD was released in 2013 in the Disney Family Classics series.

Writer Joan D. Vinge adapted the film's screenplay into a novel.

[hyzenthlayroseart]

Holy shit am I glad this is done. This thing took days.

Anyway years ago I made a drawing called Ode to Broadway featuring a bunch of musicals I love and I decided to redo it, this time drawn digitally and with more musicals added in (I also changed the name to Ode to Musicals because not all of these have stage adaptations).

The musicals featured here are: The Sound of Music, Singin' in the Rain, The Lion King, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Annie, La La Land, Hairspray, Cabaret, Chicago, Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Hamilton, Cats, The Producers, The Greatest Showman, The Music Man, Moulin Rouge, Fiddler on the Roof, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story and Little Shop of Horrors.

Now when I got to West Side Story I had a dilemma: do I do the original film or the remake? Because amazingly, Steven Spielberg did something unbelievable: made a remake to an already perfect classic film and said remake was also absolute perfection. Nonetheless I decided to go with the original. 

Two musicals I wanted to include but didn't are Rent and In the Heights just because I couldn't think of a way to fit them in.

Also I didn't want to add any animated musicals in, so that's why there's nothing from Disney for example (except for the Broadway adaptation of The Lion King, of course).

I also didn't want actors to appear twice in this, which is why Mary Poppins isn't here even though I would've loved to add it because I already have Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music here. Same reason I only chose one of Jacques Demy's musicals, because Catherine Deneuve also stars in The Young Girls of Rochefort and Donkey Skin.

[poppies-from-oz]

Roses

An enduring symbol of romance and refinement, the rose has many meanings ascribed to it. To give someone a red rose conveys the message of “I love you.”

[geekcavepodcast]

Wicked Trailer 2

Elphaba and Glinda "meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West." (Universal Pictures)

Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Ariana Grande (Glinda), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Ethan Slater (Boq), Marissa Bode (Nessarose), Jeff Goldblum (Wizard of Oz), Bowen Yang (Pfannee), Bronwyn James (ShenShen), and Keala Settle (Miss Coddle). The film, the first in a two-parter, is directed by Jon M. Chu. Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name was adapted for the screen by the stage production's book writer Winnie Holzman and composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.

Wicked releases to theaters November 22, 2024. Part two will hit theaters on November 26, 2025.

[gastrophobia]

Sneak peek at some members of Jinjur's army in my extremely inaccurate comic adaptation of the Marvelous Land of Oz, coming in 2023.

I completely changed Jinjur’s motivation in my version because the original was a bit of a straw feminist.

I’m in the thumbnail phase of writing. Up to 49 pages as of this post.

I’m keeping the same basic story beats as in the original book, but adding a bunch of stupid goofy jokes, melodrama, and gender dysphoria. Frankly, it’s all over the place, but it’s REALLY GOOD??!?

I keep laughing out loud and also crying as I write this thing.

Edit: I changed the bunny’s name to Juni Jump.

[psychotiicals]

Judy Garland Museum, Grand Rapids MN

[simplyghosting]

Miss seeing those really cool painted, illustrated paperback book covers. Most of what I see now is minimalistic or photoshop stuff. Or my least preferred, covers from movies. Which aren’t inherently bad, but it’s just not… fun for me. Like I’m talking, I’m wanting covers where the cover artist went OFF. Cheap paperbacks with some SOUL. I want to pick up that book and be sucked into the world with the cover. I want that artist signature in the corner. More illustrated covers!!

[thepeoplesmovies]

'You Can Do Anything' In Wicked Trailer 2!

Universal Pictures have released the second UK Trailer for Wicked and ‘You can do anything!’. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know the movie adaptation of the award winning musical is getting many cinephile excited. Every promo Universal have released has taken the fans level of anticipation to the next level and the latest it’s probably astronomical levels. They where probably sold on…

[thenerdsofcolor]

New Featurette for 'Wicked' Prepares Us for Jon M. Chu's Passion Project

New Featurette for 'Wicked' Prepares Us for Jon M. Chu's Passion Project #WickedMovie @wickedmovie

Something has changed within him. Something is not the same. It’s because Crazy Rich Asians director, Jon M. Chu has now officially fulfilled his dream of bringing his passion project to life – Wicked! Continue reading New Featurette for ‘Wicked’ Prepares Us for Jon M. Chu’s Passion Project

[woozini-of-oz]

"The Wizard cut the Sorcerer exactly in two"

Dorothy and The Wizard in Oz (1908) - Illustrated by John R. Neill

[princesssarisa]

Here's something I had almost forgotten about! This book and album – which I owned on cassette tape, not record – were my introduction to The Wizard of Oz as a preschooler! They were produced by Disney as part of a read-along series.

The text is based on the original book, not the 1939 movie, and the illustrations' character designs are original. But the characters' voices on the album are impressions of the 1939 movie actors, and renditions of "Over the Rainbow" and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road/We're Off to See the Wizard" are sung by a chorus at the end.