Warner Brothers developing animated feature starring Toto

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Brothers is moving forward with an adaption of the children's book Toto, the Dog-Gone Amazing Story of The Wizard of Oz by author Michael Morpurgo.

The film will chronicle Dorothy's journey from Toto's perspective and is in the hands of Warner Animation Group.

Find out more information here and check back for updates as they become available.

New line coming from Mego

SyFy reports Mego, a company releasing popular toy action figures, and games in the  70's and 80's, is making a comeback this fall with plans to release a new line of products. The good news? The Wizard of Oz is one of their properties!

 There's no news yet on what the actual products will be, but they are due to hit Target stores and its website on July 29.

These dolls and action figures are highly sought after by collectors and this new line will likely be hotly anticipated. If you're interested act early to avoid paying E-Bay scalpers!

More information to come as it is available...

Tree carved to honor Dorothy namesake

A tree in a cemetery in Bloomington is being carved into a likeness of Dorothy and Toto in honor of the girl L. Frank Baum named Dorothy after and dedicated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to.

Baum named famous character from his stories after his niece, Dorothy Gage, who passed away at a young age shortly after contracting a pneumonia like illness. Baum picked the name in part to try and cheer up his wife.



The cemetery will host a dedication ceremony when the carving is complete and the tree will be part of the Dorothy Gage Memorial Garden.

You can find out more about the story here.

Ghanaian Virgil Abloh And Louis Vuitton menswear connection

Created in partnership with Warner Brother's to celebrate the 80th anniversary. 

I love the left jacket but these will likely cost a pretty penny.

Interview with Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West

Broadway World has a fabulous interview with Ashleigh Thompson and Emily Perzan, Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West, respectively, in the touring production of The Wizard of Oz.

On the difference between the movie and stage show:

Ashleigh: I think in many ways we're very true to the movie. But one of the things that's different is some of our takes on the characters. There are some modern spins, and the choreography is modern-especially in Oz. The energy of it is more accessible for a modern audience, whereas the film tends to evoke the time in which it was made. In many ways our production is very traditional and respectful and paints a good picture of the movie, but it has its own life and modern take.

Emily: I would add that when you watch something in a movie, you're outside of that world. With our show, you are really in Oz, and you can dive into the emotions of the characters. That's something we focus on as actors-trying to bring the audience into it with us.

On the backstory of the witches:

Ashleigh: One of the first things the director and I discussed was that he wanted Glinda to represent Dorothy's mother, since in Kansas she doesn't have a mother. So, he wanted Glinda to be representative of the magical, kind, nurturing mother that she didn't have. Kalie had decided for Dorothy that her mother passed when she was little, so it's her vision of what her mother would have been had she lived. The director also wanted Glinda to behave as though she has all the power in her interactions with the wicked witch, so basically I just smile at her all the time. 

Emily: It's interesting because in our only encounter on stage together, Glinda really does hold all the power-she could take me down faster than I could take her down which is the opposite of how it is in Wicked. One part of Wicked that I do play off of is the wicked witch being misunderstood. She's seen as this almighty, evil character, but if someone killed your sister, stole your magic, etc. you'd be kind of mad. She is certainly misunderstood. There's a fun little scene in the stage version where you get to see a little more of that side of her. It's a scene where you see her trying to plot her revenge on Dorothy, and you get to see more of her backstory and her relationship with her flying monkeys and the Winkies. There's a feeling of loss that I try to carry through the show in terms of her losing her power and her sister.

Wizard of Oz train ride thrills children and adults alike

Check out this cool video for a glimpse of what the Wizard of Oz train ride is like. The Daily Commercial has an article interviewing several of the cast members. Here are a few words from the Wizard himself, Bob Wright:

“It has been just a really terrific experience for me. I get to work with a lot of extremely talented young people and then, I get to interact with the guests on the train as well as in the Emerald City and that is so much fun. It is just awesome. The people seem to love it.”

The Wizard of Metal

Check out this photo of metal residents of Oz on top of a metal shop found in Juneau, Alaska!

 

There's even Munchkins! Find out more here.