‘The Wizard of Oz’ Gets a New TV Series, The Latest in a Long Line of Adaptations (We Count 28 of ‘Em!)

The Silent Films Before ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1908-33)

Fans of The Wizard of Oz might be surprised to know just how many versions there were before hand. In 1908, L. Frank Baum himself created a multimedia presentation known as The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays; followed in 1910 by the 15-minute silent film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; 1914’s live action film The Patchwork Girl of Oz, His Majesty, the Scarecrow and The Magic Cloak of Oz; 1925’s Wizard of Oz (featuring a young Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man), and 1933’s animated short The Wizard of Oz.

‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

For most people, their first real exposure to Oz came through The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy (Judy Garland, of course), desiring to return to Kansas, meets up with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion — respectively looking for brains, a heart, and courage — as they make their way to the Emerald City and a fantasy adventure that has thrilled generations of viewers. And It’s still the best, losing none of its magic over the past 80 years. How could it, when we’re talking Judy Garland as Dorothy, Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr as the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, and those terrifying winged monkeys? And then there’s all that color, those classic songs, the ruby slippers, grumpy talking trees, the munchkins, the Lollipop Guild, and Toto, too… the list goes on and on!

‘Tales of the Wizard of Oz’ (1961)

A number of stories created from L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz serve as inspiration. Some of the familiar characters are given slightly altered name, such as The Cowardly Lion being called Dandy, the Tin Man named Rusty and the Scarecrow going by Socrates. Running five minutes in length each, a total of 110 episodes were produced. Three years later Return to Oz was more or less a continuation of this show, running 51-minutes as a one-off TV movie.

‘Off to See the Wizard’ (1967-68)

Back in the 1960s the annual airing of The Wizard of Oz was a massive event, and in response ABC created an anthology series whose title was taken from a song from the 1939 film, and which had animated bookends featuring Dorothy, Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and the Wizard around a wide variety of previously made movies that had nothing to do with Oz. Amazing voice talent involved: Mel Blanc as the Cowardly Lion, Daws Butler as both the Scarecrow and the Wizard, Don Messick as Toto and the Tin Man, and June Foray as Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West.

‘Journey Back to Oz’ (1972)

You’ll be hard-pressed to find this one, but it’s considered a sort of sequel to The Wizard of Oz. This musical animated adventure finds Dorothy and Toto back in Oz thanks to another tornado (you just never know when those things are going to pop up). There, teaming up with Pumpkinhead, they attempt to help the Scarecrow defend Emerald City from a green elephant attack orchestrated by the evil Mombi. Begun in 1962, this Filmation production wasn’t completed until 1971 due to financial challenges. The film — starring Judy Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, as the voice of Dorothy; Danny Thomas as the Tin Man, Milton Berle as the Cowardly Lion, Mickey Rooney as the Scarecrow, Paul Lynde as Pumpkinhead, and Ethel Merman as Mombi — failed at the box office, though it enjoyed some life on television until 1984, the last time it was broadcast.

‘The Wiz’ (1978)

Pretty early on it was obvious that someone had taken a wrong turn on that road of yellow bricks. Based in part on the 1975 Broadway musical of the same name, this was an all African-American take on The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy (this time a 24-year-old New York teacher played by a then 33-year-old Diana Ross) and her dog get stuck in a massive snowstorm and suddenly find themselves in the land of Oz, which seems more like a fantasy version of New York City. Despite a cast that includes Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man, Richard Pryor as The Wiz, Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch of the South, and Mabel King as Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West, this one did not go over well on release, but has certainly gained a following over the years. The musical did, however, serve as the basis for a 2015 TV version presented live.

‘Return to Oz’ (1985)

Despite previous takes on Oz, this Disney production, which was the first one to try and match the original in terms of ambition, was considered a bit of movie blasphemy back in the day. Walter Murch, sound designer for the early films of George Lucas, served as director, and brought forth a dark and depressing version of Oz. It’s six months since young Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) returned to Kansas, and, considered delusional, she’s about to undergo electrotherapy (see what we mean? Not too much joy to be found there). At the last moment she’s saved by a young girl and finds herself returned to Oz. Once there, she makes the discovery that the Yellow Brick Road is in ruins and her friends have been turned to stone. Teaming up with Billina, a talking chicken; the mechanical Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead, they must stop the evil Nome King (Nicol Williamson) and free the people of Emerald City. Ain’t nobody singing in this one.

‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ (1986-87)

An anime series from Japan, its 52 episodes were derived from four of the novels by L. Frank Baum. Expanding events in Oz, it also includes things that took place there after Dorothy had returned to Kansas.

‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1990)

A Saturday morning animated series with stories and characterizations definitely coming from the 1939 film. In it, Dorothy returns to Oz with Toto using the ruby slippers, reunites with her friends there and learns from Glinda that the Wicked Witch of the West has been resurrected by her winged monkeys, and that she has taken over Emerald City. Thirteen episodes were produced in all.

‘The Oz Kids’ (1996)

Definitely designed for youngsters, the focus is on siblings Dot and Neddie (children of Dorothy and Zeb), the Cowardly Lion’s kids Boris and Bela, Tin Boy (bet you can figure out whose son he is), Scarecrow, Jr., Jack Pumpkinhead, Jr., the Wizard’s son Frank, and Glinda’s daughter Andrea. Dot and Neddie end up in Oz and experience a wide variety of adventures.

‘Wicked’ (2003-Present)

This stage musical, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, made its debut on Broadway, but since then has become a global sensation, thrilling audiences everywhere with its combination of music, humor, and pathos. The focus is on Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West (first played by Idina Menzel on Broadway), and Glinda, the Good Witch Of The North (originally Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway), and the take is different from what we’ve seen before. The suggestion in Wicked is that Elphaba is misunderstood, a victim of racism (she is, after all, green!), and the politics of Oz. In production since 2003, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon — though eventually Universal will produce a movie version (oft-delayed, now they’re saying it will be 2021).

‘The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz’ (2005)

Ashanti is Dorothy Gale, who works in her Aunt Em’s diner and is filled with the dream of becoming a singer out there in the the world beyond Kansas. Grabbed by a tornado that takes her, Toto and their trailer home to Oz, she finds herself on a quest to meet the Wizard, who can supposedly make her dreams come true. The Muppets play the various character in  Oz.

‘Tin Man’ (2007)

Syfy, when it was still called Sci-Fi, produced this three-night miniseries that certainly offered a unique take on the concept. Zoey Deschanel is DG (a descendant of Dorothy Gale, it turns out), who finds herself in the magical world of “The O.Z.,” which is ruled by a cruel sorceress named Azkadellia. Of course it wouldn’t be Oz if Dorothy/DG didn’t team up with a variety of colorful characters to accomplish her goal, among them Alan Cumming as Glitch, this world’s take on the Scarecrow as half his brain was taken by Azkadellia; Raoul Trujillo as Raw, a telepathic human/lion hybrid; and Neal McDonough as Wyatt Cain, a former member of law enforcement in The O.Z. known as a Tin Man. All of them are off to see… The Mystic Man, as played by Richard Dreyfuss. The hope was that the mini-series would go weekly. It didn’t.

‘Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz’ (2011)

This direct-to-video film is somewhat of an adaptation of the 1939 original, only this time Dorothy and Toto are joined by cat and mouse team of Tom and Jerry, who go off to have their own adventures in Oz until everyone is reunited towards the end.

‘The Witches of Oz’ (2011)

In 2011, this one aired as a TV miniseries, but a year later a shortened version was released in theaters. Dorothy Gale (Paulie Rojas) is an adult and successful children’s book author living in New York City (having moved there from Kansas). When the Wicked Witch of the West appears in the middle of Times Square, Dorothy comes to the realization that the basis of her stories are from memories she’s repressed since childhood. To combat the Wicked Witch, Dorothy turns to her friends, who, it seems, are this world’s incarnations of the characters she originally met in Oz (see, it’s much cheaper to flip that particular coin — no expensive makeups). The cast includes Christopher Lloyd as the Wizard, Mia Sara as the witch Princess Langwidere, and Lance Henriksen as Uncle Henry. Written and directed by Leigh Scott for a budget of $5 million.

‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)

Without doubt the most ambitious of the Oz films since the original. Directed by Sam Raimi, it’s unofficially a prequel to the 1939 film focused on James Franco’s Oscar “Oz” Diggs, who, in 1905, is working as a magician in a traveling circus and who, like pretty much everyone else in these films, finds himself in Oz via tornado. There he goes from fraud to hero as he agrees, for a price, to help the people of Emerald City, not believing for a second that there are really witches. But the truth soon becomes apparent, and he finds himself in the middle of a magical power struggle. Mila Kunis is Theodora, who will ultimately become the Wicked Witch of the West; Rachel Weisz is Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East; Michelle Williams is Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (the actress also plays an old girlfriend of Oscar’s who will eventually give birth to Dorothy). A sequel was expected, but while the film turned a profit, it was just enough for Disney to feel it had dodged a fiscal winged monkey, leaving the studio with no intent to return to Oz. At least not yet.

‘Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return’ (2017)

Tornado in Kansas. Dorothy back over the rainbow. Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. Songs (by Bryan Adams). An attempt to free and restore Emerald City. The pieces of what seems to be an Oz formula are all there, with the addition of the villainous Jester, several new characters and the fact that this was produced in CG animation. Voice talent includes Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammer, Martin Short, Oliver Platt, Patrick Stewart, and Bernadette Peters. Despite all of that star power and the fact that the script was based on an Oz novel by L. Frank Baum’s great-grandson Robert Stanton Baum, the film grossed $18 million globally on a budget of $70 million. No rubies in those slippers.

‘Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz’ (2017)

Following events of the 1939 film, Queen Ozma has made Dorothy the Princess of Emerald City. Describes Wikipedia, “With her feet firmly grounded in her ruby slippers, Dorothy tackles her royal duties with enthusiasm, bravery and farm girl feistiness. And whether it’s magic, Munchkins, flying monkeys or her arch-nemesis Wilhelmina, the wicked witch-in-training and niece of the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy is ready to track down and put a stop to any problem that comes Oz’s way with help from her dog Toto and their friends Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.” Things get complicated in the show’s second season when the Wizard, victim of yet another tornado, finds himself back in Oz and decides to gain actual powers so that he can become a real wizard. “When he finds out about the Wicked Witch’s spirit being trapped in her crystal ball, he decides to help resurrect her in exchange for powers (not knowing that it takes years to get powers), but it backfires and Dorothy accidentally resurrects the Wicked Witch without her powers. Regardless on the outcome, this puts the Land of Oz in serious danger now.” Based on the illustration above, it would seem like the show — which airs on Boomerang — is geared for kids, and while that may be true, it’s very witty and  brings with it a fun bit of ‘tude.

‘Lost in Oz’ (2017-18)

Amazon offers this official description of their CG animated show that ran for two seasons and 26 episodes beginning in 2017: “In Lost in Oz, 12-year-old Dorothy Gale discovers her mother’s magical travel journal hidden beneath the floorboards of their Kansas home. The book triggers a tornado, which rips her house from its foundation and transports Dorothy and her dog, Toto, to Emerald City, a bustling, modern, metropolis. In order to get home, Dorothy learns she must acquire every element on Oz’s ‘periodic table of magic’ – while the city faces the worst magic drought in eons! Along the way, Dorothy and Toto meet unlikely allies in West, Ojo, Reigh the Lion, Scarecrow, and Glinda the Good, who are each eager to help, but struggling with their own problems. Together, they navigate the magical landscape of Oz while undergoing their own unique journeys of self-discovery.”

‘Emerald City’ (2017)

This television series, consisting of 10 episodes, was approached as Game of Thrones meets The Wizard of Oz. The obvious question is who thought that was a good combination? In this take, based on a variety of the Baum novels, Dorothy Gale (Adria Arjona) is a twenty-year-old who’s on a personal quest to find her biological mother. That search ultimately results in her and a stolen K9 police dog driving (in a stolen police car) right into a tornado, the results of which transports both of them to what is revealed to be Oz. And it’s a realm ruled by fear of the Wizard (Vincent D’Onofrio), and filled with variations of the characters fans are used to as well as many that they’ve likely never encountered before (unless they’ve read Baum). Look for competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, and dark magic engaged in a bloody battle for supremacy. Our Dorothy would hate this place.

‘The Steam Engines of Oz’ (2018)

Based on the graphic novel of the same name from Arcana comics, The Steam Engines of Oz is set a century after Dorothy Gale visited that mystical land, and things have not gone as one would have thought. In the film, a young engineer named Victoria has to join forces with the Scarecrow, the no-longer-Cowardly Lion, some pretty tough munchkins, and the Wizard to locate and restore the Tin Man’s heart in order to reverse his tyrannical rule over Oz. As such, it is just the latest in a long line of adaptations of the world created by L. Frank Baum, which continues to touch the imagination.

William Shatner, in an exclusive interview, shared his feelings on the appeal of voicing the Wizard in this film, pointing to what Frank Morgan brought to the title character of the 1939 film classic. “When we meet him,” Bill explains, “Frank Morgan is playing Professor Marvel, the carnival mind reader. Then he’s the Emerald City gatekeeper, the coachman in Oz, and the palace guard — all before we see him as the Wizard. What a wonderful character actor. And The Wizard of Oz, of course, is one of the great classics which has been with me for a long time, both in my life as a youngster and then taking it through the next few generations.”