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Comic Con 2012: Oz The Great And Powerful Trailer Debut

Thursday in Hall H of Comic Con was packed already, due to the presence of Twilight fans, as per usual these days, but that did not mean there was not plenty more to see, which included the first look at the newest film from one of my favorite directors, Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead trilogy, The Spider-Man trilogy).  I have other posts to get to, in order to properly go over all that was seen during my time in Hall H on Thursday, but why not start off with the trailer debut of Raimi’s latest feature, Oz The Great and Powerful.  This is a Disney film set to provide a new point of view regarding the world seen in The Wizard of Oz and written about by its originator, Frank Baum.  Fittingly from the producer of Alice in Wonderland, the film is a fantastical adventure, which looks like it could be a fun and unique experience.  Continue on to watch the brand new trailer, which debuted at Comic Con, as well as get a look at the film’s poster.

A Brief Synopsis:

Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Trailer:

To add a bit of my own perspective on the trailer and the panel, I was certainly intrigued.  I find this to be an interesting idea and certainly an interesting direction for Sam Raimi to go.  The panel literally started by showing a sizzle reel of footage from Raimi’s past work, which is very geek-friendly for sure (plenty of Evil Dead, Spider-Man, and Darkman clips), and got people excited to see the man on stage.  The trailer itself is in no question a product that has come as a result of the success seen in Alice in Wonderland.  While I would not say ‘Oz‘ seems to have a Burton-type feel, it does look to be an extravagantly designed feature, with plenty of CG worlds to explore.

A few more fun facts about the panel:  Following the trailer, Raimi brought out two stars of the film – Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, who both discussed their roles as a couple of the witches in the film.  Raimi also made note of how true he wanted to stay to the spirit of the original novels by Frank Baum, but at the same time find a way to explore and create a really unique world.  Adding the element of 3D really seemed to help in this regard and is something that I am fairly curious about, as Raimi’s style has always seemed pretty suitable for the added dimension (Okay, so maybe not A Simple Plan).  And lastly, a running gag in all of Raimi’s films is the presence of his classic brown Oldsmobile, which he has confirmed will, in one way or another, be in Oz The Great and Powerful.  Hopefully next March I will pleased with how the Oldmobile makes its appearance, as well as pleased with the rest of the film.

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE:

Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

“Oz The Great and Powerful” is produced by Joe Roth and written by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (credit not final). Grant Curtis, Philip Steuer and Palak Patel are serving as executive producers. “Oz The Great and Powerful” opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013.

Aaron is a writer/reviewer for WhySoBlu.com.  Follow him on Twitter @AaronsPS3.
He also co-hosts a podcast, Out Now with Aaron and Abe, available via iTunes or at HHWLOD.com.