We’re down with the sickness, and it’s called “Wicked” fever.
This past week, we’ve been making space for all things Ozian: re-reading Gregory Maguire’s raunchy and radical “Wicked” novel, and strutting through our living spaces doing the viral dance to “What Is This Feeling?” No, we cannot get enough of the movie musical phenomenon, which traces the unlikely friendship between witches Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande).
“Wicked,” as you likely know, is a prequel to the original “The Wizard of Oz” movie, which itself is based on L. Frank Baum’s expansive children’s book series. If you want to learn more about Munchkins and flying monkeys – or simply crave another trip down the yellow brick road – here are five more “Oz” movies you can watch right from your couch.
Just click your remote three times and say, “There’s no place like home.”
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‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
What more can we really say about one of the most perfect movies of all time? Eighty-five years on, the tear-jerking “Wizard of Oz” still looks better than almost every film that’s come since, with its vibrant colors, sweeping musical numbers, and eye-popping practical sets and effects. Judy Garland gorgeously captures Dorothy’s naïveté and longing, and Margaret Hamilton all but invented the word “iconic” with her green-skinned, slipper-hungry villain. A special shout-out to the Lollipop Guild, whose fits are still unmatched nearly a century later.
Where to watch: Streaming on Max
‘The Wiz’ (1978)
Although it was a critical and commercial failure upon release, there is so much to love about this modern, all-Black adaptation of Baum’s story, which imagines Dorothy (Diana Ross) as a deeply haunted Harlem schoolteacher. There are few things more joyful than watching Michael Jackson as the jelly-limbed Scarecrow, and all the songs are so crazy infectious that you can almost forget those horrifying sentient trash cans.
Where to watch: Available to buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video and YouTube
‘Return to Oz’ (1985)
It’s mildly hilarious that Disney’s first foray into Oz is pure nightmare fuel. The film begins with a young Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) escaping from a mental hospital, after being treated for her “delusions” of a land beyond the rainbow. The movie only gets stranger from there, as she and her pet chicken float back to Oz, where they find a steampunk wasteland overrun by freaky creatures. (We’ll forever be scarred by the Wheelers and Princess Mombi’s hall of heads.)
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+
‘The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz’ (2005)
On paper, a Muppets version of “The Wizard of Oz” ‒ with Miss Piggy playing four different witches ‒ sounds absolutely inspired. It’s neither as funny nor as feel-good as you might remember, although Ashanti gets some genuine earworms as an aspiring singer who touches down in Munchkinland. And Quentin Tarantino makes a fittingly wacko cameo as himself, pitching Kermit increasingly violent ways to kill the Wicked Witch.
Where to watch: Available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video and YouTube
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)
Sam Raimi’s poppy-induced bore is an overblown attempt to capture the magic of “Wicked,” as the film unspools its own origin story of the Wizard (James Franco), Glinda (Michelle Williams) and the Wicked Witch of the West (Mila Kunis). The movie is an eyesore, although the ways it expands upon Baum’s original lore are at least fascinating, bringing book characters such as the Quadlings and china dolls into the fold.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+
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