DVD NEW: The Muppets Wizard Of Oz - 2005 Musical Fantasy, Contemporary Adaption

Description: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 musical fantasy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher, and the third television film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier, Queen Latifah, as well as Muppet performers Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and Eric Jacobson. A contemporary adaptation of the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the story follows young Dorothy Gale, who works in her Aunt Em's diner, but dreams of becoming a singer somewhere beyond her small Kansas town. Swept up by a tornado, in her trailer home with pet prawn Toto, she lands in Oz and embarks on a journey to meet the Wizard who can help make her dreams come true. Following The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of the rights to the Muppets in 2004, pre-production took place throughout February 2004, and principal photography began seven months later. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz was co-produced by The Muppets Holding Company, Touchstone Television, Fox Television Studios, and The Jim Henson Company, marking the latter company's final involvement with the Muppets after more than five decades of ownership. ABC made several changes after the initial script was written, ultimately deciding to adapt plot elements from Baum's original novel as well as the 1939 musical film adaptation. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz became a musical, and included five new songs composed by Michael Giacchino. It is the first Muppets film without the involvement of veteran performer Jerry Nelson following his 2004 retirement from physical performing. His characters of Lew Zealand and Floyd Pepper were respectively performed by Bill Barretta and John Kennedy. Barretta also debuts as the new permanent performer of Dr. Teeth, a character originally performed by Jim Henson. The production also marked the feature film debut of Eric Jacobson as the performer of Sam Eagle, a character originally performed by Frank Oz. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz premiered on April 27, 2005, at the Tribeca Film Festival, and made its television premiere on ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney on May 20, 2005. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who felt that the film was too mature for young audiences and that the cameos and popular culture references were unnecessary. REAR COVER our kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and all the Muppets as they turn everyone's favourite classic tale into a musical, madcap adventure that shines brighter than Emerald City! The fun starts when the Muppets team up with an all star cast that includes Grammy Award winner Ashanti, Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah*, David Alan Grier, Academy Awarde winner Quentin Tarantino** and Jeffrey Tambor. Ashanti sparkles as Dorothy, an aspiring singer whose dreams of fame and fortune seem worlds away from coming true in the Kansas trailer park where she lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. But when a tornado transports her and Toto (Pepe the King Prawn) to the magical land of Oz, Dorothy meets the Wizard, who promises to make her a superstar - if she and her wacky new friends, the Scarecrow (Kermit), the Tin Thing (Gonzo) and the Cowardly Lion (Fozzie), can defeat Oz's #1 diabolical diva, the Wicked Witch of the West (Miss Piggy)! Featuring original music and hilarious performances, THE MUPPETS' WIZARD OF OZ will lift your spirits and blow you away! 2002, Best Supporting Actress, Chicago **1994, Best Original Screenplay, Pulp Fiction Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. DETAILED PLOT Dorothy Gale is an orphaned teenage girl living in a trailer park in Kansas with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Her dream of becoming a singer is slim, but when she overhears that the Muppets are looking for a backup singer, Dorothy hurries to the audition and gives them a demo CD. In returning home, the civil defense sirens sound as a tornado is headed for Dorothy's trailer park. When Aunt Em and Uncle Henry run into the county storm shelter for safety, Dorothy hurries back to her family's mobile home to get Toto, her pet prawn. She does not make it out in time, and the two are swept by the tornado across the vast fields of Kansas. When Dorothy climbs out of the wreckage, she finds that Toto can talk and that she is in Munchkinland, part of the vast Land of Oz. The Munchkins inform Dorothy that the land's ruler the Wizard, has the power to grant her wish of becoming a famous singer. She meets the Good Witch of the North and receives a pair of magic silver slippers from the Wicked Witch of the East, who was killed when Dorothy's trailer fell on her. Dorothy and Toto embark on a journey on the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of Oz. On her journey, she meets a Scarecrow (Kermit the Frog), a Tin Thing (Gonzo), and a Cowardly Lion (Fozzie Bear). They are also seeking the Wizard of Oz to give them a brain, heart, and courage, respectively. The group meets various obstacles before arriving at the Emerald City and meeting the Wizard. Before he grants their wishes, the Wizard sends Dorothy and her friends to retrieve the Wicked Witch of the West's magic eye, a tool she uses to see anything she desires in the Land of Oz. The Wicked Witch of the West sees them coming and sends the Flying Monkeys to deal with them. The Witch and the Flying Monkeys capture Dorothy, Toto and Lion while Scarecrow and Tin Thing are dismantled. Toto calls the Munchkins, who set him and Dorothy free and hold up the witch. Dorothy kicks the witch into her own "bottled water bath," which contains tap water (to which she is severely allergic). This causes the Wicked Witch of the West to melt. Dorothy finds the magic eye floating in the tub unharmed and grabs it. Dorothy gains control of the Flying Monkeys and has them rebuild Scarecrow and Tin Thing. Then she and her friends travel back to the Emerald City to have their wishes granted. When they all storm into the Wizard's room, they discover it is merely a Hollywood effects stage and that the Wizard is just an ordinary man. He asked for the witch's eye so that she could not see him for who he really was. Even so, he still proceeds to grant their wishes. Dorothy finally becomes a singer in the Land of Oz, but realizes that all she ever really wanted was to go back home and be with her family. After traveling back to Munchkinland, she meets Glinda the Good Witch of the South, who tells her that by clicking her heels together three times, she will be able to go anywhere she desires. Saying "take me home to Aunt Em", Dorothy is spun by the slippers' magic into Kansas and finds out that she has been chosen to sing with the Muppets.

Price: 10 AUD

Location: Bundaberg, QLD

End Time: 2024-12-13T21:28:55.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A AUD