Oz the Great and Powerful#Continuity

In 1905 Kansas, Oscar Diggs, a magician and con artist working in a traveling circus, is threatened by a strongman named Vlad, who has discovered him flirting with his wife. He escapes via a hot air balloon but is sucked into a tornado that transports him to the Land of Oz. Upon arrival, he encounters the naïve witch Theodora, who believes him to be the wizard prophesied to become King of Oz by defeating the "Wicked Witch", who killed the previous king. Oscar accepts the role, wanting to be a wealthy monarch. En route to the Emerald City, Theodora falls in love with Oscar, though he does not reciprocate her feelings. They encounter the flying monkey Finley, who pledges his life to Oscar when he saves him from a lion, and Knuck, a grumpy Munchkin herald whom Oscar jokingly nicknames "Sourpuss". Oscar reveals his deception to Finley and forces him to maintain the idea that he is the wizard.

At the Emerald City, Theodora's older sister, Evanora, tells Oscar that the Wicked Witch resides in the Dark Forest and can be defeated if her wand is destroyed. En route, Oscar and Finley befriend an orphaned living china doll whose village and family were destroyed by the Wicked Witch. Upon arrival, the group discovers the so-called "Wicked Witch" is actually the deceased king's daughter, Glinda the Good Witch, and Evanora is the true Wicked Witch. Observing Oscar's romantic affair with Glinda through her crystal ball, Evanora misleads Theodora into believing Oscar is attempting to court all three witches, offers her an enchanted apple and claims that biting into it will remove her heartache. Intended to empower her to kill him, the apple disintegrates her heart and transforms her into an evil, hideous-looking green-skinned creature instead.

Glinda brings Oscar's group to her domain to escape Evanora's army of Winkies and flying baboons. She confides in Oscar that she knows he is not the wizard, but still believes he can help stop Evanora. He reluctantly takes charge of an "army" of Quadlings, Tinkers and Munchkins, but Theodora arrives and debuts her new appearance to the crowd before threatening to kill Oscar and his allies with the Emerald City's well-prepared army. Initially despondent, Oscar tells China Girl about his hero Thomas Edison; inspired, he conceives a plan that relies on trickery.

Glinda and her subjects utilize a pulley-rig army of mechanical scarecrow puppets hidden by thick fog to lure the Witches. Most of their flying baboons are lured into a poppy field by the puppets and consequently fall asleep, but a pair of conscious baboons capture Glinda, causing her to drop her wand, which China Girl retrieves. Meanwhile, Oscar infiltrates the Emerald City with his allies but seemingly abandons them in a hot air balloon loaded with gold, which Theodora destroys with a fireball. As the Wicked Witches prepare to kill Glinda in the center of the city, Oscar, having faked his betrayal and death, resurfaces, using a hidden smoke machine and image projector to present a giant image of his face as his "true" form, and intimidates them via a fireworks display. Evanora retreats inside her castle while Theodora flees on her broom, unable to hurt the "invincible" wizard. Oscar momentarily stops Theodora and invites her to return if she overcomes her wickedness, but she vehemently declines and flies away to the West laughing maniacally, saddening Oscar. After China Girl frees her from her restraints with her wand, Glinda defeats Evanora in a duel by destroying Evanora's emerald necklace, revealing her true hag-like appearance; she banishes her from the Emerald City, while a pair of conscious flying baboons catch Evanora and carry her away into the East.

Oscar, now ruler of Oz, resolves to utilize his projector to sustain the illusion of being a powerful wizard. Master Tinker, one of the prime leaders of the Ozian resistance who helped construct his machines, receives Oscar's jackknife while Knuck receives a novelty mask with a smile painted on it; the long-suffering Finley receives Oscar's top hat and China Girl accepts her friends as her new family. Behind the curtains of his projector, Oscar thanks Glinda for profoundly changing his life and personality, and they kiss.

• James Franco as Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, commonly known as Oz, a philandering con artist, a stage magician and a barnstormer{{cite magazine |last=Nashawaty |first=Chris |date=March 22, 2013 |title=Oz the Great and Powerful |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/03/22/oz-great-and-powerful-2/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |location=New York |publisher=Time Inc. |issue=1250 |page=43 |access-date=March 16, 2013}} who is part of a traveling circus in the Midwest. He is whisked in a hot air balloon by a tornado to the Land of Oz, where he is believed to be a wizard destined to bring peace to the land, forcing him to overcome his dubious ethics to convince his peers he is the hero needed by the people of Oz. He eventually becomes what is known as the Wizard of Oz.
• Mila Kunis as Theodora, a naïve good witch who has the Land of Oz's best interests at heart. She believes that Oscar is the wizard prophesied to defeat the seemingly evil Glinda from the Dark Forest, developing an attraction to him in the process. Evanora gradually manipulates Theodora into thinking Oscar has betrayed her for Glinda, ushering her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West.{{cite news |last=Lutz |first=Ashley |date=March 7, 2013 |title=1939's Wicked Witch Of The West Looks Much Sexier In Today's 'Oz' |newspaper=Business Insider |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/wicked-witch-of-the-west-then-and-now-2013-3 |access-date=March 19, 2013}}
• Rachel Weisz as Evanora, the protector of the Emerald City. Being the Wicked Witch of the East, she has a hideous form which she hides by wearing a necklace that gives her the appearance of a young woman. She deceives Oscar by framing Glinda for the King's murder and telling Oscar that Glinda is the Wicked Witch rather than herself.
• Michelle Williams as Glinda, the daughter of the late king and the Good Witch of the South. She rules and protects a peaceful kingdom in Oz inhabited by kind Quadlings, tinkers, and Munchkins. Oscar originally believed her to be the Wicked Witch responsible for terrorizing the land. She guides Oscar to achieve his destiny of defeating Evanora, becoming his love interest in the process.
• Williams also plays Annie, an old flame of Oscar's and the future mother of Dorothy Gale.{{cite news |last=Covert |first=Colin |date=10 March 2013 |title='Oz the Great and Powerful' is big and beautiful |newspaper=Salisbury Post |url=http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130310/SP03/130319982/1011 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719210141/http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130310/SP03/130319982/1011 |archive-date=19 July 2013 |quote=He makes a young, svelte, rather hot conjurer who has broken many a heart, including that of Dorothy Gale's mom-to-be (liquid-eyed Michelle Williams, resplendent in a blond wig).}}
• Zach Braff as the voice of Finley, a winged monkey who pledges an irrevocable life debt to Oscar, believing him to be the prophesied wizard, for saving him from the Cowardly Lion. He quickly regrets his decision when Oscar reveals he is not a wizard, but nonetheless becomes his loyal ally.
• Braff also plays Frank, Oscar's long-suffering yet loyal assistant in Kansas.
• Bill Cobbs as Master Tinker, the leader of the tinkers who are ruled by Glinda. He would later build the Tin Woodman.
• Joey King as the voice of China Girl, a young, living china doll from China Town where everything, including its inhabitants, is made of china. Her home is destroyed by Evanora, leaving her its only survivor when she is found by Oscar, with whom she forms a strong friendship after he uses glue to fix her legs.
• King also plays a young disabled girl volunteering in Oscar's magic show in Kansas.
• Tony Cox as Knuck/Sourpuss, the quick-tempered herald and fanfare player of Emerald City who is allied with Glinda.

Stephen R. Hart, Bruce Campbell and William Bock play Winkie guards at the Emerald City. Abigail Spencer plays May, Oscar's temporary magic assistant in Kansas and one of his several fleeting loves in the film. Tim Holmes plays Vlad, the strongman who threatens Oscar for trying to court his wife (played by Toni Wynne), prompting Oscar to take the hot air balloon that sends him to the Land of Oz.

Raimi, who often casts friends and actor-regulars in cameo roles, cast his brother Ted as a small-town skeptic at Oscar's magic show who yells "I see a wire!", two of his former teachers—Jim Moll and Jim Bird—as well as Dan Hicks, Mia Serafino and his daughter Emma as Emerald City townspeople and the three actresses from his 1981 directorial debut The Evil Dead —Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly— as well as his sons Dashiell and Oliver respectively as Quadling townspeople.{{cite news |last=Lovece |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Lovece |date=March 6, 2013 |title=Great and Powerful Sam Raimi Connections |work=Newsday |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-review-no-magic-but-close-1.4761788 |url-status=live |access-date=April 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811145924/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-review-no-magic-but-close-x68754 |archive-date=2022-08-11}} (Sidebar to Rafer Guzman review of Oz the Great and Powerful) Gene Jones portrays a Wild West Barker, Martin Klebba portrays a Munchkin rebel, John Paxton who previously worked with Raimi in the Spider-Man trilogy and Drag Me to Hell makes a posthumous appearance as an Elder Tinker in his last film role before he died on November 17, 2011, while the great-grandson of Bert Lahr also portrays a tinker.

Oz the Great and Powerful features several artistic allusions, homages, and technical parallels to Baum's books, and the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz.

As in the 1939 film, the first twenty minutes is presented in black and white and 1.33:1 fullscreen and the rest of the film is presented in color and 2.40:1 widescreen,{{cite news |last=Patterson |first=John |date=8 March 2013 |title='Oz the Great and Powerful': Sam Raimi's not in Kansas anymore |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/09/oz-the-great-and-the-powerful-sam-raimi |access-date=19 March 2013}}{{cite news |last=Kirby |first=Ben |date=May 1, 2014 |title=Film Studies 101: A Beginner's Guide To Aspect Ratios |newspaper=Empire |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/film-studies-101-aspect-ratios/ |access-date=March 9, 2023}} Glinda travels in giant bubbles and she kisses Oscar's forehead to protect him, and the Emerald City is actually emerald; in the book, the Good Witch of the North kisses Dorothy in the forehead and characters wear tinted glasses to make the city appear emerald, though during the battle preparations sequence Oscar can be seen wearing emerald goggles. Oscar's face is used as the projected image of the Wizard; in the book, he appears as a giant head, a beautiful fairy, a horrible monster, and a ball of fire. The iconic green look of the Wicked Witch of the West is closer to her look in the 1939 film, as the Witch is a short, one-eyed crone in the book. The Wicked Witches, Theodora and Evanora, both nameless in the book, are portrayed as sisters, an idea which originated in the 1939 film.

Also from the 1939 film is that several actors who play Oz characters make cameos in the Kansas segments, such as Frank, Oscar's assistant whom he refers to as his "trained monkey" (Frank's "Oz" counterpart is the winged monkey Finley), a young disabled girl who serves as the Kansas counterpart to China Girl (in Kansas, Oscar is unable to make the wheelchair-using young girl walk, and gets a chance to do so when he repairs China Girl's broken legs), and Annie who inspires Oscar to be a good and great person (Annie's "Oz" counterpart, Glinda, also inspires Oscar to be a better person) informs him that she has been proposed to by John Gale, presumably hinting at Dorothy's parental lineage as Annie is seen wearing a gingham dress, a pattern famously associated with Dorothy.{{cite news|last=Covert|first=Colin|title='Oz the Great and Powerful' is big and beautiful|url=http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130310/SP03/130319982/1011|access-date=March 11, 2013|newspaper=Salisbury Post|date=March 10, 2013|quote=He makes a young, svelte, rather hot conjurer who has broken many a heart, including that of Dorothy Gale's mom-to-be (liquid-eyed Michelle Williams, resplendent in a blond wig).|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719210141/http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130310/SP03/130319982/1011|archive-date=July 19, 2013|url-status=dead}} The names of Dorothy's parents are not mentioned in Baum's book, but Ellie Smith's parents are named John and Ann in the re-narrated novel The Wizard of the Emerald City by Alexander Volkov. Other referenced characters include the Scarecrow, who is built by the townspeople as a scare tactic; the Tin Woodman, whose creator is the Master Tinker that can build "anything", in the books, the Wicked Witch of the East enchanted a local woodsman to hack off his limbs, replacing them with hollow tin; and the lion that attacks Finley, a reference to the Cowardly Lion.{{cite news |last=Allport |first=Lee |date=March 8, 2013 |title=Oz the Great and Powerful: A Prequel at Its Best |work=HuffPost |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-allport/oz-the-great-and-powerful_1_b_2811167.html |access-date=March 10, 2013 |quote=There are other interesting "that explains it" moments as well. We get up-close-and-personal with The Cowardly Lion and find out what spooked him into being afraid of his own shadow. We get to know the Tin Man's father and the creators of the Scarecrow and learn more about Munchkinland.}}

Various other races and species of Oz are depicted besides the Munchkins; the Quadlings, the china doll inhabitants of Dainty China Country, the Winkies (who went unnamed in the 1939 film), winged baboons (instead of winged monkeys in the book), and color-changing horses (inspired by the horse of a different color from the 1939 film). Similarly, Glinda is referred to by her title in the book (the Good Witch of the South), unlike the 1939 film, where her character's title is "Good Witch of the North" (due to her character being merged with the Good Witch of the North). Glinda is also the daughter of the late King of Oz, though in the books, Ozma is the King's daughter and Glinda is her protector. Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East, wears an emerald necklace that gives her powers instead of magical shoes (which are silver in the book and ruby in the 1939 film) later worn by Dorothy.

The origins of the Wicked Witches are not explained in Baum's book, but Theodora's origins are borrowed from the revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. Theodora and Elphaba transition into a Wicked Witch after learning of the Wizard's corruption (though in Wicked, Oscar is Elphaba's father), their skins changing green, Theodora from eating a green apple and Elphaba from a bottle containing a green drug that her mother drank out of before birthing her. Theodora's tears leave streak-like scars on her face, reflecting her weakness to water in the original story. Evanora transforms into a powerless hag after losing her necklace. In Wicked, Nessarose who is paraplegic, became powerful after wearing the magical shoes to make her walk. Oscar is portrayed as a womanizing con artist from Kansas rather than a bumbling "humbug" of Omaha, Nebraska in the book and a dictator in Wicked; in the 1939 film, the Wizard is from Kansas, though the hot air balloon he leaves in says "Omaha State Fair" on it. Also, Oz is presented as a real place as it is in the books, and not as a possible dream as the 1939 film implies.L. Frank Baum, The Annotated Wizard of Oz, edited by Michael Patrick Hearn, New York, Crown, 1976; p. 96. {{ISBN|0-517-50086-8}}.

After the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Walt Disney planned to produce an animated film based on the first of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. However, Roy O. Disney, the chairman of Walt Disney Productions, was informed by Baum's estate that they had sold the film rights to the first book to Samuel Goldwyn, who re-sold it to Louis B. Mayer in 1938.{{cite AV media |people=Angela Lansbury, narrator, produced by John Fricke and Aljean Harmetz |date=1990 |title=The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Making of a Movie Classic |medium=Television |publisher=CBS Television }} Ironically, the film was approved due to the success of Snow White.{{cite magazine|last1=Staskiewicz|first1=Keith|title=Hello, Yellow Brick Road|url=https://ew.com/article/2013/03/01/hello-yellow-brick-road/|access-date=May 12, 2017|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=March 1, 2013}} The project was then developed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer into the well-known musical adaptation which was released the following year.

In 1954, when the film rights to Baum's remaining thirteen Oz books were made available, Walt Disney Productions acquired them{{cite news | first=Bill | last=Chambers | title=A Conversation: FFC Interviews Academy Award-winning editor Walter Murch | url = http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/2012/05/a-conversation-ffc-interviews-walter-murch.html | publisher =Film Freak Central | access-date = January 13, 2010 | archive-date = November 7, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107094523/http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/2012/05/a-conversation-ffc-interviews-walter-murch.html | url-status = live}} for use in Walt Disney's television series Disneyland which led to the proposed live-action film The Rainbow Road to Oz, which was abandoned and never completed.{{cite web |last=Hill |first=Jim |date=November 3, 2006 |title=Disney's long, long journey to Oz |url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2006/11/03/6565.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307025232/http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2006/11/03/6565.aspx |archive-date=March 7, 2013 |access-date=July 13, 2012 |publisher=Jim Hill Media}} Disney's history with the Oz series continued with the 1985 film Return to Oz, which performed poorly, both critically and commercially,{{cite web |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=June 21, 1985 |title=Film: A New 'Oz' Gives Dorothy New Friends |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/21/movies/film-a-new-oz-gives-dorothy-new-friends.html |access-date=January 14, 2012 |work=The New York Times}}{{cite news |date=September 4, 1985 |title=Disasters Outnumber Movie Hits |newspaper=The New York Times |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-09-04/features/8502060585_1_ticket-million-box-office |url-status=dead |access-date=June 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616110125/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-09-04/features/8502060585_1_ticket-million-box-office |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |via=South Florida Sun-Sentinel}}{{cite news |last=Kehr |first=Dave |date=October 26, 1985 |title=Return to Oz |work=Chicago Reader |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/return-to-oz/Film?oid=1073337 |url-status=live |access-date=January 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011204033/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/return-to-oz/Film?oid=1073337 |archive-date=October 11, 2012}} but has developed a cult following since its release by fans of the books who considered it a more faithful adaptation to the Oz books than the 1939 classic.{{cite book | last =Geraghty | first =Lincoln | title =American Hollywood | publisher = Intellect Books | year =2011 | isbn =978-1-84150-415-5| page =187}}{{cite web |last=Weiner |first=David |date=March 5, 2013 |title=Flashback Exclusive: A 'Return to Oz' |url=http://www.etonline.com/movies/131252_Return_to_Oz_Flashback_with_Fairuza_Balk/index.html?viewFull=true |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603133852/https://www.etonline.com/movies/131252_Return_to_Oz_Flashback_with_Fairuza_Balk/index.html?viewFull=true |archive-date=June 3, 2013 |access-date=March 15, 2013 |work=ET Online}} After Return to Oz, Disney lost the film rights to the Oz books and they subsequently reverted to the public domain.{{cite news|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike Jr.|title=Sam Raimi Commits To Disney 'Oz' Take, While 'Rabbit Hole' Scribe Will Rewrite|url=https://deadline.com/2010/10/disneys-oz-pic-gets-sam-raimi-to-commit-rabbit-hole-scribe-to-rewrite-73026/|access-date=September 22, 2013 |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 6, 2010}} In 2005, Disney produced the television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz which aired on its network ABC.

Upon the release of the musical Wicked, screenwriter Mitchell Kapner felt he had missed his opportunity to explore the origins of the Wizard of Oz character.{{cite news |last=Galloway |first=Stephen |date=February 27, 2013 |title='Oz's' Journey: 3 Studio Chiefs, Multi-Ethnic Munchkins, James Franco Scores $7 Million |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oz-great-powerful-disneys-200-424526?page=show |url-status=dead |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307154336/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oz-great-powerful-disneys-200-424526?page=show |archive-date=2021-03-07}} In 2009, he met with producer Joe Roth who turned down his current pitches and asked if he had any other ideas. Kapner, who had been reading the Oz series to his children, outlined the plots of the books. Roth stopped him on the sixth book, The Emerald City of Oz, which had some of the Wizard's backstory. Roth said: {{Blockquote

|"… during the years that I spent running Walt Disney Studios [...] I learned about how hard it was to find a fairy tale with a good strong male protagonist. You've got your Sleeping Beauties, your Cinderellas and your Alices. But a fairy tale with a male protagonist is very hard to come by. But with the origin story of the Wizard of Oz, here was a fairy tale story with a natural male protagonist. Which is why I knew that this was an idea for a movie that was genuinely worth pursuing."{{cite news|last=Hill|first=Jim|title=Joe Roth Reflects on Oz The Great and Powerful, Looks Forward to Maleficent in 2014|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-hill/joe-roth-reflects-on-oz-t_b_2806542.html|access-date=March 5, 2013|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=March 4, 2013}}

}} Kapner and co-writer Palak Patel were turned down by Sony Pictures before the project was set up at Walt Disney Pictures in 2009. Disney president Sean Bailey commissioned Oz the Great and Powerful (under the working title "Brick") during the tenure of chairman Dick Cook, who was succeeded by Rich Ross, and later Alan Horn, a succession in management rarely survived by a major studio release. David Lindsay-Abaire was later hired to do a re-write.

Roth reportedly announced in 2010 that Robert Downey Jr. was a candidate for the title role of the Wizard.{{cite web |date=April 20, 2010 |title=Robert Downey Jr. as the Wizard of Oz? |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/24-frames/story/2010-04-20/robert-downey-jr-as-the-wizard-of-oz |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221074528/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/04/robert-downey-jr-wizard-of-oz.html |archive-date=February 21, 2013 |access-date=July 15, 2011 |work=Los Angeles Times}} Sam Raimi was hired to direct in the same year from a shortlist including Sam Mendes and Adam Shankman. In January 2011, Downey declined the role and it was offered to Johnny Depp, who had previously collaborated with the studio in Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/robert-downey-jr-oz-johnny-73615 |title=Exclusive: Robert Downey Jr. Out of 'Oz,' Johnny Depp to Take Over? | work = The Hollywood Reporter | date = January 19, 2011 | first = Borys | last = Kit | access-date = July 15, 2011 | archive-date = January 21, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110121031644/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/robert-downey-jr-oz-johnny-73615 | url-status = live }} Depp liked the role but was already committed to The Lone Ranger. In February, James Franco accepted $7 million to star in the film, five months before filming was scheduled to begin. Franco and Raimi had previously worked together on the Spider-Man trilogy, in which Franco played Peter Parker's best friend Harry Osborn.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2011/02/james-franco-closing-disney-deal-for-oz-the-great-and-powerful-108962/ |title=James Franco Closing Disney Deal For 'Oz: The Great And Powerful' |website=Deadline Hollywood | first = Mike | last = Fleming | date = February 25, 2011 | access-date = July 15, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130205034439/http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/james-franco-closing-disney-deal-for-oz-the-great-and-powerful/ | archive-date = February 5, 2013 | url-status = live}} Franco received training for the role from magician Lance Burton.

Kapner adapted the character of the Wizard from the novels to conceptualize an original story, and Raimi ensured that the film would "nod lovingly" to the 1939 film by inserting references and homages to it.{{cite news|last=Del Barco|first=Mandalit|title='Oz,' The Great And Often Imitated|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173735806/oz-the-great-and-often-imitated|access-date=March 10, 2013|publisher=NPR|date=March 8, 2013|quote="We're trying to nod lovingly in its direction and make our own original, fun, wacky, emotional story that lives on its own."}}

Disney wanted to reduce the film's production budget to $200 million.{{Failed verification|date=April 2024}} Casting calls were put out for local actors in Michigan.{{cite web |date=June 10, 2011 |title=Casting Call For Disney's 'Oz: The Great & Powerful' |url=http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/06/10/casting-call-for-disneys-oz-the-great-and-powerful |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310044626/http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/06/10/casting-call-for-disneys-oz-the-great-and-powerful/ |archive-date=March 10, 2013 |access-date=July 15, 2011 |website=WWJ-TV |location=Detroit, Michigan}}

Filming for Oz the Great and Powerful began on July 25, 2011, at Raleigh Michigan Studios in Pontiac, Michigan, employing 3-D cameras, and was completed on December 22, 2011. The audio switches from monaural to stereo and eventually surround sound.

Raimi opted to use practical sets in conjunction with CGI during filming.{{cite news |last=Zeitchik |first=Steven |date=July 27, 2011 |title='Wizard of Oz' prequel will win over skeptics, star says |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/24-frames/story/2011-07-27/wizard-of-oz-prequel-will-win-over-skeptics-star-says |url-status=live |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222203912/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/07/wizard-of-oz-james-franco-zach-braff-mila-kunis-sam-raimi.html |archive-date=December 22, 2013}} Physical sets were constructed so the actors could have a visual reference, as opposed to using green screen technology for every scene. Chroma key compositing was only used for background pieces.{{cite web|last=Sciretta|first=Peter|title=35 Things We Learned on the Set of Sam Raimi's 'Oz: The Great And Powerful'|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/35-things-we-learned-on-the-set-of-sam-raimis-oz-the-great-and-powerful/ | publisher=/Film | access-date=January 31, 2013 | date = January 31, 2013 | archive-date = February 20, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130220095900/http://www.slashfilm.com/35-things-we-learned-on-the-set-of-sam-raimis-oz-the-great-and-powerful/ | url-status = live}} Zach Braff and Joey King were on set, recording their dialogue simultaneously with the other actors, whenever their CGI characters were present in a scene. Puppetry was employed for a physical version of the China Girl to serve as a visual key-point for actors to manipulate.Sciretta, p. [https://www.slashfilm.com/35-things-we-learned-on-the-set-of-sam-raimis-oz-the-great-and-powerful/2/ 2]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130305154733/http://www.slashfilm.com/35-things-we-learned-on-the-set-of-sam-raimis-oz-the-great-and-powerful/2/ Archived] from the original on February 18, 2013. Braff wore a blue motion capture suit to create Finley's movements and had a camera close to his face for the flying sequences to obtain facial movements.

Art director Robert Stromberg, who worked on Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, drew inspiration from the films of Frank Capra and James Wong Howe to achieve the Art Deco design he envisioned for the Emerald City. Stromberg contrasted the colorful tonal qualities of Oz with the restrained appearance of Alice, affirming that although both films explore similar fantasy worlds, the overall atmosphere and landscape of each "are completely different."{{cite news |last=McIntyre |first=Gina |date=March 1, 2013 |title='Oz: The Great and Powerful': Robert Stromberg on Raimi, Burton, Baum |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-robert-stromberg-on-raimi-burton-baum/#/0 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131007144831/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-robert-stromberg-on-raimi-burton-baum/%23/0 |archive-date=October 7, 2013 |quote=If you really broke it down, they're completely different. The elements in those two movies are completely different.}} In 2011, Stromberg and his team visited the Walt Disney archives during the pre-production phase to reference production art from Disney's animated films such as Pinocchio, Bambi, Fantasia, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, drawing from designs and textures in order to give certain settings in the film an affectionate nod to the Disney style.{{cite web |last=Ehrbar |first=Greg |date=March 8, 2013 |title=Sights & Sounds at Disney Parks: An Artist's Journey from Disney Parks to Oz |url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/03/sights-sounds-at-disney-parks-an-artists-journey-from-disney-parks-to-oz/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310025715/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/03/sights-sounds-at-disney-parks-an-artists-journey-from-disney-parks-to-oz/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 10, 2013 |access-date=March 9, 2013 |website=Disney Parks Blog}} Costume designer Gary Jones focused on authenticity with his wardrobe designs: "We started by doing a lot of research and having ideas of the ways (costumes) should look in order to be (historically accurate) but as we went on, we really began creating a whole new world."{{cite news |last=Longsdorf |first=Amy |date=February 28, 2013 |title=Gary Jones finds the right fit for stars of 'Oz' |newspaper=The Mercury |url=http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130303/LIFE01/130309989/gary-jones-finds-the-right-fit-for-stars-of-oz- |access-date=March 7, 2013}}

{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote=My first instinct was, there are such iconic images in the Wizard of Oz movie, it would be wrong for us to re-create the Yellow Brick Road or the Emerald City in a different way. We had to go 180 degrees in the other direction. We're just going to have to make our own Oz.|source=Sam Raimi on recreating the Land of Oz under legalities.}}

Although the film is a spiritual prequel to the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz, it was not allowed legally to be considered as such. The filmmakers had to toe a fine line between calling the film to mind but not infringing upon it. To that end, Disney had a copyright expert on set to ensure no infringement occurred. The production team worked under the constraint of abiding by the stipulations set forth by Warner Bros., the legal owner of the rights to iconic elements of the 1939 film (via its ownership of Turner Entertainment which posseses the Pre-1986 MGM film library), including the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland. Therefore, Disney was unable to use them nor any original character likenesses from the 1939 film.{{cite news|last=Zeitchik|first=Steven|title=No place like Oz? Disney bets audiences are ready to return|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-ca-wizard-oz-20130303,0,2458314.story|access-date=March 1, 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=March 1, 2013}} This extended to the green of the Wicked Witch's skin for which Disney used what its legal department considered a sufficiently different shade dubbed "Theostein" (a portmanteau of "Theodora" and "Frankenstein").{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|title=We Aren't in the Old Kansas, Toto|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-disneys-wizard-of-oz-prequel.html|access-date=February 28, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 28, 2013}} Additionally, the studio could not use the signature chin mole of Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West nor could they employ the yellow brick road's swirl design for Munchkinland. The expert also ensured that the Emerald City was not too close in appearance to the original Emerald City in the 1939 film.

While Warner and Disney did not engage in copyright battle, they did file rival trademarks. In October 2012, Disney filed a trademark on "Oz the Great and Powerful" while one week later Warner filed its own trademarks for "The Great and Powerful Oz". The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office suspended Warner's attempt at a trademark because Disney had filed basically the same one a week earlier.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/wizard-of-oz-disney-warner-bros-289305|title=Disney, Warner Bros. Fighting Over 'Wizard of Oz' Trademarks (Exclusive)|last=Gardner|first=Eriq|date=February 13, 2012|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 19, 2018}}

In addition to the legal issues, the film was also faced with delays when several cast members went on hiatus due to unrelated commitments and circumstances. Rachel Weisz left halfway through the shoot to film her entire role in The Bourne Legacy, Michelle Williams was required to promote the release of My Week with Marilyn and Franco's father died during production. Roth compared the task of managing overlapping schedules to "being an air-traffic controller." Mila Kunis's makeup and prosthetics were supervised by Greg Nicotero and demanded four hours to apply and another hour to remove, with Kunis taking nearly two months to fully recover from the subsequent removal of the makeup from her skin.{{cite news |last=McIntyre |first=Gina |date=11 March 2013 |title='Oz the Great and Powerful' and 'Walking Dead'? Nicotero is connection |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-and-walking-dead-nicotero-is-connection/ |url-status=dead |access-date=28 July 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130728060104/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/oz-the-great-and-powerful-and-walking-dead-nicotero-is-connection/ |archive-date=July 28, 2013}} Raimi had to edit the frightening nature of several scenes to secure Disney's desired rated PG from the MPAA. Sony Pictures Imageworks was contracted to create the film's visual effects.{{cite press release |date=February 6, 2013 |title=Sony Pictures Imageworks Vancouver Studio Continues To Build Stable Of Talent With Addition Of Jason Dowdeswell, Steve Nichols |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-pictures-imageworks-vancouver-studio-continues-to-build-stable-of-talent-with-addition-of-jason-dowdeswell-steve-nichols-190074721.html |access-date=March 7, 2013 |agency=PR Newswire}}

{{Main|Oz the Great and Powerful (soundtrack)}}

In June 2011, composer Danny Elfman was chosen to score the film despite Elfman and Raimi having fallen-out over Spider-Man 2 and Elfman having declared they would never again work together.{{cite web |last1=Faraci |first1=Devin |last2=Epstein |first2=Daniel Robert |date=October 13, 2005 |title=Elfman vs. Raimi: Round II |url=http://www.chud.com/4718/elfman-vs-raimi-round-ii/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218003347/http://www.chud.com/4718/elfman-vs-raimi-round-ii/ |archive-date=February 18, 2013 |access-date=February 17, 2013 |website=Chud.com}} He noted that the film's score was accessibly quick to produce, with a majority of the music being written in six weeks.{{cite news |last=McIntyre |first=Gina |date=January 29, 2013 |title='Oz': Teaser, character posters hint at Sam Raimi's lavish vision |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/oz-teaser-character-posters-hint-at-sam-raimis-lavish-vision#/0 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219010709/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/oz-teaser-character-posters-hint-at-sam-raimis-lavish-vision/#/0 |archive-date=February 19, 2013}} Regarding the tonal quality of the score, Elfman stated, "We're going to take an approach that's old school but not self-consciously old-fashioned. Let the melodrama be melodrama, let everything be what it is. I also think there's the advantage that I'm able to write narratively, and when I'm able to write narratively I can also move quicker because that's my natural instincts, I can tell a story in the music."{{cite news |last=McIntyre |first=Gina |date=January 10, 2013 |title=Composing wizard Danny Elfman talks sweeping, gigantic 'Oz' score |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2013/01/10/danny-elfman-oz-score/#/0 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216094530/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/danny-elfman-oz-score/%23/0 |archive-date=2013-02-16}}

American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey recorded a promotional single called "Almost Home" written by Carey, Simone Porter, Justin Gray, Lindsey Ray, Tor Erik Hermansen, and Mikkel Eriksen (a.k.a. Stargate) for the soundtrack of the film. The single was released on February 19, 2013, by Island Records.{{cite press release | title = Updated Release: Global Superstar Mariah Carey Records 'Almost Home' For Disney's 'Oz The Great and Powerful' | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/updated-disneys-oz-idUSnPnNY55543+160+PRN20130206 | publisher = Walt Disney Pictures via Reuters | date = February 6, 2013 | access-date = February 18, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130219011400/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/updated-disneys-oz-idUSnPnNY55543+160+PRN20130206 | archive-date = February 19, 2013 | url-status = dead }} The original soundtrack to Oz the Great and Powerful was released digitally and physically by Walt Disney Records on March 5, 2013.{{cite web|title=Oz the Great and Powerful: Soundtrack|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/oz-the-great-and-powerful-original-soundtrack--mw0002495537 |website=AllMusic|access-date=March 9, 2023}} The physical CD release was released in association with Intrada Records on March 26.{{cite web |date=February 5, 2013 |title=Intrada and Walt Disney Records to Release Danny Elfman's 'Oz the Great and Powerful' Score |url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2013/02/05/intrada-and-walt-disney-records-to-release-danny-elfmans-oz-the-great-and-powerful-score/ |access-date=March 9, 2013 |publisher=Film Music Reporter}}

Oz the Great and Powerful premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on February 13, 2013, and was released theatrically in the United States on March 8, 2013.{{cite magazine |last=Semigran |first=Aly |date=May 25, 2011 |title=Oz: The Great and Powerful release date |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/05/25/oz-the-great-and-powerful-release-date/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=July 15, 2011}}{{cite news|last1 = Helwig|first2 = Sophie|last2 = Schillaci|title = 'Oz: The Great and Powerful': James Franco, Mila Kunis Celebrate the Hollywood Premiere|url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/oz-great-powerful-james-franco-421524|access-date = February 15, 2013|newspaper = The Hollywood Reporter|date = February 14, 2013}} Spencer appears at [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/oz-great-powerful-james-franco-421524#10 slide 10], Cobbs appears at [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/oz-great-powerful-james-franco-421524#15 slide 15], Campbell and Raimi appear at [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/oz-great-powerful-james-franco-421524#11 slide 11] Disney opened the film in wide release in 3,912 theaters.{{cite news |last=Cunningham |first=Todd |date=March 6, 2013 |title=Hollywood Hopes 'Oz' Can Turn Tide For Ailing 2013 Box Office |page=2 |newspaper=The Wrap |url=https://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/hollywood-hopes-oz-can-turn-tide-ailing-2013-box-office-80216?page=2,2 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073707/http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/hollywood-hopes-oz-can-turn-tide-ailing-2013-box-office-80216/?page=2,2 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |quote=The 3D factor is going to give "Oz" a lift as well. Of the 3,912 theaters that will be screening the "Wizard of Oz" prequel, 3,056 will be 3D and 307 will be Imax theaters, and they'll be charging premium prices.}}

To promote the film, Disney partnered with the IMAX Corporation and HSN to coordinate a hot air balloon campaign across the United States beginning in California at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, stopping at four locations; the El Capitan Theatre during the world premiere, the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, the Daytona International Speedway in Florida and Central Park in New York City.{{cite press release |title='Journey to Oz Balloon Tour' Takes to the Skies for Disney's 'Oz the Great and Powerful' |url=http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1263 |publisher=The Walt Disney Studios |date=February 12, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717225124/http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1263 |url-status=dead}} Disney also promoted the film through its theme parks; Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival featured a multi-purpose garden and play area themed to the film and Disney California Adventure hosted sample viewings inside the Muppet*Vision 3D theatre.{{cite news |last=Bevil |first=Dewayne |date=March 7, 2013 |title=Adding food and wine to Epcot's Flower & Garden fest |newspaper=The Orlando Sentinel |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-dewayne-bevil-epcot-flower-garden-20130307,0,5092230.column |url-status=dead |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411154626/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-dewayne-bevil-epcot-flower-garden-20130307,0,5092230.column |archive-date=April 11, 2013}}{{cite web|last=Glover|first=Erin|title=Get a Sneak Peek at 'Oz The Great and Powerful' at Disney California Adventure Park During 'Limited Time Magic'|url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/get-a-sneak-peek-at-oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-disney-california-adventure-park-during-limited-time-magic/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130426064856/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/get-a-sneak-peek-at-oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-disney-california-adventure-park-during-limited-time-magic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 26, 2013|publisher=The Disney Parks Blog|access-date=March 7, 2013|date=February 15, 2013}} The estimated marketing campaign cost upwards of $100 million.

Oz the Great and Powerful was released on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on June 11, 2013.{{cite web |date=May 1, 2013 |title=Oz The Great and Powerful Comes to Home Video June 11 |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=103677 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110223431/https://www.comingsoon.net/dvd/news/103677-oz-the-great-and-powerful-comes-to-home-video-june-11 |archive-date=2022-01-10 |access-date=May 2, 2013 |website=ComingSoon.net}} The film is Disney's first home media release to exclude a physical digital copy disc. Instead, it only provides a digital code for download.{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=Thomas|title=Disney Eliminating 'Digital Copy'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-eliminating-digital-copy-562021|access-date=7 June 2013|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=3 June 2013}} Oz the Great and Powerful debuted at number one in its first week of home media release in overall disc sales with 46% of its first week sales from Blu-ray Discs.{{cite web|last=Oshiro|first=Kurtis|title='Oz the Great and Powerful' Tops Home Entertainment Charts|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oz-great-powerful-tops-home-571935|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=June 19, 2013 |access-date=2013-06-19 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130624134835/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oz-great-powerful-tops-home-571935 | archive-date = June 24, 2013 | url-status =live}} The film has earned $52 million in sales.{{cite news|title=Oz the Great and Powerful|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Oz-The-Great-and-Powerful#tab=video-sales|access-date=30 January 2015|newspaper=The Numbers|date=9 September 2013}} Oz the Great and Powerful began streaming on Disney+ on November 29, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://press.disneyplus.com/news/next-on-disney-plus-november-2024|title=Next on Disney+: November 2024|access-date=29 November 2024|website=Disney+|date=17 October 2024}}{{cite web |author=Ritika Singh |date=November 23, 2024 |title=Disney Plus Schedule November 25-December 1 2024: New TV Shows & Movies Being Added |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/guides/news/1881681-disney-plus-schedule-november-25-december-1-2024-new-tv-shows-movies-being-added |access-date=November 22, 2024 |website=ComingSoon.net}}

Oz the Great and Powerful earned $234.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $258.4 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $493.3 million. Worldwide, it was the thirteenth-highest-grossing film of 2013.{{cite web |title=Domestic Box Office For 2013 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2013&p=.htm |access-date=June 9, 2014 |work=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDb}} Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $36.4 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues, making it the 13th most profitable release of 2013.{{cite web |author=Fleming Jr. |first=Mike |date=March 21, 2014 |title=2013 Most Valuable Blockbuster – #5 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Vs. #12 'World War Z'; #4 'Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' Vs. #13 'Oz The Great And Powerful' |url=https://deadline.com/2014/03/hunger-games-catching-fire-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-profit-most-profitable-movies-2013-701686/ |access-date=March 22, 2015 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} It topped the box office on its worldwide opening weekend with $149 million.{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/worldwideopenings.htm|title=All Time Worldwide Opening Records at the Box Office|access-date=August 30, 2013|website=Box Office Mojo}} Before its theatrical release, several media outlets reported that Oz the Great and Powerful was expected to duplicate the box office performance of 2010's Alice in Wonderland.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Grady |date=March 7, 2013 |title=Box office preview: Will 'Oz' be as 'Great and Powerful' as 'Alice in Wonderland'? |newspaper=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/03/07/box-office-preview-oz-great-and-powerful/ |access-date=May 25, 2013 |quote=The fantasy film, which also opened in March, started with $116.1 million on opening weekend, but without the cachet of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, it's unlikely that Oz will achieve such a gargantuan figure.}}{{cite news |last=Barnes |first=Brooks |date=March 3, 2013 |title=One More Trip to Land of Oz |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/business/media/disney-gambles-on-box-office-wizardry-of-oz.html |access-date=May 25, 2013 |quote=The company (Disney) is betting that a new twist on a story moviegoers already love will result in a hit on par with 'Alice in Wonderland,' which took in more than $1 billion in 2010.}}{{cite news |date=March 11, 2013 |title="Oz the Great and Powerful" tops box office with $80M debut |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oz-the-great-and-powerful-tops-box-office-with-80m-debut/ |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014021207/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oz-the-great-and-powerful-tops-box-office-with-80m-debut/ |archive-date=2018-10-14 |url-status=live |quote='Oz' could follow in the footsteps of Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland,' another costly 3-D film, which opened on the same weekend in 2010 and went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide.}} However, Oz accumulated less than half of Alice{{'}}s worldwide gross.{{cite web |title='Jungle Book' v 'Oz' v 'Alice' v 'Maleficent' v 'Cinderella' |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?id=aliceoz.htm |access-date=May 26, 2013 |website=Box Office Mojo}} It remained the highest-grossing Oz-related film until December 2024 when it was outgrossed by Universal's Wicked, the first installment of that musical's two-part film adaptation.

Preliminary reports had the film tracking for an $80–100 million debut in North America.{{cite news|last=McClintock|first=Pamela|title=Box Office Preview: 'Oz' Eyeing Great and Powerful Global Opening|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-preview-oz-eying-426641|access-date=March 7, 2013|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 7, 2013}} The movie earned $2 million from 9 p.m. showings on Thursday night.{{Cite web |last=McClintock |first=Pamela |date=2013-03-08 |title=Box Office Report: 'Oz' Grosses Stellar $2 Million in Thursday Night Shows |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oz-great-powerful-earns-2-426875/ |access-date=2013-03-08 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} For its opening day, Oz the Great and Powerful grossed $24.1 million, the fourth-highest March opening day.{{Cite web |date=March 9, 2013 |title=Friday Report: 'Oz' Conjures $24.1 Million Debut |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed3648914436/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Box Office Mojo}} During its opening weekend, the film topped the box office with $79.1 million, the third-highest March opening weekend.{{Cite web |date=March 10, 2013 |title=Weekend Report: 'Oz' Has Magical Debut, 'Dead Man' Dies |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed3632137220/ |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=Box Office Mojo}} Despite the film's solid debut, which was larger than nearly all comparable titles, it clearly lagged behind Alice in Wonderland's opening ($116.1 million). The film's 3-D share of the opening weekend was 53%. Females made up 52% of the audience. Families represented 41% of attendance, while couples accounted for 43%. The film retained first place at the box office during its second weekend with $41.3 million.{{Cite web |date=March 17, 2013 |title=Weekend Report: 'Oz' Leads, 'Call' Exceeds, 'Burt' Bombs |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed2742944772/ |access-date=March 18, 2013 |website=Box Office Mojo}}

Outside North America, the film earned $69.9 million on its opening weekend from 46 territories. Among all markets, its highest-grossing debuts were achieved in Russia and the CIS ($14.7 million), China ($9.06 million),{{cite web |title=BOX OFFICE: 'Mr. Right' Rules; 'Oz' Posts Respectable Debut |url=http://www.boxoffice.com/china/2013-04-02-box-office-mr-right-rules-oz-posts-respectable-debut |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615070504/http://www.boxoffice.com/china/2013-04-02-box-office-mr-right-rules-oz-posts-respectable-debut |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |access-date=October 1, 2014}} France and the Maghreb region ($5.77 million).{{cite web |title=Oz The Great and Powerful (2012) - International Box Office Results |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=oz.htm |access-date=October 1, 2014 |website=Box Office Mojo}} The film's openings trailed Alice in Wonderland in all major markets except Russia and the CIS.{{cite news |last=Subers |first=Ray |date=March 12, 2013 |title=Around-the-World Roundup: 'Oz' Opens to $69.9 Million Overseas |work=Box Office Mojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3648&p=.htm |access-date=April 13, 2013}} It retained first place at the box office outside North America for a second weekend.{{cite news |last=Subers |first=Ray |date=March 19, 2013 |title=Around-the-World Roundup: 'Oz' Rules Again, 'Die Hard' Scores in China |work=Box Office Mojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3653&p=.htm |access-date=April 13, 2013}} In total grosses, Oz{{'}}s largest countries are Russia and the CIS ($27.4 million), China ($25.9 million) and the UK, Ireland and Malta ($23.4 million).

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Oz the Great and Powerful received an approval rating of 56% based on 270 reviews, with an average rating of 6.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It suffers from some tonal inconsistency and a deflated sense of wonder, but Oz the Great and Powerful still packs enough visual dazzle and clever wit to be entertaining in its own right."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oz_the_great_and_powerful/ |title= Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) |website= Rotten Tomatoes |date= January 5, 2017 |access-date=May 7, 2025}} On Metacritic the film holds a score of 44 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed to average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/oz-the-great-and-powerful |title= Oz the Great and Powerful reviews|website= Metacritic |access-date=March 5, 2013}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}

Kim Newman, writing for Empire, gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "If there are post-Harry Potter children who don't know or care about The Wizard Of Oz, they might be at sea with this story about a not-very-nice grownup in a magic land, but long-term Oz watchers will be enchanted and enthralled ... Mila Kunis gets a gold star for excellence in bewitchery and Sam Raimi can settle securely behind the curtain as a mature master of illusion."{{cite web |author=Newman |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Newman |date=March 2013 |title=Oz The Great and Powerful |url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=137178 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420195409/https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=137178 |archive-date=April 20, 2013 |access-date=March 5, 2013 |work=Empire}} Critic Alonso Duralde also admired the movie: "That Oz the Great and Powerful is so thoroughly effective both on its own terms and as a prequel to one of the most beloved movies ever made indicates that this team has magic to match any witch or wizard."{{cite web |url= https://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/oz-great-and-powerful-review-sam-raimi-manages-fill-some-mighty-big-ruby-slippers-80141|author= Duralde, Alonso |date= March 5, 2013 |title= Oz the Great and Powerful Review: Sam Raimi Manages to Fill Some Mighty Big Ruby Slippers |website= The Wrap |access-date= March 5, 2013}} Leonard Maltin on IndieWire claimed that "No movie ever can, or will, replace 1939's The Wizard Of Oz, but taken on its own terms, this eye-filling fantasy is an entertaining riff on how the Wizard of that immortal film found his way to Oz."{{cite news |author=Maltin |first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Maltin |date=March 8, 2013 |title=Oz the Great and Powerful |work=IndieWire |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/oz-the-great-and-powerful |url-status=dead |access-date=March 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310032447/http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/oz-the-great-and-powerful |archive-date=March 10, 2013}} IGN rated the film 7.8 and said, "The film is expansive and larger-than-life in scope and so are the performances, overall. Franco in particular hams it up and is often playing to the balcony ... The 3D is utilized just as it should be in a children's fantasy epic such as this – overtly, but with skill. Snowflakes, music boxes and mysterious animals all leap through the screen towards the audience as the story unfolds."{{cite web |url= https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/04/oz-the-great-and-powerful-review |author= Cornet, Roth |date= March 4, 2013 |title= Who is a Good Witch, What is a Great Wizard? |website= IGN |access-date= March 5, 2013}}

Justin Chang of Variety had a mixed reaction, writing that the film "gets some mileage out of its game performances, luscious production design and the unfettered enthusiasm director Sam Raimi brings to a thin, simplistic origin story."{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Justin|title=Film Review: 'Oz the Great and Powerful'|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-oz-the-great-and-powerful-820799/|access-date=March 6, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=February 28, 2013}} He also compared the film's scale with the Star Wars prequel trilogy adding, "In a real sense, Oz the Great and Powerful has a certain kinship with George Lucas's Star Wars prequels, in the way it presents a beautiful but borderline-sterile digital update of a world that was richer, purer and a lot more fun in lower-tech form. Here, too, the actors often look artificially superimposed against their CG backdrops, though the intensity of the fakery generates its own visual fascination." /Film rated the film 7 out of 10, saying it had "many charms" while considering it to be "basically Army of Darkness: (Normal guy lands in magical land, is forced to go on quest to save that land.) But just when you see Raimi's kinetic, signature style starting to unleash, the story forces the film back into its Disney shell to play to the masses. We're left with a film that's entertaining, a little scarier than you'd expect, but extremely inconsistent."{{cite web |url= https://www.slashfilm.com/oz-the-great-and-powerful-review-a-sam-raimi-movie-wrapped-inside-a-disney-movie/ |author= Lussier, Germain |date= March 5, 2013 |title= Oz the Great and Powerful Review: A Sam Raimi Movie Wrapped Inside a Disney Movie |publisher= /Film |access-date= March 5, 2013}}

Richard Roeper, writing for Roger Ebert, noted the film's omnipresent visual effects but was largely disappointed by the performance of some cast members; "... to see Williams so bland and sugary as Glinda, and Kunis so flat and ineffectual as the heartsick Theodora ..."{{cite web |last=Roeper |first=Richard |date=March 6, 2013 |title=Oz the Great and Powerful review - Wicked or wussy: Which witch is worse? |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130306/REVIEWS/130309990 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309193242/https://www.rogerebert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130306/REVIEWS/130309990/1023 |archive-date=March 9, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}} Marshall Fine of The Huffington Post was unimpressed, writing, "Oh, it's exciting enough for a six-year-old; anyone older, however, will already have been exposed to so much on TV, at the movies and on the Internet that this will seem like so much visual cotton-candy. Even a sophisticated grade-schooler will find these doings weak and overblown."{{cite web |last=Fine |first=Marshall |date=March 4, 2013 |title=Movie Review: Oz, the Great and Powerful |work=Huffington Post |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/movie-review-ioz-the-grea_b_2807349 |access-date=March 9, 2023}} Similarly, Todd McCarthy criticized the characterization, writing that the film's supporting cast "can't begin to compare with their equivalents in the original ... so the burden rests entirely upon Franco and Williams, whose dialogue exchanges are repetitive and feel tentative."{{cite news|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|title=Oz the Great and Powerful: Film Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/oz-great-powerful/review/425417|access-date=March 6, 2013|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 28, 2013}} Entertainment Weekly agreed, giving the film a C+ and saying that the "miscast" Franco "lacks the humor, charm, and gee-whiz wonder we're meant to feel as he trades wisecracks with a flying monkey ... and soars above a field of poppies in a giant soap bubble. If he's not enchanted, how are we supposed to be?" and complaining that "while Raimi's Oz is like retinal crack, he never seduces our hearts and minds." Alisha Coelho of in.com gave the movie 2.5 stars, saying "Oz The Great and Powerful doesn't leave a lasting impression, but is an a-ok watch."{{cite web |author=Coelho |first=Alisha |date=March 5, 2013 |title=Movie Review: Oz the Great & Powerful is a-ok |url=http://www.in.com/news/entertainment/movie-review-oz-the-great-powerful-is-aok-50192564-in-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608111612/http://www.in.com/news/entertainment/movie-review-oz-the-great-powerful-is-aok-50192564-in-1.html |archive-date=June 8, 2013 |access-date=March 5, 2013 |publisher=in.com}}{{Rating|2.5|5}}

On March 7, 2013, Variety confirmed that Disney had already approved plans for a sequel, with Mitchell Kapner returning as screenwriter.{{cite news|last=Graser|first=Marc|title=Disney Planning 'Oz the Great and Powerful' Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/disney-no-place-like-another-oz-sequel-exclusive-1200005299/|access-date=March 8, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=March 7, 2013}} Mila Kunis said during an interview with E! News, "We're all signed on for sequels".{{cite news |last1=Malkin |first1=Marc |title=Oz the Great and Powerful: "We're All Signed On for Sequels," Says Star Mila Kunis |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/394523/oz-the-great-and-powerful-we-re-all-signed-on-for-sequels-says-star-mila-kunis |access-date=9 March 2023 |work=E! Online |date=March 7, 2013}} On March 8, 2013, Sam Raimi told Bleeding Cool that he had no plans to direct the sequel, saying, "I did leave some loose ends for another director if they want to make the picture", and that "I was attracted to this story, but I don't think the second one would have the thing I would need to get me interested".{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Edward |date=March 9, 2013 |title=Sam Raimi Won't Direct 'Oz The Great & Powerful' Sequel; Finally Saw The 'Spider-Man' Remake |newspaper=IndieWire |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2013/03/sam-raimi-wont-direct-oz-the-great-finally-saw-the-spider-man-remake-100936/ |access-date=March 9, 2023}} On March 11, 2013, Joe Roth told the Los Angeles Times that the sequel would "absolutely not" involve Dorothy, with Kapner pointing out that there are twenty years between the events of the first film and Dorothy's arrival, and "a lot can happen in that time".{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Daniel |last2=Zeitchik |first2=Steven |date=March 11, 2013 |title=An 'Oz' Clash of the Titans (Page 2) |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-mar-11-la-et-mn-disney-oz-20130311-story.html |access-date=May 31, 2013}} Since then, Disney has not begun development on the sequel.

• Adaptations of The Wizard of Oz

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