D23 Expo 2013: Treasures of The Walt Disney Archives Exhibit! (Part One - Once Upon A Time and OZ)

One of my favorite exhibits is back and this time they focused on a couple of key items and/or anniversaries! Here in part one, we take a look at the one of a kind princess dresses created for the exhibit as well as costumes from the hit ABC show Once Upon A time, the movie Return to Oz and the movie OZ: The Great and Powerful.

In the queue were these 10 exclusive Disney Princess-inspired dresses, stunningly handcrafted by world-leading designers including Oscar de la Renta, Versace, and Elie Saab.

The 10 dresses were created as part of a collaboration between Harrods and Disney. Each dress has been designed to be an individual interpretation of a Disney Princess—paying tribute to the stories of Ariel, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Tiana.

ABC’s hit series Once Upon a Time presented a selection of memorable props and costumes from the show.

The Archives also featured props and costume pieces from 1985′s Return to Oz, including Tik-Tok (below) and candy mountain (above) .

There where an assortment of costumes from this year’s Oz The Great and Powerful.

 

Blu-Ray Review: Oz: The Great and Powerful!

One of my most anticipated blu-rays of the year has arrived! Oz: The Great and Powerful is now available in stores!

Oz: The Great and Powerful is a prequel to the Warner Brothers classic The Wizard of Oz and follows the story of how the wizard arrived in Oz.

We follow the story of Oscar Diggs, a two-bit magician, who dreams of becoming somebody more one day! This is a world we are already familiar with but takes place 30 years before Dorothy makes her trip down the Yellow Brick Road.

The video quality is of course another stunning Disney blu-ray transfer. The black and white beginning that pays homage to the classic The Wizard of Oz looks fantastic! As Oscar Diggs makes his way into the world of Oz, the colors pop with unbelievable clarity! Each color looks more vibrant than the last!

The audio is presented in a rich DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 that just wraps around you! All the dialogue is crystal clear. The rear channels create an immersive environment! Another fine audio mix from Disney!

Bonus Features and Extras:

• The Magic of Oz the Great and Powerful: Disney's Second Screen experience for the iPad (second generation or newer), gives  you have the opportunity to sync a Wi-Fi enabled Blu-ray player with your iPad and access material that you cannot find on the blu-ray.
• Walt Disney and the Road to Oz: Taking a look at Walt's history with Oz
  
• My Journey in Oz, by James Franco:  Basically James Franco makes his own documentary that covers pretty much everything including an interview with director Sam Raimi to a look at some of the visual effects.
• China Girl and the Suspension of Disbelief: How they brought the porcelain doll to life.
• Before Your Very Eyes: From Kansas to Oz: Covers the sets, costumes, locations and more!
• Metamorphosis:How they brought the Wicked Witch to life!
• Mr. Elfman's Musical Concoctions: Composer Danny Elfman discusses the film's score.
• Bloopers: This is always my favorite behind the scenes special feature for any movie.

Comparisons to the classic The Wizard of Oz is unfair, but Oz: The Great and Powerful is a fun movie. It does feel more like the recent Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland than an Oz movie. I would love to see this movie get a sequel and see this world that Sam Raimi created move forward. We shall see what may happen. But the blu-ray is another solid release from Disney with their usual outstanding video transfer, a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track and some great bonus features makes this a power blu-ray indeed!

Four New Character Posters from OZ: The Great and The Powerful!

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL / Sunday's Game Sneak Peek

Here’s a sneak peek at Walt Disney Studios’ OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL commercial set to air during this Sunday’s game. Be sure to check out the witch and all her power as she takes over the Disney.com homepage immediately following the commercial on game day.

NEW YEAR'S TWEETS PAVE THE ROAD TO DISNEY’S “OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL”

FANS JOURNEY TO DISNEY’S “OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL” BY ENTERING A NEW YEAR’S SWEEPSTAKES FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP TO SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (THE EMERALD CITY)

BURBANK, CALIF. (December 31, 2012) – Disney announced today that they are launching a New Year’s Sweepstakes and an Instant Win game on December 31st in support of their upcoming, Sam Raimi-helmed film “Oz The Great and Powerful,” which opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013. The promotion runs through January 31, 2013, and offers a Grand Prize as well as Instant Win Prizes.

Inspired by the wizard’s journey, the Road to the Emerald City Sweepstakes invites fans to Tweet their New Year’s resolutions, using #DisneyOz, for a chance to win the Grand Prize—a 4-day/3-night trip to Seattle, Wash., for two.

Visit the official Oz The Great and Powerful Facebook page to watch the Tweets pave the way to the Emerald City and click on select bricks to instantly win prizes, including  $100 gift cards for HSN (Home Shopping Network), $50 Visa cards, $10 Starbucks gift cards, copies of the L. Frank Baum Book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” signed movie posters, and other “Oz The Great and Powerful” products.

Visit the Road to the Emerald City experience, play the Instant Win game, and view Official Rules: https://www.facebook.com/OzTheGreatAndPowerful

For Sweepstakes:  No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents 13 years or older of 50 U.S. and D.C. and Canada (excluding Quebec).  Entrants must have a Twitter account, tweet a New Year’s wish, and include #DisneyOz.  Starts 12:00:01 PM ET on 12/27/12, ends 11:59:59 PM ET on 1/31/13. Sponsor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

For Instant Win Game:  No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents 13 years or older of 50 U.S. and D.C. and Canada (excluding Quebec).  Entrants must select the Instant Win Bonus Brick in the game located at www.facebook.com/OzTheGreatAndPowerful.   Starts 12:00:01 PM ET on 12/27/12, ends 11:59:59 PM ET on 1/31/13. Sponsor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Follow the film on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyozmovie

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. 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 wizard but into a better man as well.

“Oz The Great and Powerful” is produced by Joe Roth, with screen story by Mitchell Kapner and screenplay by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire. Grant Curtis, Palak Patel, Josh Donen and Philip Steuer are serving as executive producers. “Oz The Great and Powerful” opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013.

 

Check out the new character poster from OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Visit the website: http://www.disney.com/thewizard

“Like” OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ozthegreatandpowerful

"Follow" OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyozmovie

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL releases in theaters on March 8, 2013!

Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. 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 but into a better man as well.

When small-time magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz where he must somehow transform himself into the great and powerful wizard—and just maybe into a better man as well.

Oz The Great and Powerful Hi-Res Stills!

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL / Trailer #2

OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL / New Poster!

Meet the Wicked Witch in the first of three panels from the new poster for OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL, in theaters March 8, 2013.

Photos from the Oz: The Great and The Powerful Panel at Comic-Con 2012!