Oz the Great and Powerful Press Conference

The ballroom of London’s Claridges Hotel may not not be as regal as the throne room of the Emerald City in the land of Oz. However it played host to a glittering ensemble of Hollywood royalty this afternoon, as the director and cast of Disney’s new spectacular, Oz the Great and Powerful, gathered to tell the assembled press exactly what it was like to revisit Frank L. Baum’s magical kingdom so many years after Judy Garland had hung up her ruby slippers and left the yellow brick road behind.

The overriding impression given by James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff, was of their admiration and love, not just for the original story and 1939 film, but also for Sam Raimi, the man who in Weisz’s opinion “is the Wizard!”. Asked what persuaded them to take part in a film which – considering the inevitable comparisons which will be drawn between it and the iconic MGM fantasy – held so many potential pitfalls, the cast were unanimous in naming Raimi’s presence as the main factor in winning them over. “I love the Oz books” explained Franco who plays the wizard in the new film, “and jumped at the chance to step into the Oz world, as well as work again with Sam who I’d collaborated with before on several productions including the Spider-Man films“. Mila Kunis, whose character of Theodora makes up one half of the wicked witch / sister double-act along with Weisz’s Evanora, seemed equally in awe of Raimi as well as her female co-stars saying, “it was an honour to work with them“.

For a director renowned in the film business for his involvement with fantastical projects (he first came to the public’s attention with 1981’s cult horror film The Evil Dead), Raimi’s admission that he approached the project with trepidation may have seemed surprising. “I was frightened to approach the project and stayed away at first“, he explained. “However I loved its story of a man (the wizard) with a heart, and this is what eventually won me over. I also knew nothing about making a film in 3D, so I had a lot to learn about the technicalities of the process. I thought it was important to bring the land of Oz, which plays such a major part in Baum’s books, alive and saw 3D as a means of doing this. I won’t necessarily be doing more films this way just for the sake of it, but it was an important element of Oz the Great and Powerful, which I see as a love poem to the 1939 film“.

Aside from the the clear touch of Raimi, the costumes were one of the biggest factors influencing the film’s final appearance on the screen. Asked how what they wore affected the way they approached their parts the female members of the cast, as one might expect, were particularly vocal. “My character would have been nothing without her costume“, explained Weisz. “There were a lot of feathers which made my character resemble a bird of prey. My costume had a military feel, appropriate as I commanded my army of flying baboons!“. Raimi also emphasised the importance of the costumes and in particular that of Weisz. “Rachel is in green, when we first see her, reflecting her role as ruler of the Emerald City. However, as the film progresses, her costume turns black as her true colours come to the fore“.

As the conference drew to a close those present couldn’t help feeling that the future of Baum’s creation could not be in better hands than those of Raimi and the stars of Oz the Great and Powerful, as it prepares to cast its spell over a whole new generation of movie goers.