This is a metaphor of America

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2006)

It's often been said that this is a simple tale, a story of the coming of age for Dorothy. It's not that simple. It's also a story of the coming of age of America as seen through Dorothy's eyes.
Dorothy is a familiar American teen who grew up on a farm, a bit naive, never been to a city, but heard about them. Is family focused, but starting to open her eyes to a bigger world around her and looking for familiar structures through which she can understand that world.
The scarecrow, who thinks he's lacking a brain, is the American farmer. Usually minimally educated, often thought (at that time) of as stupid or ignorant, but it's proved through the movie that farmers in fact have a brain. Farmers are often known for their strong common sense and wisdom which is often undervalued by city folk or college types.
The cowardly lion represents the elected politicians. Afraid to do anything - especially preemptive - and shirks facing any controversy until it bites him on the rear. Only later to find that the problem was impotent all along. Politicians haven't changed in some ways.
The tin man represents industry, which is often seen as heartless machine. But when run by people who have compassion, companies have proved to "have a heart". This generosity is often seen in the form of philanthropy, but sometimes exists right in the corporate culture itself. Industry isn't always as heartless as a robot (or computer, to use a more modern metaphor).
Poppies, which represented the opium drug from China that can distract us from our goals and our responsibilities, like the more modern cocaine, marijuana, or even liquor, etc.
The "wizard" turns out to be only a mere human, as all of our heroes turn out to be in the end. We can strive to be like them, but it's only when others place us on a pedestal that our daily acts of heroism seem larger than life. It's those daily acts when added together that are truly the heroic in us all.
The wicked witch, the "enemy" of America, requires more than just an army to be overcome, it also requires brains, courage and a heart to be overcome. By "heart" understand that compassion, sympathy and empathy are vital weapons in the battle, which is why America invests so much in foreign aid.
It's this depth of storytelling that keeps us captivated by this movie as adults. There are many other reviews that better articulate the other great features to this film, such as the visual appeal, the music, the singing, the dancing, and...