The Birth of Fantasy

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2005)

The Wizard of Oz has given birth and inspired hundred's of fantasy films over the years and above all of them, this is still one of the best. With a colorful cast of characters and actors, a genius screenplay, and writer's imagination, The Wizard of Oz is the mother of all fantasy films and a milestone in film history.
Dorothy (Judy Garland) is the loving daughter of a family in Kansas. She is caring and has a small friend in her dog Toto but one day while walking home, something incredible happens. A tornado hits the small town and Dorothy is knocked out by it and awakens in a house which she does not recognize.
She walks outside to find tiny people walking about calling themselves Munchkins'. Suddenly the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) appears and accuses Dorothy of killing her sister. Dorothy is saved by the Good Witch Glinda (Billie Burke) and she is told that in order to return to Kansas she must follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Wizard of Oz.
Along the way she meets a Tin Man, a Scarecrow, and a Cowardly Lion all seeking the wizard and decide to join Dorothy. But along the way she will be attacked by the Wicked Witch of the West and her evil flying monkeys. Only through companionship and determination will they be able to get past her minions and reach the wizard of Oz.
The story is imaginative, it's creative, and it's plain old fun. The designing of each character is phenomenal from the cowardly lion desiring nothing but courage to the munchkins being a tiny clan of singing workers. The Wizard of Oz gave way for the art of story telling and imaginative thinking now present in some films.
Judy Garland wasn't exactly the best choice for Dorothy but she held her own with the other actors. Jack Haley is the best of the companions being smart, friendly and in my opinion had the most thought put into.
The Wizard of Oz. Starring: Judy Garland, Jack Haley, Bret Lahr, Ray Bolger, and Frank Morgan.
4 1/2 out of 5 Stars