The Fairest Films of All: The Imagineering Film Club

[mickeyfan5534]

Welcome Imagineers to The Imagineering Film Club. Every week, we'll watch a film and then we'll imagineer something based off the film. Could be a ride, could be a show, could be a walkthrough, could be absolutely anything. It's all up to our imagination and we'll watch great movies along the way.
Every week, I'll introduce a new movie, along with some facts about the production and include some of the awards it won.

And we have quite the first pick.

In 1939, MGM released The Wizard of Oz. Directed by Victor Fleming and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, the film was commercially panned upon release but over the years has become one of the great classics of American cinema. It was even the finale of our beloved dearly departed Great Movie Ride.
This film was the star making role for Judy Garland and won her an Academy Juvenile Award for the role. Her performance of Over the Rainbow also brought Garland into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1981.
Overall, the movie has won several awards over the years. It won the Academy Awards for Best Original Song with Over the Rainbow and Best Original Score and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Special Effects. It was nominated for the Palm d'Or at the 1939 Cannes Film Festival.
The film was catalogued in the National Film Registry in 1989.
Over the Rainbow is an extremely popular song. Numerous people have covered it like Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Ariana Grande, The Dimensions, and Jane Monheit.

For the record and for those who don't own the film, iTunes has a 5-Film Classics Collection featuring The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, and Casablanca, all of which we will get up to in this movie club.

And for a massive sneak peak at what we have coming up:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g_Ahd7GW6DNzuNWqYDnGR5ao-p3o7xHjxHNdgvyg2JU/edit?usp=sharing

 

[spacemt354]

You know what would be cool for Wizard of Oz? What if there was a slow moving ride that took you through classic movies - and one of the finale scenes, we visit the Wizard of Oz and Munchkin Land where the Wicked Witch shows up in animatronic form!

We could even have live action cast member actors interact with the Witch, and send us off the Yellow Brick Road.

I wish Disney would build that...

 

[mickeyfan5534]

You know what would be cool for Wizard of Oz? What if there was a slow moving ride that took you through classic movies - and one of the finale scenes, we visit the Wizard of Oz and Munchkin Land where the Wicked Witch shows up in animatronic form!

We could even have live action cast member actors interact with the Witch, and send us off the Yellow Brick Road.

I wish Disney would build that...

The salt is real and I'm salty ab it too.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

And, just so everyone knows, I will live stream each week's movie on rabb.it for those who don't want to buy the film or can't afford it. A set time for everyone to agree on will be made the day before.

 

[D Hulk]

Love this idea!

For any movie, the easiest answer is to do a Fantasyland dark ride. A book report ride. We can always imagine something better than that!

But what?

Whole park
Land
Ride
Show
Walkthrough
Restaurant
Shop

Wizard of Oz has the potential for at least an entire land! Something which immerses guests into Oz as TWWOHP does with Hogsmeade et al. There's lots to play with here. I'll simply propose a Kansas mini-land, one rendered in sepia tone, with rides which transport guests into the Technicolor wonderful world of Oz.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

I've opened a poll for what time to begin the rabb.it stream.

Love this idea!

For any movie, the easiest answer is to do a Fantasyland dark ride. A book report ride. We can always imagine something better than that!

But what?

Whole park
Land
Ride
Show
Walkthrough
Restaurant
Shop

Wizard of Oz has the potential for at least an entire land! Something which immerses guests into Oz as TWWOHP does with Hogsmeade et al. There's lots to play with here. I'll simply propose a Kansas mini-land, one rendered in sepia tone, with rides which transport guests into the Technicolor wonderful world of Oz.

DisneyDad mentioned an Oz park that could be remade and reopened.

 

[spacemt354]

I've opened a poll for what time to begin the rabb.it stream.




DisneyDad mentioned an Oz park that could be remade and reopened.

If this is what @Disney Dad 3000 was referring to, this place looks like something out of the Twilight Zone
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...heme-park-gallery-1.2457511?pmSlide=1.2457495

 

[spacemt354]

I guess it reopened this year?
http://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/amusement-parks/wizard-of-oz-theme-park-open-dates

 

[kmbmw777]

I would dare suggest a hotel. I feel the immersiveness of a boutique hotel on a large grounds could be really cool.

As I type this I realize a land probably with a hotel blending into it would be better.

 

[kmbmw777]

This is perfect.

Wizard of Oz has the potential for at least an entire land! Something which immerses guests into Oz as TWWOHP does with Hogsmeade et al. There's lots to play with here. I'll simply propose a Kansas mini-land, one rendered in sepia tone, with rides which transport guests into the Technicolor wonderful world of Oz.

 

[DisneyManOne]

You know what would be cool for Wizard of Oz? What if there was a slow moving ride that took you through classic movies - and one of the finale scenes, we visit the Wizard of Oz and Munchkin Land where the Wicked Witch shows up in animatronic form!

We could even have live action cast member actors interact with the Witch, and send us off the Yellow Brick Road.

I wish Disney would build that...

I am still salty about Great Movie Ride closing. One of my ideas for DHS: bring this ride back! Of course, it depends if Runaway Railway works or at least succeeds critically. I mean, it could work thematically if it's themed around a big 1930's-era Hollywood premiere of this short that we enter, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Chapek's near-mental obsession with shoving in IPs whenever, wherever.

 

[spacemt354]

I am still salty about Great Movie Ride closing. One of my ideas for DHS: bring this ride back! Of course, it depends if Runaway Railway works or at least succeeds critically. I mean, it could work thematically if it's themed around a big 1930's-era Hollywood premiere of this short that we enter, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Chapek's near-mental obsession with shoving in IPs whenever, wherever.

I have a feeling GMR is going to go down like World of Motion compared to Test Track in the past generation. The people who got to see Epcot in the 80s/early 90s would probably crave for the old days with World of Motion, the newer fans though really like Test Track (I like it too)

I'm sure the Railway ride will be cutting edge and popular with the next generation of fans, it's just sad that there are ways to save GMR while still designing Runaway Railway, especially with the rumors that it's planned to be cloned to DCA -it clearly doesn't need to be in the GMR show-building. It could be somewhere else.

 

[D Hulk]

I have a feeling GMR is going to go down like World of Motion compared to Test Track in the past generation. The people who got to see Epcot in the 80s/early 90s would probably crave for the old days with World of Motion, the newer fans though really like Test Track (I like it too)

I'm sure the Railway ride will be cutting edge and popular with the next generation of fans, it's just sad that there are ways to save GMR while still designing Runaway Railway, especially with the rumors that it's planned to be cloned to DCA -it clearly doesn't need to be in the GMR show-building. It could be somewhere else.

What I don't understand is why they keep doing these lateral moves in WDW with one attraction replacing another. It's not like the older attractions are disliked (quite the opposite), and it keeps parks like Epcot or DHS from building a long term identity. Are they that scared of paying a new ride ops team's salary?

There's still an Old Hollywood version of DHS which could be made if they weren't obsessed with chasing hot new franchises, and I suspect we'll be discovering that sort of cinema park with this very thread.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

What I don't understand is why they keep doing these lateral moves in WDW with one attraction replacing another. It's not like the older attractions are disliked (quite the opposite), and it keeps parks like Epcot or DHS from building a long term identity. Are they that scared of paying a new ride ops team's salary?

There's still an Old Hollywood version of DHS which could be made if they weren't obsessed with chasing hot new franchises, and I suspect we'll be discovering that sort of cinema park with this very thread.

We could very much. I've got a very, very long list and a fun end of year celebration could be making a "Great Movie Ride" based on each year's best films. But that's for later on. For now, we're off to see the wizard!

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Some more trivia about this week's film:
Production costs for the film were around $2,777,000
Shirley Temple was originally tapped to play Dorothy when the film was being produced by Fox. Garland replaced Temple when production moved to MGM
Over the Rainbow was almost cut from the film
Adriana Caselotti, better known as the voice of Snow White makes a vocal cameo during "If I Only Had a Heart"
The ruby slippers were size 5
The Smithsonian exhibit housing Dorothy’s red slippers is so popular, the carpet in front of the slippers has been replaced numerous times due to wear and tear.
The Munchkins were played by a troupe called the Singer Midgets, named for their manager Leo Singer. They were from Europe, and “a number of the Munchkins took advantage of the trip to immigrate and escape the Nazis,” according to the Internet Movie Database. Their voices were dubbed because many of them couldn’t speak English very well.
The Cowardly Lion was originally going to be played by the real-life MGM lion.
The ruby slippers on display in the Smithsonian are mismatched.


The original draft of the film was based around the 1902 musical extravaganza written by L. Frank Baum and with music by Paul Tietjens. It starred Anna Laughlin as Dorothy Gale, Fred Stone as the Scarecrow and David C. Montgomery as the Tin Woodman. Arthur Hill played the Cowardly Lion, but in this version his role was reduced to a bit part. The Wicked Witch of the West is mentioned but does not appear in this version, and Toto was replaced by a cow named Imogene. An element from the show – the snowfall caused by the Good Witch of the North, which defeats the spell of the poppies that had put Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion to sleep – was later used in the classic 1939 movie. Other new characters in the piece are King Pastoria II and his girlfriend, Trixie Tryfle, Cynthia Cynch, Sir Dashemoff Daily, Sir Wiley Gyle, and General Riskitt. Dorothy Gale's surname was introduced in this piece. It was not mentioned in the original novel, though it is mentioned in the 1907 book Ozma of Oz. The main plot of the show, as recounted in newspapers of the time, is Pastoria's attempts to regain the throne from the Wizard of Oz. The original protagonists' search for the Wizard puts them on the wrong side of the law.

For more information on the once popular show, here's the wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz_(1902_musical)

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

If this is what @Disney Dad 3000 was referring to, this place looks like something out of the Twilight Zone
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...heme-park-gallery-1.2457511?pmSlide=1.2457495

That's the place. We almost tried to go up from Charlotte this year. It opens for a couple days each year. People have snuck in over the years taking bricks, etc. Not that we have to put the ride, etc someplace but would be kind of a cool idea to figure out how to plus that place up and get it open. Only downside is the weather stinks in the winter, but it is right near a bunch of ski resorts.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

That's the place. We almost tried to go up from Charlotte this year. It opens for a couple days each year. People have snuck in over the years taking bricks, etc. Not that we have to put the ride, etc someplace but would be kind of a cool idea to figure out how to plus that place up and get it open. Only downside is the weather stinks in the winter, but it is right near a bunch of ski resorts.

It's creepy but so cool. It could always be cloned into a land in a theme park. Islands of Adventure anyone?

 

[Suchomimus]

It's creepy but so cool. It could always be cloned into a land in a theme park. Islands of Adventure anyone?

They had an Oz land over at Japan for some time before it was cleared to make way for Hogsmeade.

 

[kmbmw777]

It's creepy but so cool. It could always be cloned into a land in a theme park. Islands of Adventure anyone?

Maybe we could replace the Lost Continent. However, we would only have room for a singular E-Ticket most likely. There isn't much room there I think...

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Maybe we could replace the Lost Continent. However, we would only have room for a singular E-Ticket most likely. There isn't much room there I think...

Is there any expansion space for IoA?

Also, with 75% of the vote, tomorrow's live stream of The Wizard of Oz will be at 7:00 PST, with an encore at 9:00 PST for those who missed the first showing. I'll post a link tomorrow.