Warner Bros. has announced a grand celebration to honor the 75th anniversary of the greatest fantasy film of all time, The Wizard of Oz. Imax has remastered the original 1939 film and created a 3D version that will be released for one week, September 20-26, 2013, in North America, and a stunningly loaded collector’s edition box set will follow October 1. MGM premiered the film at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in 1939, and re-released the film in 1949 and 1955, before beginning its TV run on CBS in 1956–Turner Classic Movies will be hosting a re-release event at the same theater this month.
Warner Bros. marketing disclosed that even 75 years later, statistically 100% of all Americans have heard of The Wizard of Oz and 80% of children. Warner Bros. will have a hot air balloon and giant balloon characters featured in the 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A themed competition will also be featured on an upcoming episode of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars to be aired later this year.
The giant boxed set includes the Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet digital versions of the film as well as a new documentary, “The Making of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” including interview clips with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Buddy Ebsen, Margaret Hamilton and Mervyn LeRoy. The collection also includes a ruby slippers globe, a Noble Collection three-piece enamel pin set with film tokens representing Scarecrow’s brain, Tin Man’s heart, and The Cowardly Lion’s courage, a map of Oz, a journal, and a 48-page hardcover book.
The collector’s set will retail for $105, a two-disc Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray will be available for $36, a one-disc Blu-ray for $20, and a two-disc DVD for $17. Pre-order now for a steep discount at Amazon.com by clicking this link
Check out this website for access to more information on the 75th anniversary event.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com