Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Well, then. We won't have long to wait to hear more about this Oz Land concept coming to Disneyland. All will be revealed at D23 Expo on August 9th!>> <<Baxter was the sole driver behind the proposed Oz project ever since the studio first became interested in developing a movie. I'd have to check my notes but I think the movie was first proposed back in '06/'07. He is an Oz obsessive and was convinced that there was appetite for the characters to live in Disneyland.>> Well, well, well. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect the dots on this one, should the rumor actually materialize. Let's see... the D23 Expo is next month. Why does that sound so familiar? <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://d23.com/the-2013-disney-legends-award-honorees/">http://d23.com/the-2013-disney...onorees/</a> Now I remember! Tony Baxter is receiving his Disney Legends Award on August 10th at the D23 Expo! Hmm... was this the price Disney had to pay for Tony to finally retire? The realization of his beloved Oz project and a Disney Legends Award? Could an honorary Main Street Window be too far behind? =8^0
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>He is an Oz obsessive and was convinced that there was appetite for the characters to live in Disneyland.<< I guess that would explain why a character named Professor Marvel was intended to host a show/attraction in Discovery Bay. That concept laid the groundwork for the original Journey into Imagination at Epcot. It seems like it's one of those concepts that simply refuses to die
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: According to my sources, Oz the Great and Powerful made $491 million world wide which is nothing to sneeze at. I still say that's NOT the sign of a failure. Some may want to brand it one because they didn't like the movie but that doesn't make it a failure. Also, since Disney is considering a sequel to the movie, they must not consider it to be a failure either.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Hmm... was this the price Disney had to pay for Tony to finally retire?>> He was given an ultimatum - take retirement or get kicked to the curb. There wasn't any trade-off. He has spent the best part of a decade working on his own agenda with little interference - none of that has seen the light of day beyond the small changes at DL. It was very sad to be at his retirement party at Club 33 - not a single member of the WDP&R or WDI exec team made it down. It was just a collective of former imagineers and his clique from Flower Street. Really sad for a man that created such an enduring legacy at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.
Originally Posted By leemac <<>>He is an Oz obsessive and was convinced that there was appetite for the characters to live in Disneyland.<< I guess that would explain why a character named Professor Marvel was intended to host a show/attraction in Discovery Bay. That concept laid the groundwork for the original Journey into Imagination at Epcot. It seems like it's one of those concepts that simply refuses to die>> I can't recall seeing anything else non-Disney in his house apart from Oz memorabilia. He is rather fanatical about it. I gather from a friend at the studio that he even tried to give Joe Roth and Sam Raimi notes on their movie (he read several of the script iterations when he was working on theme park ideas). He is a devoted follower of Dorothy.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Oz the Great and Powerful made $491 million world wide which is nothing to sneeze at. I still say that's NOT the sign of a failure.<< While it's not a failure, it's not really a success either. Given the amount of money that went into the film, I suspect they're disappointed with the turnout. And unlike some films, I didn't see a lot of merchandise or cross-promotion for this one, which I'm sure isn't helping things. It's hardly a flop, but I'm not exactly expecting a sequel any time soon (though given Disney's other options, they may need to do one)
Originally Posted By leemac <<While it's not a failure, it's not really a success either. >> It has lost money - a truckload of it. And Disney fully financed it. How is that not a failure? <<Also, since Disney is considering a sequel to the movie, they must not consider it to be a failure either.>> Much like that Tron: Legacy sequel, right?
Originally Posted By kennect Lee, Considering the huge budget where exactly was this money spent? It certainly couldn't have been on the cast.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Lee, Considering the huge budget where exactly was this money spent? It certainly couldn't have been on the cast.>> Oh you'd be amazed at how much they collectively earned from this puppy. One of the biggest problems with this franchise movies is that you have to lock in the talent for multiple movies which costs a bundle. The problem was that the movie was stuck in development hell for years - it is very expensive to continue to pay screenwriters and producers to build a movie of this size. I'm sure I first heard about it back in '06 or so - that is a 7 year journey. Raimi also prefers physical sets wherever possible which are very expensive.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Raimi also prefers physical sets wherever possible which are very expensive.<< Those were physical sets? Oy vey.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Raimi also prefers physical sets wherever possible which are very expensive.<< Interesting. I didn't see the film, but everything I saw on TV made it look like there wasn't a single physical set in the entire film. Every trailer, promo clip, behind the scenes interview, etc just made it look like actors standing in front of a green screen. I'm not sure how much it would have impacted my decision to not see the film, but seeing some real scenery certainly would have made me much more likely to see it
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Someone in the link TP posted said: "This is just a horrible idea. Talk about driving people away, this will do it" Uhhhrrm... yeah, right.
Originally Posted By Brad "It was very sad to be at his retirement party at Club 33 - not a single member of the WDP&R or WDI exec team made it down. It was just a collective of former imagineers and his clique from Flower Street." I take it from your comment you were there? As somebody who slated Baxter quite meanly here a few months back, I wonder why you would've attended?
Originally Posted By Captain Neo Oz will be getting a sequel and a miniland at Disneyland is under SERIOUS consideration at the moment.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt ^^ Really? From the title of this thread I would have never guessed.
Originally Posted By kennect Lee I keep reading tidbits that mean nothing but got to ask. Is there anything firm about Wicked making it to the big screen? If so, do you think they will get it right?
Originally Posted By TomSawyer So you're the guy making the decisions. WDI has brought a couple of ideas to you. You have a set amount of money in mind to spend on a major project at Disneyland. One team has a nicely detailed Oz land to go where the Big Thunder Ranch area is. Looks great. Another team has a nicely detailed Star Wars miniland. Oz did okay. It's a popular property in the US, though most people still default to Judy Garland instead of James Franco. But Star Wars. Billions. New trilogy coming out by the hand of JJ Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and others. It's been at the top of pop culture for almost 40 years and is showing no signs of slowing down. The toys are hugely popular, particularly among boys. It's a property that fosters nostalgia in the dads, excitement in the kids, and that has at least a decade's worth of new movies and projects and games all in the pipeline. Oz or Star Wars? Personally, I don't think Oz is going to happen.
