Disney’s ‘Oz’ is Wonderful, Perfect for Families

Oz, a carnival magician, has crash-landed in the mysterious, wonderful Land of Oz, where the rulers of the Emerald City believe he is The Great Wizard from an age-old prophecy—a wizard, who will save their land and people from the Wicked Witch.

Starring the charming James Franco in the lead role as Oscar Diggs (a.k.a. Oz), the beautiful Rachel Weisz (Evanora), Michelle Williams (Glinda), Mila Kunis (Theodora) and the hilarious Zach Braff, “Oz” is packed with an all-star cast. It has a perfect mix of adventure, thrill and humor.

Motivated by the thought of being the King of the Emerald City and acquiring mountains of gold, Oz agrees to find and destroy the Wicked Witch. In his time in Oz, he saves and befriends two individuals—a flying monkey named “Finley” and a Little China Girl. The three create an unlikely Wicked Witch killing machine but they work together and in the process, they become more than comrades; they become family.

In his journey, Oz discovers that everything is not as it seems and that the evil of Oz is much darker and more intricate than he imagined. He must confess to Glinda, that he is not a Great Wizard but simply a carnival magician, a man of simple tricks. Being the compassionate, pure hearted person she is, she helps Oz see that, although, he may not possess “real” magical powers like she, he is capable of saving Oz and being the great man he is destined to be. Using his love for the art of illusion, Oz creates a grand spectacle to scare away the Wicked Witch.

As expected, the special effects are abundant and magnificent. Your children will be spell bound by the bright scenery, animated people and animals (and plants). ‘Oz’ will take you and your family on an adventure through an exotic land with exotic people, who you will be sorry to leave when the film ends.

The stars of the film are as they should be: a little over the top, a little scary at times, as is the case of the bad witches and amazingly kind, as is the case of Michelle Williams as Glinda. Although these main characters carry the majority of the plot, Zach Braff and teen actor, Joey King, shine. Their performances, as a monkey and a China Girl, are absolutely superb. Braff delivers all of the funny lines (fans of ‘Scrubs’ will love his role in this film) and King interjects tons of personality and attitude into her role and is a true delight!

‘Oz’ is a wonderful tale of the power of friendship and family and insists that we are all destined for greatness, if only we believe in ourselves.