Grab Your Ruby Slippers: Oscars Plan A Wizard Of Oz Celebration

Oscars going to get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too!
We’re almost one month away from this year’s Academy Awards telecast (scheduled for Sunday, March 2), and the Oscar producers are putting a few important tributes into place. And since The Wizard of Oz turns 75 this year, telecast co-producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron decided now would be an excellent time to pay tribute to the film’s legacy, according to a release. Expect to see host Ellen DeGeneres in Dorothy’s blue and white dress as she skips down a makeshift yellow brick road. Who can they cast as the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion?
The funny part about Oz turning 75 is that it doesn’t feel that old. It feels timeless. Not a year goes by that audiences don’t check the movie out in some form. Disney successfully rejuvenated the franchise and its characters for the CGI-heavy Oz the Great and Powerful. The birthday tribute just gives us a welcome opportunity to roll out vintage footage such as the original Oz trailer!
Everyone’s getting ready for the Oscar telecast. Even the orchestra, which is figuring out how and when it can play winners off the stage with the right amount of music. (Courtesy of The Ellen Show.)
The Academy earlier revealed that the main theme of the telecast will be a tribute to heroes, meaning we’ll likely get montage footage of Batman and Superman from their respective movie franchises… but no footage from Snyder’s upcoming blockbuster because that won’t be ready for years. Meanwhile, the poor nominees will endure these lengthy tributes as they wait patiently to see if their names will be called from the stage by some gorgeous presenter. We have been breaking down each category as we lead up to the big show. Comb the complete list of nominees here. And while you wait for the March 2 ceremony, smoke what you got and synch Oz up with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
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Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. He's frequently found on Twitter at @Sean_OConnell. ReelBlend cohost. A movie junkie who's Infatuated with comic-book films. Helped get the Snyder Cut released, then wrote a book about it.