A few minutes into the premiere of “The Wonder Grove Wizard of Oz” at the Malco Cinema in Columbus one thing was clear: Only kids could have made this film.
More than eight decades have passed since the debut of the original “Oz,” the 1939 film that established Judy Garland as a star. The re-telling of the much-loved story — essentially two women fighting over a pair of shoes — does something that even the original, despite its brilliance, could not.
The 1939 film told a child’s story from an adult perspective. In that respect, this animated “Wonder Grove” version tells the story from the view of what historians refer to as primary sources: The kids.
Hundreds of elementary and middle-school students from California, Idaho, Washington, New York and Mississippi collaborated on the project, aided by the animation and production talents of Wonder Media, the Hollywood animation company founded by Terry Thoren, the producer of the popular TV animated series “Rugrats” and “The Wild Thornberrys.”
While remaining faithful to the original storyline, “Wonder Grove” introduces another important theme — redemption. In the re-telling, the wicked witch’s heart is all that melts. In the end, the story is one of affirmation, highlighting the importance of facing the fear of the unknown, kindness, the value of friendships, self-confidence and of being one’s genuine self.
The story begins with Dorothy and her three best friends on the last day of elementary school as they consider the move to middle school with equal parts excitement — “We get to dissect frogs!” and have lockers — and trepidation — “We might get hairy” and less play time.
Those latter fears are compounded through an encounter with high school kids and the middle-school horror stories they share, especially those of Amanda, who reappears in Dorothy’s dream sequence as the wicked witch.
The familiar characters remain: Scarecrow, Tin Man and The Cowardly Lion, although in “Wonder Grove,” the beast is a lioness.
There are other departures form the original script — the ruby red slippers become lavender shoes designed by “the top fashion designer in Oz.” The protagonists are not induced into a sleeping spell in a field of poppies, but are lured into a state of forgetfulness at a pizza party and the disenchanting music of the yet-to-be-redeemed wicked witch.
There’s plenty of humor to accompany the story, as when Scarecrow tries to console the heartless Tin Man that “at least you don’t have to worry about having a heart attack.”
In another scene, Alice and the Cheshire Cat appear, only to be told they’ve stumbled into the wrong movie.
The film featured about two dozen scenes, with each school responsible for developing the backdrops and animation and voice characters of the scene.
The work of students from the Columbus Municipal School District (about 30 from Columbus Middle School and five from Stokes-Beard) were featured in two important scenes — when Dorothy and Scarecrow first encounter the Tin Man and, near the film’s end, when Dorothy bids a tearful goodbye to her three friends.
Ultimately, “Wonder Grove” achieves its purpose: It is faithful, charming retelling of the old cherished film while adding new elements and themes to give it new vitality.
It’s a kids’ movie, in every sense.
There will be two more viewing of the film at the Malco — at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Jan. 22, though CMSD Superintendent Cherie Labat said Malco may hold additional shows if ticket sales are high enough. Tickets ($5) may be purchased by visiting eventhbrite.com and searching for Wonder Grove.” All students must be accompanied by an adult.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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