Follow the Yellow Brick Road in 360 Degrees: ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Sphere Sparks Wonder and Debate
Everything from magical to 'unnerving,' here’s what audiences think of Oz in Vegas
There’s no place like home—but what if home could be anywhere in the Land of Oz? That magical possibility became reality on August 28 when the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz premiered at the viral Las Vegas Sphere. Picture this: Dorothy’s ruby slippers and the Wicked Witch’s legs dramatically appeared beneath the massive theater, creating a stunning visual that had people talking from coast to coast. This isn’t just watching a movie—it’s stepping right into the Emerald City alongside Dorothy, and fans are having wonderfully passionate reactions to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
For some, it was a fun, interactive way to immerse themselves in Oz. But for others, the Sphere’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) features on the beloved film felt disrespectful and lacked some of the nostalgia fans love from the film. To learn more about the audience’s reactions to The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere and find out how long the film is expected to stay there, read on.
What is ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at The Sphere?
Producers call The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere “a fully immersive experience that will make you feel like you have stepped inside The Wizard of Oz through the use of all of Sphere’s technologies.”
“Our guiding principle in The Wizard of Oz at Sphere is not just to leave the audience with a sense of wonder and delight from meeting the characters in a new way, but to leave them with the feeling that they were there with them,” Ben Grossmann, the CEO of Magnopus, the software company running the show, said. “This project brings together some of the greatest film historians, artists, and technologists to do what’s never been possible before, putting the audience inside the world of the film and giving them a whole new level of experience and adventure.”
How long will ‘The Wizard of Oz’ run in Las Vegas?
Showings for the film will continue until December 16. Tickets range from $100 to $450 and can be bought at Ticketmaster.
“The Wizard of Oz remains one of the most beloved movies in cinema, with countless generations continuing to discover the film since its debut more than eight decades ago. A technical marvel of its time, the film pushed the boundaries of filmmaking to bring audiences an experience unlike anything they had seen before,” Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a joint statement. “With The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, audiences will have the chance to see the film adapted into an entirely new and groundbreaking medium that celebrates the wonder and glory of its Technicolor roots.”
Audiences react to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at The Sphere
The immersive 360-degree experience means you’re surrounded by the world of Oz, though it also means the film has been shortened by about 30 minutes to work with the new format. Some longtime fans noticed the changes, while others were so swept away by feeling like they were actually in Munchkinland that they hardly minded.
“Despite its presentation as such, it’s not even really ‘a movie.’ And for long stretches, I was deeply unnerved,” Alissa Wilkinson, a movie critic at The New York Times, said in her review. “The fundamental talent any great filmmaker possesses is knowing how to direct (or misdirect) the viewer’s visual attention. Cinema is, and always has been, primarily a visual art form; the storytelling happens within the frame of the screen. But in Sphere, there is no frame. As a result, the visual storytelling goes haywire.
“I kept wondering why it seemed that [Judy] Garland’s close-ups were shoved into the very bottom of the screen. I even went back to the original film to check if I’d forgotten something. After some contemplation, I suspect she appeared crushed downward simply because the framing of close-up shots has become totally unbalanced in this new setting, with a vast expanse of sky above her head.”
Other people feel differently and found the screening fun and interactive, thanks to things like the apples falling from the sky and the wind blowing on you during the cyclone scene.
“This experience makes you feel like you’re actually at Auntie Em’s farm, inside the twister, in Glinda’s bubble and that you’re really in Munchkinland,” Kevin Zelman from ABC wrote in his review. “This immersive experience truly makes you feel like you’re following The Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.”
Whether you’re someone who treasures every frame of the original 1939 masterpiece or you’re excited to experience Dorothy’s journey in a completely new way, one thing remains beautifully unchanged: the timeless message that there really is no place like home. And sometimes, the most magical part of any journey—whether it’s down the Yellow Brick Road or into a revolutionary theater experience—is sharing it with the people we love. After all, isn’t that what makes any experience truly wonderful?
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