Blu-Ray Review: Oz: The Great and Powerful!

One of my most anticipated blu-rays of the year has arrived! Oz: The Great and Powerful is now available in stores!

Oz: The Great and Powerful is a prequel to the Warner Brothers classic The Wizard of Oz and follows the story of how the wizard arrived in Oz.

We follow the story of Oscar Diggs, a two-bit magician, who dreams of becoming somebody more one day! This is a world we are already familiar with but takes place 30 years before Dorothy makes her trip down the Yellow Brick Road.

The video quality is of course another stunning Disney blu-ray transfer. The black and white beginning that pays homage to the classic The Wizard of Oz looks fantastic! As Oscar Diggs makes his way into the world of Oz, the colors pop with unbelievable clarity! Each color looks more vibrant than the last!

The audio is presented in a rich DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 that just wraps around you! All the dialogue is crystal clear. The rear channels create an immersive environment! Another fine audio mix from Disney!

Bonus Features and Extras:

• The Magic of Oz the Great and Powerful: Disney's Second Screen experience for the iPad (second generation or newer), gives  you have the opportunity to sync a Wi-Fi enabled Blu-ray player with your iPad and access material that you cannot find on the blu-ray.
• Walt Disney and the Road to Oz: Taking a look at Walt's history with Oz
  
• My Journey in Oz, by James Franco:  Basically James Franco makes his own documentary that covers pretty much everything including an interview with director Sam Raimi to a look at some of the visual effects.
• China Girl and the Suspension of Disbelief: How they brought the porcelain doll to life.
• Before Your Very Eyes: From Kansas to Oz: Covers the sets, costumes, locations and more!
• Metamorphosis:How they brought the Wicked Witch to life!
• Mr. Elfman's Musical Concoctions: Composer Danny Elfman discusses the film's score.
• Bloopers: This is always my favorite behind the scenes special feature for any movie.

Comparisons to the classic The Wizard of Oz is unfair, but Oz: The Great and Powerful is a fun movie. It does feel more like the recent Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland than an Oz movie. I would love to see this movie get a sequel and see this world that Sam Raimi created move forward. We shall see what may happen. But the blu-ray is another solid release from Disney with their usual outstanding video transfer, a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track and some great bonus features makes this a power blu-ray indeed!