Watch Kids' Reviews of
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Oz The Great and Powerful tells the story of circus magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco), who dreams of becoming a great wizard. When he sets off in a hot air balloon, he encounters a tornado that sweeps him away to the brilliantly enchanting 3D world of Oz. Seeing this as an opportunity to make something of himself, Oscar aka Oz convinces the good people that he is the great wizard they have been waiting for. But, once he realizes that being the king of this great land is more work and less play, he has to decide whether or not to stay and protect the people that look up to him most, or continue in his ways of being a scammer.

This movie is beautiful! The CGI is breathtakingly clear and crisp and the 3D pops. I especially love the opening credits because they are done in black and white and look like vintage pop-up books. I also love that when it shows dusty Kansas it is in black and white and the screen is small, but as soon as you reach Oz, the images morphs into vivid colors and the screen widens to reveal Oz in all its splendor.

The musical score in this film is wonderful. The composer, Danny Elfman, keeps it lively and whimsical, while diming the mood of the music when the moment is right.

My favorite characters are Oz, played by James Franco and Finley, voiced by Zach Braff. I like Oz because he is so cheesy and such a con man. He always plays girls and lies his way through every possible opportunity. But, Franco does it in a tasteful way that brings cleverness and humor to the film.

I also like Finley who is Oz's assistant, an adorable little flying monkey. He is always making the funniest comments and is so honest. There is one scene when he is trying to distract someone, and he does the funniest things.

I like how original this plot is because there have been countless numbers of films, plays and stories based on the Wizard of Oz, but I haven't seen one like this. It is a predictable story line which is usually a thumbs down for me, but this film is so good that it works. The land of Oz is so beautiful and uniquely designed, it is very visually pleasing. There are definitely some jump scares in this film because of the wicked , witches baboons and the evil forest. So, parents taking children, be advised that they may get frightened.

I give Oz: The Great and Powerful 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 and up.

Reviewed by Raven Devanney, age 15, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

I have to say I loved this movie with a capital "L." "Oz the Great and Powerful" is 3-delicious and it's sure to be a huge hit. Disney did an awesome job of telling the story of how Oz came to the Land of Oz. Did I say I loved it? Just checking.

The story starts as the classic Oz did in black and white. You meet Oswald who goes by Oz for short. He's a conman and two-bit magician in a traveling circus. He's not that great or powerful but he is smooth and knows how to be charming. He has a great story about a music box that he seems to use on every girl he meets and surprisingly it works, probably too well. Watch the movie to see how much trouble his sweet-talking can get him into. Oz is played by James Franco and he did an amazing job.

In the land of Oz you meet three witches. Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams.) One is a wicked witch, one is a good witch and one is most likely a neutral witch as she states she only wants peace in the land. Then drops the Great Wizard from the sky that has been prophesized of and that they have been waiting on for a very long time. The wizard will bring peace to the land and be King. Oz however isn't interested until he see's the treasure of Oz. Well then of course he's all in.

All of the witches did a great job, but kudos to Mila as she really got a good acting muscle workout. She was fabulous.

My favorite character was the China Girl (Joey King.) She was beautiful, tender and brave. Her town was destroyed by the wicked witch's flying baboons. Yes, I said baboons and let me tell you they were frightening. I jumped more then once when they came into the story. But then again it wouldn't be a complete Oz adventure if there weren't frightening flying baboons or monkeys. It's an absolute must in any and all adventures based in Oz.

The story is intertwined really well and when you think you know what's going on there comes a twist to make it even clearer. That is funny but the twists are what make this movie so great. That and the wonderful scenery, colors, costumes, characters and awesome 3D.

My favorite scene was when Oz fixes the broken China Girl's legs. After all she was my favorite character. But a really close second was when Oz met Glinda in the graveyard at night in the middle of the enchanted forest. I would have liked to see more of the enchanted forest but there was a story that needed to be told.

The age range is 8 and up because, monkey or baboon, those flying creatures are scary.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 twinkling stars and it's a must see for all those that were ever enchanted by the Land of Oz. Morgan Bertsch, age 8, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

This movie is an incredible spin on an American movie classic. I think that the CG and the other effects in the movie do a really good job at telling the story better. Another thing that I like is that the movie can be seen in 3D which made it look really cool. This movie is awesome and if you see it I hope you like it too.

This movie is all about a guy named Oz who is kind of a selfish man at first, but then he goes through this big journey through a land called Oz. When he gets to Oz everyone thinks he is the wizard. He is not but he still helps the land of Oz. He learns to treat people nice and with respect.

The main characters in this movie are Oz, Theodora, Evanora, Glinda, Finley, Master Tinker, China Girl and Knuck. My favorite character in the movie is Oz because he is not very nice at first but does become nice on his journey. He is risking his life to save the world of Oz from the wicked witch of the west. That is why he is my favorite.

My favorite part is at the beginning of the movie when he is doing a magic trick and he starts to make a girl float but someone watching sees a wire. He says, "Why am I in the need of wires?" and with that he got a sword and cut the wire and the girl was still floating. It was so cool! I bet you are going to love this part just as much as I do.

I would recommend this movie for ages 7 and up. The movie is rated PG and there are some of things that could scare a younger audience. I think that kids should see this with their parents because it's a movie most parents watched when they were kids but a different take on it.

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Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. At first he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking. That all changes, however, when he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well