Rotoscopers
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Animation Addicts Podcast
    • Every Episode Ever
  • Reviews
    • Animated Movies
    • Art Books
    • Blu-ray/DVD
    • Live Action
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Studios
    • Aardman
    • Blue Sky Studios
    • Disney
    • Don Bluth
    • DreamWorks
    • Fox Animation Studios
    • Illumination Entertainment
    • LAIKA
    • Lucasfilm Animation
    • Paramount Animation
    • Pixar
    • Sony Pictures Animation
    • Reel FX
    • Studio Ghibli
    • Warner Animation
  • Animation Calendar
No Result
View All Result
Rotoscopers
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Animation Addicts Podcast
    • Every Episode Ever
  • Reviews
    • Animated Movies
    • Art Books
    • Blu-ray/DVD
    • Live Action
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Studios
    • Aardman
    • Blue Sky Studios
    • Disney
    • Don Bluth
    • DreamWorks
    • Fox Animation Studios
    • Illumination Entertainment
    • LAIKA
    • Lucasfilm Animation
    • Paramount Animation
    • Pixar
    • Sony Pictures Animation
    • Reel FX
    • Studio Ghibli
    • Warner Animation
  • Animation Calendar
No Result
View All Result
Rotoscopers
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Animated Steampunk ‘Wizard of Oz’ Set for 2018

Angelo Thomas by Angelo Thomas
November 4, 2017
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
The-Steam-Engines-of-Oz-2018

The-Steam-Engines-of-Oz-2018

In an announcement that seems to have come out of nowhere, Arcana Studios is producing a “steampunk re-imagining” of The Wizard of Oz in the form of The Steam Engines of Oz, an animated feature film based on a graphic novel of the same name. The film is directed by Sean Patrick O’Reilly, who co-wrote the graphic novel with Erik W. Hendrix. O’Reilly is also serving as the screenwriter and executive producer of the film and is the CEO of Arcana Studios. The film will be distributed by Cinedigm in North America and is planned for a direct-to-video release in early 2018.

O’Reilly has somehow wrangled together a mildly impressive cast for a film with such a bizarre title — Ron Perlman (Hellboy) will voice Magnus, the son of the Cowardly Lion; William Shatner (Star Trek) is Oscar “Oz” Diggs; and Julianne Hough (Dancing with the Stars) is Locasta, the Witch of the North. Dan Payne, Scott McNeil, Ashleigh Ball, and Matthew Clark are all involved as well, although their respective roles in the film have not yet been disclosed.

The press release, issued yesterday by Cinedigm, promises that the film “will appeal to young and old alike, and fans of Oz will not be disappointed,” but honestly, this doesn’t sound appealing to me in the slightest — and that’s saying a lot because I think you’d be hard pressed to find many people who are bigger fans of The Wizard of Oz than I am. I’m not someone who’s against the idea of remakes or “reimaginings” in general, but this sounds, for lack of a better word, bad. I haven’t read the Steam Engines of Oz graphic novel myself, but I haven’t heard great things about it from people who have.

The plot is as follows: “Set a century after Dorothy Gale first clicked her heels together, the once utopic Emerald City is now heavily industrialized and ruled by the iron fist of the once-beloved Tin Man, who has seemingly lost all heart. Oz’s only hope rests with a young engineer, Victoria Wright. With her motley team of ill-mannered munchkins, mischievous flying monkeys, and rough-housing lions, Victoria discovers that even the smallest of heroes can change the world.”

Judging by the plot synopsis, The Steam Engines of Oz actually sounds rather derivative of OZ, a comic book series published by Caliber Comics that ran through the 1990’s. I don’t love that take on The Wizard of Oz myself, but I would still rather see that adapted to film. I guess it’s just odd (and disappointing) to me that of the countless books and comic books inspired by The Wizard of Oz, this is the one that is being made into an animated film.

Amazon recently took its own trip down the animated yellow brick road with the series Lost in Oz, which I really enjoyed. There’s also Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, which is fun but geared more towards a preschool audience. The latter is produced by Warner Bros. and is exclusive to the Boomerang streaming service. So, basically, if you’re itching for an animated take on The Wizard of Oz and haven’t checked either of those out yet, you might be better off watching one of them than waiting for The Steam Engines of Oz.

It’s unclear how far along The Steam Engines of Oz is, but I’d imagine it’s at least in production already, if not post-production, if it’s going to be ready for release early next year.

Are you interested in seeing a steampunk take on The Wizard of Oz? Can you think of a worse title than The Steam Engines of Oz? Sound off like flying monkeys in the comments and let us know!

Tags: 2018Arcana StudiosCinedigmsteampunkWizard of Oz
Previous Post

DreamWorks Countdown 20: ‘Shrek Forever After’

Next Post

[Blu-Ray Review] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Angelo Thomas

Angelo Thomas

Angelo Thomas is a student, a filmmaker, and an advocate for eating disorder recovery and awareness, among other things. It's his goal for everything he makes or has a hand in to be something he finds genuinely exciting and engaging and to have some level of meaning and ambition, whether it's a short narrative film, an LGBTQ+ documentary, or even a Taylor Swift music video —​ because that's how the magic happens.

Related Posts

Animation Addicts Podcast #285: Wish – She Cared Too Much
Animation Addicts Podcast

Animation Addicts Podcast #285: Wish – She Cared Too Much

November 22, 2023
Animated Movies

Disney’s ‘Wish’ Review: Wishing for Something More than This

November 21, 2023
Animated Movies

‘Trolls Band Together’ Review: An In-sync But Still Off-Key Threequel

November 16, 2023
Live Action

Gran Turismo (2023): An Inspiring Tale of Dreams, Determination, and Real-Life Racing

August 23, 2023
Load More
Next Post
[Blu-Ray Review] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

[Blu-Ray Review] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Latest Posts

  • Disney’s ‘Wish’ Review: Wishing for Something More than This 193 views
  • Animation Addicts Podcast #285: Wish – She Cared Too Much 104 views
  • A History of Disney Bears 97 views
  • Princess Profiles: Jasmine 89 views
  • Meet the Characters and Voices Behind Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ 89 views
Rotoscopers

© 2023 Rotoscopers

Important Links

  • About
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Store
  • Privacy Policy
  • User Posts

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Animation Addicts Podcast
    • Every Episode Ever
  • Reviews
    • Animated Movies
    • Art Books
    • Blu-ray/DVD
    • Live Action
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Studios
    • Aardman
    • Blue Sky Studios
    • Disney
    • Don Bluth
    • DreamWorks
    • Fox Animation Studios
    • Illumination Entertainment
    • LAIKA
    • Lucasfilm Animation
    • Paramount Animation
    • Pixar
    • Sony Pictures Animation
    • Reel FX
    • Studio Ghibli
    • Warner Animation
  • Animation Calendar

© 2023 Rotoscopers