Disney & Oz Part I: Why Walt's dreams of an Oz movie never came to be

As Wicked hit theaters, it's interesting to see Disney's surprisingly long history with the Oz books!

The world of Oz is about to see a new spark in popularity. After two decades as one of the biggest musical hits in the world, Wicked is about to hit the big screen in part one of a two-part epic. It's a revisionist take on the property showing how Elphaba aka the Wicked Witch of the West, wasn't that bad a person and her friendship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

The movie is from Universal and seems set to become a major box office hit. Yet there was a time when it looked like Disney might get their toes into the property and the history of Disney and Oz is fascinating to see!

The early Oz foray

The early days of moviemaking were tricky, yet was always interested in adapting some beloved books. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was among them, as Frank L. Baum had written 17 books before his passing and even helped produce a trio of silent films based on the works. 

Among the book's millions of fans was Walt Disney, who had an eye for possibly using them as an animated work. He was distracted by the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. While many thought the first full-length animated motion picture was "Walt's Folly," Walt had the last laugh as the movie became a box office smash and critical favorite. That sparked a wave of interest in such fantasy family films. 

Walt was hoping that the Oz books could be next as an animated version of Wizard was perfect. Sadly, he was too late as MGM snatched up the rights for a then-hefty $60,000. The backstories of how The Wizard of Oz was filmed amid a chaotic production are legendary enough to fill books and documentaries as it still worked. 

Missed amid the movie's legendary status is that while it was loved by critics of the time, the production had it going so over budget that it took a decade and various re-releases for MGM to see any sort of profit off it. Even then, it wasn't until the movie began airing on television that it truly captured its massive audience. 

Thus, an official sequel to Wizard was never made. In 1954, the movie rights to 11 of the Baum books became available, and Walt quickly bought them. Now, he just needed to use them.