The world of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is returning to the big screen with Wicked. Based on the stage musical of the same name, Wicked follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) in the Land of Oz as they strike up an unlikely friendship and head down a path that will one day see them become the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North, respectively. For those with a renewed interest in The Wizard of Oz following Wicked, this guide will explain how and where to watch every film and TV adaptation in release order.
The most famous adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is, of course, the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto awaken in a mysterious land after a tornado hits Kansas. Desperate to go home, Dorothy sets out to find the mystical Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) and receives help along the way from the Tin Man (Jack Haley), Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and Scarecrow (Roy Bolger). The film achieved high critical acclaim, propelling Garland to stardom and taking home an Oscar for its original song, “Over the Rainbow.”
While most are familiar with the 1939 adaptation, attempts to adapt Baum’s book began as early as 1908 with the lost film The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays. The earliest surviving adaptation is the silent film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910). Baum was involved in several early adaptations, writing the screenplay for The Patchwork Girl of Oz, The Magic Cloak of Oz, and His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz.
Following the 1939 movie’s success, further adaptations struggled to top it. However, there were some notable ones. The animated Journey to Oz flourished on television and featured Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, as the voice of Dorothy Gale, who returns to Oz after experiencing another tornado. In 1978, The Wiz offered a unique spin on the story, seeing Dorothy (Diana Ross) as a 24-year-old teacher whisked off to the Land of Oz and featuring Michael Jackson as Scarecrow. Despite being a critical and commercial failure at the time, the musical is now a cult classic. Anime fans may also be intrigued by Toho’s 1982 animated take on the story, The Wizard of Oz.
In addition to Wicked, some notable modern-day adaptations include Tin Man, Emerald City, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Tin Man is a miniseries that follows DG (Zooey Deschanel), a waitress in Kansas who is transported to the Outer Zone (O.Z.), where she comes up against the evil sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson). Emerald City is a dark and brooding take on the story that sees Adria Arjona’s Dorothy Gale at the center of life-altering prophecy, while Oz the Great and Powerful is a spiritual prequel to the 1939 movie. The 2013 film follows Oz (James Franco), who is whisked away to the Land of Oz and seeks to fulfill his destiny to become the wizard of the land.
Where to watch all Wizard of Oz TV shows and movies streaming online
Check out our list below to find out where to watch all The Wonderful Wizard of Oz adaptations in release date order online in the U.S.!