If you grew up in the Gen X era, you probably remember that moment Dorothy opens the door into Technicolor Oz and your tiny brain just short-circuits. One minute you’re watching dusty Kansas in what looks like the filter from every family photo in the ’70s, and the next — bam — you’re in a land so colorful it feels like a Lisa Frank notebook swallowed a rainbow. It’s still one of the greatest cinematic jump-scares of joy ever filmed.

What really keeps the movie timeless, though, is the cast. Judy Garland isn’t just playing Dorothy — she’s doing full emotional cardio. The kid’s trying to get home, wrangling weird new friends, dodging a green-skinned villain who has a flying-monkey air force, and she still manages to sing like she’s headlining every school talent show we ever lost. The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion feel like the ultimate “found family,” long before anyone made the term trendy. They’re basically the friends you meet on a questionable night out who somehow become your ride-or-dies.

And let’s talk about the Cowardly Lion — he’s dramatic, anxious, loud, and kind of perfect. If Gen X had a spirit animal during the late analog era, it was that guy. Always ready to run, always ready to cry, yet somehow still showing up. Meanwhile the Tin Man is out here having emotions before it was cool, and the Scarecrow? Pure vibes and brain-cell chaos. Together they form the original, unstoppable group chat.

Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch is still the gold standard for villains. She doesn’t need CGI blasts or multiverse lore — just a bicycle, a glare sharp enough to slice drywall, and a voice that could sandpaper a barn door. The woman commits. When she shrieks “I’ll get you, my pretty,” you fully believe she has spreadsheets dedicated to getting that done.

Behind the scenes, the crew basically invented half the tricks modern movies rely on. They were doing practical effects before anyone even called them “practical” — flying houses, melting witches, massive painted sets — all powered by pure 1930s grit and whatever passed for coffee back then. If you’ve ever tried to fix electronics by smacking them, you can appreciate the miracle that this movie ended up iconic instead of a smoking heap.

And yes, we have to talk about the Munchkins — the first residents of Oz Dorothy meets, and possibly the happiest welcoming committee in movie history. Their whole vibe is “We’ve been waiting a long time for someone to drop a house on that lady, thank you very much.” They sing, they dance, they hand out certificates like it’s graduation day in Candyland. It’s chaotic, adorable, and about as subtle as an ’80s cereal commercial.

Then there’s the cast list and all the backstage madness that could fill its own documentary. Judy Garland leads the pack, with Ray Bolger wobbling around as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley stepping in as the Tin Man after the original Tin Man had a near-disastrous makeup incident, and Bert Lahr sweating buckets inside the Cowardly Lion suit. Margaret Hamilton melts (twice, basically), Billie Burke floats through scenes like a glittery fairy godmother who’s late to brunch, and Frank Morgan plays so many characters you start wondering if they ran out of actors. And hovering over all of it are the ruby slippers — the mysterious, glittering diva of movie props. Multiple pairs were made, some went “missing,” some reappeared decades later, and nobody seems totally sure how many exist or where half of them ran off to. Add in injuries, costume disasters, a studio system that made OSHA weep from the future, and enough gossip to fuel a hundred tabloids, and the backstage story is practically its own fantasy epic.

Of course, the wildest part is that the movie flopped originally. It cost a fortune, and while it made money, it didn’t make enough money. It wasn’t until years later, when television started airing it as a special event, that it found the massive audience it deserved. Once families started watching it together in their living rooms every year, it officially became a holiday tradition.

And for the Gen X crowd, nothing beats the living-room rite of passage of trying to sync the film with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Did it line up perfectly? Not really. Did it feel cosmic at 14 years old? Absolutely. Meanwhile, the original movie songs — written to be permanently lodged in your brain — still hit with that perfect mix of whimsy, Broadway charm, and “You will hum this for three days whether you like it or not.”

In the end, The Wizard of Oz endures because it’s sincere. It’s weird in all the best ways, whimsical without being syrupy, and comforting like the movies we watched too many times on cable. When Dorothy clicks her heels and whispers, “There’s no place like home,” Gen X collectively nods and goes, “Yeah… no kidding.” It’s a classic that keeps its heart, its humor, and its magic — no emerald-tinted glasses required.

And if you’re the kind of Gen X collector who still gets a thrill from physical media (because streaming services have trust issues), the steelbook 4K release of The Wizard of Oz is basically catnip. It’s got that shiny, display-on-your-shelf energy — the kind where you pick it up just to admire the artwork like it’s a precious artifact rescued from a collapsing Blockbuster. The restoration is so crisp that you can practically count every sequin on the ruby slippers and every bead of sweat inside that poor Lion costume. It’s the closest the film has ever looked to walking through Oz yourself, minus the flying monkeys and the existential tornado trauma.

85th Anniversary Theater Edition | Limited Giftset Steelbook/ 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Edition

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros
Available on Blu-ray - November 5, 2024
Screen Formats: 1.37:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French, Spanish
Video: Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

Follow Dorothy over the rainbow and down the Yellow Brick Road in one of the most beloved films in cinematic history. Not in Kansas anymore after a tornado whisks her away to the Land of Oz, Dorothy is off for adventure in the Emerald City with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion — and Toto too — all the while being chased by the Wicked Witch of the West and searching for a way home.  This 85th Anniversary Theatre Edition includes both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs, packaged in a collectible Steelbook and rigid slipcase, and comes loaded with retro premiums from 1939: a reproduction of the original premiere invitation and program, eight lobby cards, poster cards, a replica movie ticket, and more. On-disc extras include a making-of documentary, historic commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and vintage materials to celebrate the film’s legacy.

VIDEO

The Wizard of Oz is basically the original “kids’ movie that traumatizes and mesmerizes in equal measure.” Judy Garland is emotional cardio as Dorothy, the Lion is anxiety incarnate, and the Scarecrow and Tin Man are pure chaotic vibes.

Margaret Hamilton melts faces with her glare alone, the Munchkins are adorable tiny chaos agents, and the ruby slippers? More mysterious than a lost mixtape. Sure, it flopped in theaters, but TV made it a holiday obsession, and now the 85th Anniversary Steelbook 4K release is basically a shrine for anyone who grew up obsessively rewinding the VHS. Technicolor, magic, chaos, nostalgia — it’s a tornado you willingly step into.

AUDIO

The Wizard of Oz — oh man, where do you start? Judy Garland running emotional marathons as Dorothy, the Lion basically screaming ‘existential dread’ the entire time, the Scarecrow and Tin Man acting like they just wandered out of a very weird group chat. Margaret Hamilton is the ultimate green-glared nightmare, the Munchkins are a tiny, singing army of chaos, and the ruby slippers… don’t even get me started — more elusive than your favorite cassette tape from high school. It bombed in theaters, got rescued by TV, and now the 85th Anniversary Steelbook 4K makes it look so crisp you can almost feel the sequins on those shoes. Technicolor, magic, chaos, nostalgia — it’s a tornado you actually want to step into.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• The 4K disc comes with a commentary track — hosted by historian John Fricke — which includes archival audio from cast and crew (actors like Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Margaret Hamilton and others) reflecting on making the film.

Special Features:

This deluxe 85th‑anniversary edition doesn’t just give you the movie — it gives you a little museum. Inside the steelbook you get both a 4K Ultra HD disc and a Blu‑ray disc, plus a rigid slipcase and a little treasure trove of replica 1939 memorabilia: a reproduction of the original premiere program, the film’s premiere invitation, the original movie ticket, eight original‑lobby‑cards, two poster cards — all packaged like a collector’s time capsule. On the discs themselves you’ll find a new audio commentary led by historian John Fricke (with archival studio/cast & crew audio), the classic documentary The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic, and on the Blu‑ray: an illustrated video storybook read by Angela Lansbury, a supporting‑cast profile gallery, sing‑along options, and a variety of vintage behind‑the‑scenes extras — so it works for both nostalgia lovers and longtime collectors.

• 4K Ultra HD disc
• Blu‑ray disc
• Audio commentary by historian John Fricke with archival cast & crew audio
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic (documentary)
• Illustrated video storybook narrated by Angela Lansbury
• Supporting-cast profile gallery
• Sing-along feature for musical numbers
• Vintage behind-the-scenes footage and archival material
• Collectible Steelbook case with rigid slipcase
• Replica of the original 1939 premiere program
• Replica of the 1939 premiere invitation
• Replica of the original movie ticket
• Original lobby cards (8)
• Poster cards (2)

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite 4K UHD Grade

MPAA Rating: G.
Runtime: 102 mins
Director: Victor Fleming
Writer: Noel Langley; Florence Ryerson
Cast: Judy Garland; Frank Morgan; Ray Bolger
Genre: Fantasy | Adventure
Tagline: Mighty Miracle Show Of 1000 Delights
Memorable Movie Quote: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
Theatrical Distributor: MGM
Official Site:
Release Date: August 25, 1939
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 5, 2024.
Synopsis: Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.