The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
Official poster
Based on	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Written by	Debra Frank Steve L. Hayes Tom Martin Adam F. Goldberg
Story by	Debra Frank Steve L. Hayes
Directed by	Kirk Thatcher
Starring	Ashanti Jeffrey Tambor Quentin Tarantino David Alan Grier Queen Latifah Steve Whitmire Dave Goelz Bill Barretta Eric Jacobson
Theme music composer	Michael Giacchino
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Bill Barretta
Cinematography	Tony Westman
Editor(s)	Gregg Featherman
Running time	72 minutes
Production company(s)	The Muppets Studio Touchstone Television Fox Television Studios
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	April 27, 2005 (2005-04-27) (Tribeca) May 20, 2005 (2005-05-20)
Website

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 American-Canadian television film directed by Kirk Thatcher and starring Ashanti and The Muppets with supporting roles done by Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier, and Queen Latifah. The film was produced by Bill Barretta and written by Debra Frank, Steve L. Hayes, Tom Martin, and Adam F. Goldberg based on a story by Frank and Hayes.

A modernized adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the story follows young Dorothy Gale, who works in her Aunt Em's diner, but dreams of becoming a singer somewhere beyond her small Kansas town. Swept up by a tornado, in her trailer home with pet prawn Toto, she lands in Oz and embarks on a journey to meet the Wizard who can help make her dreams come true.

The film co-produced by The Muppets Studio, Touchstone Television, and Fox Television Studios, in association with The Jim Henson Company. Right after Disney bought the rights to The Muppets in 2004, pre-production on The Muppets' Wizard of Oz took place throughout February 2004, and filming occurred during September 2004. ABC made several changes to the film after the initial script was written, ultimately deciding to adapt plot elements from Baum's original novel rather than the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, The Wizard of Oz. As with the preceding Muppet films, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz became a musical, and included five new songs written and composed by Michael Giacchino. The production marked the feature film debut of Eric Jacobson as the performer of Sam Eagle, a character originally performed by Frank Oz.