Extended Cut of Oz Released in Full-Frame

Disney officially stated today that the upcoming "The Muppets Wizard Of Oz" DVD will be an extended version of the film. The DVD release will feature over 20 minutes of new footage not seen in the original broadcast (due to network time restraints). This makes the film over 22% longer.

The film will be released in the full-frame aspect ratio. Despite the film being shot in widescreen, Disney is opting to release the film it the full-screen format. In trying to uncover the reason for this I learned that even though the film was shot widescreen, it was created and composed with full-frame viewing in mind (due to it being a TV-movie). Director Kirk Thatcher knew starting out that the film would most likely not be seen in widescreen by the average viewer, and therefore created the shots for a full-frame viewer. Many film and DVD enthusiast and upset due to this decision, but Disney feels that even though some picture is lost from the original masters, that the overall film is still being released respectfully. It is a shame that Disney did not choose to include both versions so the viewer could decide how to watch.

Aside from over 20-minutes of new film, the DVD will also feature; “Pepe’s Exclusive 'Making Of' Bonus Featurette”, "Outtakes and Bloopers”, and “Pepe’s interview of Quentin Tarantino”. The DVD will arrive in stores on August 9, 2005.