The Wizard of Oz is getting an AI glow-up

Will they recoil in the same way? Here is what you need to know.

- BROOKS BARNES

What is all the criticism about?

It is easy to understand why movie purists—and anyone worried about the rise of AI—would loathe the project, sight unseen. Artificially generated images were added to scenes to make the original movie big enough to fill the venue's massive screen, which wraps up, over and around the audience. Dorothy grew legs, for example, for a scene that was previously a close-up. The poppy field now goes on and on. Because of the camera's narrow aspect ratio in the original film, Uncle Henry was often off-camera, even when he was logically in the room; he's visible now. The Sphere also cut nearly 30 minutes from the film, which was licensed for the project by Warner Bros.

Who is behind this project?

The publicly traded Sphere Entertainment Company spent an estimated $80 million to modernize The Wizard of Oz. "It could very well be that