As the excitement around Wicked arriving in theaters on November 22 and The Wizard of Oz celebrating its 85th anniversary this year, kids everywhere are reconnecting with the magical stories of the Emerald City more than ever before — consider an amazing story about 17 schools teaming up to put their own modern spin on this timeless classic by making an all-new animated Oz movie created for kids, by kids.
Wonder Media is collaborating with students and teachers in 17 Pennsylvania school districts to produce a new animated movie written and planned by elementary, middle, and high school students. “Finding Stories of Wonder in the Land of Oz” tells the story of Dorothy, whose worries about transitioning from elementary to middle school leads her to the magical land of Oz. There, her new friends Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion will help her find the wisdom, heart, and courage to enter middle school with confidence.
Interview student teams as they write, narrate, produce sound effects and animate one sequence from the story’s script, which will then be edited together into a complete student-generated movie about ways everyone can help to prevent the effects of climate change. They are deep into the production now and hope to finish by March 2025.
Wonder Media's Terry Thoren — who is also the former CEO of Klasky Csupo, which produced Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys — has dedicated his career to creating art that helps children navigate, process, and avoid trauma. “Through his project, it’s amazing to see how students who didn’t always love school before do now, and the excitement from these four-student animation teams is unfolding in incredibly powerful ways as they get excited about contributing to something bigger than themselves,” says Thoren.
“Finding Stories of Wonder in the Land of Oz” will premiere in a theater in Pittsburgh in late May 2025. The project is supported by The Grable Foundation.
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