Release Date: October 29, 2019

Considering that Warner Home Video marked the 70th and 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz with deluxe boxed sets, fans assumed that the same would happen for the 80th anniversary.  Instead, the label released a modest set that featured the premiere of the film in the new 4K Ultra HD format.  After all of those previous HD versions, it was assumed that the 4K format wouldn’t make much of a difference but – it does!  Watching the film in 4K on a 4K TV is like going from VHS to Blu-ray.  It’s dazzling.

The only boxed set of the 80th-anniversary release was in the UK (see below).  It was also released in the U.S. in a steel case set which was a bit more deluxe than the main edition (see below).

The extras are the same (minus the 3D version) as the 75th Anniversary edition.

The US versions were the standard release in boxed and clamshell packaging and a metal case.  Also shown are the Czech & French versions.
The film was re-released in theaters on January 27, 29, & 30, 2019, via Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies.  The showings were so popular that an encore event was scheduled for February 3 & 5, 2019.
The official website was updated again, but this time all the fun was removed and replaced with this banner art, a couple of videos, and a few random photos.  Boring!
On November 11, 2019, this fun boxed set was released in the UK.  It featured the film in the 4K & Blu-ray formats, plus a Blu-ray of special features, and a copy of the CD soundtrack.  The exclusive collectibles are a set of six “art cards,” a folded poster reproduction, and a map of the Marvelous Land of Oz.  The discs and extras are all housed in red envelopes in a drawer box with a 3D pop-up.  

Sound and Vision Article

The ‘Wizard of Oz’ Celebrates 80 Years with Reissue on 4K Blu-ray

 
 

The movie is presented in a two-disc combo pack and available on amazon.com for $22.99. Oz is also available in 4K digital at vudu.com and on other platforms for $14.99.

The movie disc includes the 1990 CBS Special “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic” and commentary by John Fricke with Barbara Freed-Saltzman and archival interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr, Jane Lahr, Hamilton Meserve, Dona Massin, William Tuttle, Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn LeRoy, and Jerry Maren.

The second standard Blu-ray Disc also contains the commentary and making-of movie plus a number of previously released extras, including footage from the film’s 1939 premieres in Hollywood and New York, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook” (narrated by Angela Lansbury), the original mono soundtrack, sing-along tracks and an audio jukebox, a stills gallery, sketches and storyboards, the “Good News of 1939 Radio Show,” a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and much more

The Wizard of Oz at a Glance
The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, is widely considered to be one of the most influential films in cinematic history. Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, the film was directed by Victor Fleming, who in the same year also directed Gone With the Wind.

The Wizard of Oz officially premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was produced by Mervyn LeRoy and scored by Herbert Stothart, with unforgettable music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman. Frank Morgan was seen in six different roles, including that of the “wonderful Wizard” himself. Dorothy was portrayed by a 4’11” 16-year-old girl who quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s greatest entertainer”– the incomparable Judy Garland.

The Wizard of Oz received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and captured two Oscars for Best Song (“Over the Rainbow”) and Best Original Score plus a special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance by Judy Garland. The film was an overwhelmingly popular and critical success upon its initial release and repeated its ability to captivate audiences when MGM reissued the film in 1949 and 1955.

Released to wide acclaim and recognition, and with a long-lasting legacy in the film world, The Wizard of Oz owns a place in multiple American Film Institute (AFI) lists, including: 100 Years… 100 Movies (#6); 100 Years… 100 Thrills (#43); 100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains (#4); 100 Years… 100 Songs (#1); 100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes (#4); and Greatest Movie Musicals (#3).

In 1989 The Wizard of Oz was part of the inaugural group of films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.

For an extensive and fascinating catalogue of Wizard of Oz trivia, courtesy of IMDb (Internet Movie Database), click here.

One of the more remarkable tidbits:

“The Munchkins are portrayed by The Singer Midgets, named not for their musical abilities but for Leo Singer, their manager. The troupe came from Europe, many of them were Jewish and a number of them took advantage of the trip to stay in the U.S. to escape the Nazis. Professional singers dubbed most of their voices, as many of the Midgets couldn’t speak English and/or sing well. Only two are heard speaking with their real-life voices — the ones who give Dorothy flowers after she has climbed into the carriage.”

We’ll have to wait and see if Gone With the Wind, also released in 1939, will be the next Golden-era classic to get the 4K treatment.

Judy Garland 1935
The Wizard of Oz green vinyl release for Record Store Day on April 19, 2014