I’m no film critic, but I understand why The Wizard of Oz is a classic. I watched the film on a long-distance flight last Christmas, and it was great.
Obviously, the film was made for children, and the basic elements of the plot are very childish: Dorothy casts her friends as her companions on her adventure, just as any child would. And of course, the mean neighbor lady is the wicked witch!
There are aspects of the land of Oz that seem escapist today, but wouldn’t have stuck out at the time it was first released. Oz is basically early-20th century agrarian Kansas, with a yellow brick road, open fields, towns/cities and other non-Kansas landmarks like forests and mountains interspersed every few miles.
In the suburbanized America of 2025, this seems like a whole new world without cars, telephone poles, or population centers. In the 1930s, I imagine midwesterners saw it as less magical: the rural America they knew lacked obvious development.
There are also plot elements that make the film magical for adults too. For many people at the time, it was the first movie they saw in color. The way the color is rolled out - when Dorothy sees the land of Oz for the first time - is absolutely magical.
More wholesome is the character of Oz and his real-world counterpart, both of them con men. An adult obviously knows not to trust such con men, but he’s actually the good guy! He uses his “psychic powers” to deduce that Dorothy is a runaway and urges her to return home to her family. At the end, the wizard uses similar faux-wisdom to give the party the things they wanted (courage, a heart, and a brain).
Today’s cynical world would probably see that as some sort of rip off and report Oz to the Better Business Bureau. Life obviously wasn’t perfect in the 1930s, but what’s great about The Wizard of Oz is that it appeals to a time when unironic optimism and wonder weren’t laughed off as out of touch.
It’s a film for children, yes, but it’s also one for adults. When we choose the low stakes escapism of a film such as The Wizard of Oz, we are choosing to be enchanted by fake magic, but real wonder.
There’s no place like home, but we all need a trip to the land of Oz every now and then.