Race to Witch Mountain is a 2009 American science fiction adventure film directed by Andy Fickman and starring Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, and Ciarán Hinds. It is a remake of the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, which is based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Alexander Key. The story revolves around two siblings, Sara and Seth, who possess extraordinary paranormal abilities. They are pursued by various parties, including a secret government organization and a greedy entrepreneur, who want to exploit their powers for their own gain. The film starts with Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas cab driver, encountering the two siblings, who are disguised as ordinary human teenagers. They convince Jack to take them to the Witch Mountain, a secret location in the Nevada desert.
“I thought Oz was a great Head,” said Dorothy.
When the people heard from the Guardian of the Gates that Dorothy had melted the Wicked Witch of the West, they all gathered around the travelers and followed them in a great crowd to the Palace of Oz. When, at last, he walked into Dorothy s room and thanked her for rescuing him, he was so pleased that he wept tears of joy, and Dorothy had to wipe every tear carefully from his face with her apron, so his joints would not be rusted.
They convince Jack to take them to the Witch Mountain, a secret location in the Nevada desert. Along the way, they encounter various obstacles and dangers, including alien bounty hunters sent to capture the siblings. As they reach Witch Mountain, they discover that it is a spaceship buried underground and guarded by a powerful force field.
The Wizard of Oz - the one lost scene that should NEVER have been cut
Many have described "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) as "the Perfect Movie." It's hard for most people to find any fault with this film. However, while I agree that the movie is excellent, I believe it does have one notable flaw:
It lacks a musical climax.
Believe it or not, the Cowardly Lion's "If I were King of the Forest" is the last vocal number in the movie, and there's no singing in the rest of the film.
Though I never dwelt on it for long, I did always find it odd how quickly the film moves on from the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. We do get a brief moment of relief from the Winkie Guards saying "Hail to Dorothy! The Wicked Witch is Dead!" and giving her the broom, but after that, it cuts right to the Wizard, with the next major plot obstacle coming less than a minute after the defeat of the main antagonist. It seems very abrupt, as if something's missing.
For a movie that adds so much fanfare to everything, it seems odd that there's so little focus on the defeat of the main villain. There's hardly any room to breathe, very little to come down from the tension of the main characters' near death, and almost no celebration. Unlike the Wicked Witch of the East, who we only see alive for a few seconds in the tornado, (unless you count Miss Gulch, who represents both witches), there's no song or dance number for the Wicked Witch of the West.
But, I found out about a year ago, it was not originally supposed to be this way.
In the now lost full cut shown only to test audiences, there was a number for this moment, which was the last vocal song in the movie and the musical climax. The scene is known as the Triumphal Return to the Emerald City.
After the Winkies give Dorothy the broom, they start singing "Hail hail the witch is dead." After a few repetitions, the scene dissolves into a massive celebration in the Emerald City, where the citizens pick up the reprise. A marching band, dancers, soldiers, flower girls carrying garlands, and a priest in a fancy robe (played by the same actor as the captain of the Winkie guards) escort Dorothy and her friends to the Wizard's door, while huge crowds cheer and wave. At the end, the crowds part and form neat lines to the sides, lining the way to the Wizard. The song is mostly a reprise of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," but also includes lines from "The Merry Old Land of Oz" and "We're Off to See the Wizard," tying the three big chorus numbers together. It would have tied the movie together perfectly.
The song survives, and is in the soundtrack as Ding Dong Emerald City (outtake) . I highly recommend listening to it. Even from just the audio, the sheer jubilance is infectious.
(I'm linking to an overlooked lyric video rather than the auto-generated versions as a protest of YouTube's infuriating and idiotic decision to disable comments for auto-generated music tracks. The audio is the same anyway)
MGM spent weeks dyeing clothes green for this sequence. In total, the scene included 300 extras and cost $100,000 (about 18,000,000 in today's money) to film, making it the highest production value number in the movie.
Unfortunately, other than about 2 seconds from the trailer (timestamp 0:36) and some production stills, the footage is lost. Though MGM did try to save the deleted scenes, which was not the industry standard at the time, the only surviving deleted scene today is the Scarecrow Dance. Nobody knows for sure what happened to the others, but they, along with the rest of the raw footage for this movie, were most likely destroyed in the 1965 MGM Vault Fire, which obliterated most of their archives.
I don't know what the hell they were thinking when they cut this scene. I find it very hard to believe that it was just for time, I can't imagine anyone deleting the musical climax and highest production value number in the film just to save 74 seconds. Especially not after spending so much on it!
We'll probably never know, but my hypothesis is that Ding Dong Emerald City was sacrificed to save "Over the Rainbow." We do know that the executives nearly insisted that Over the Rainbow be cut, and that the filmmakers had to fight very hard to save it. Perhaps the executives made an ultimatum; "It's either Over the Rainbow or the Triumphal Return." If that's the case, it must have been a very painful decision.
I really wish that this scene had stayed, or, at the very least, that the footage had survived. It honestly makes me resent the Scarecrow Dance, because if there was to be just ONE surviving deleted scene, the Triumphal Return would have been my only pick. Not even the Jitterbug sequence comes close. I read a transcript of an interview with a Wizard of Oz expert once, who agrees with all of the decisions to cut scenes, EXCEPT for this one. I'm in good company.
Some people have attempted to piece together a semblance of what the scene might have looked like, using the audio, surviving footage, production stills, and sometimes, other footage from the movie.
My favorite is this one , starting at 1:51.
While this is nice, it's also frustratingly tantalizing. I can barely even imagine watching the scene in its full grandeur, with all the movement and choreography. It must have been magnificent to see in the movie, especially with the tense scene in the Witch's castle leading up to it. I have no doubt that had it remained in the film, it would have been my favorite scene, and been regarded as one of the most beloved musical sequences in cinematic history. The Wizard of Oz would've been bumped, in my subjective opinion, to a 9/10 to a 12/10.
I desperately wish I could watch this scene. I almost wish I'd never found out about it, because when I watch The Wizard of Oz now, it feels frustratingly incomplete.
Unfortunately, even if the footage somehow escaped the fire, it has almost certainly decomposed into dust by now. Cellulose film doesn't last long without special preservation, so surviving 82 years undiscovered is vanishingly unlikely. And with the fame of this movie and the headlines it would make if any thought to be lost footage resurfaced, it's very unlikely that any archive that it could be hiding in without rotting wouldn't have been thoroughly combed over by now. The only hope for its survival is that someone is holding onto it and knowingly hiding it for some unfathomable reason. Once again, very unlikely.
But there is one last hope, which is much more plausible.
Somebody could remake the scene. The stars may be long dead, along with most likely everybody who's seen the whole thing, and we don't know the exact choreography, but with deepfakes, CGI, and educated guesses, it wouldn't be too hard for the Powers That Be to create a convincing remake. They might even be able to reuse some of the original props and costumes!
Wouldn't it be great if, instead of constantly remaking classics that don't need to be and probably shouldn't be remade, somebody remade this grand sequence that should never have been cut in the first place? It almost seems like too much to hope for, but it's not a lost cause, as there is precedent. Peter Jackson remade the lost Spider Pit scene from King Kong , so with enough popular support, maybe MGM will remake the Triumphal Return to the Emerald City! Perhaps for the 85th or 90th anniversary or something. It would be a great promotion!
Even just an animated version or animatic would be fantastic.
I really hope it happens.
Lastly, here's the section of the script describing the sequence, though it does use an earlier version of the song , so the lyrics are a little off:
The Wicked Witch is dead! The Wicked Witch is dead! Hail - Hail - the Witch is dead. Which old Witch? - the Wicked Witch. Hail - Hail - the Wicked Witch is dead. Hail - Hail - the Witch is dead Which old Witch? - the Wicked Witch.
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
ELS - In Emerald City - Streets are thronged with people - the procession enters from b.g., led by a band -
ALL (sing) Hail - hail - the Wicked Witch is dead!
MLS - The Band marching along the crowded streets - they turn, exit out to left f.g. -
ALL (sing) Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead!
ELS - The Procession comes forward through the crowded streets - surrounded by flower girls are Dorothy, the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow - the Scarecrow is carrying the Witch's broomstick -
ALL (sing) Wake up, you sleepy head Rub your eyes Get out of bed Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead!
MS - CAMERA TRUCKS back with the Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and the Scarecrow as they come forward through the singing crowds - they wave, smile, etc. -
ALL (sing) She's gone where the Goblins go Below -- below -- below! Yo ho, let's open.
LS - The Procession passes girls lined up in front of the palace - the four pass along in front of them at left - all wave greetings -
ALL (sing) . up and sing And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The merry-oh Sing it high Sing it.
ELS - Full shot of the area in front of Palace - the Procession files around in it to the right -
ALL (sing) . low. Let them know The Wicked Witch is dead! Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old.
ELS - CAMERA BOOMS back to left with the Procession as it comes forward -
ALL (sing) . witch? The Wicked Witch Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead!
ELS - CAMERA PANS right with the Procession as it marches toward the palace - CAMERA BOOMS around to one of the huge crystals as the Tin Man, Dorothy, Scarecrow and Lion enter through the palace gates -
ALL (sing) Wake up, you sleepy head. Rub your eyes - Get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the Goblins go - Below - below - below. No ho, let's open up and sing And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The merry-oh Sing it high --
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
Int. Throne room -- LS -- Throne -- Oz's voice booms out as the CAMERA PULLS back to reveal the Scarecrow, Dorothy, Lion and Tin Man standing in front of it --
“But, I don’t understand,” said Dorothy, in bewilderment. “How was it that you appeared to me as a great Head?”
The siblings' real identities are revealed as extraterrestrial beings from another planet. They explain that they have come to Earth to retrieve a hidden device that could save their planet. With the help of Jack and a discredited UFO expert, they manage to bypass the force field and retrieve the device. However, they are pursued by the villainous parties who want to capture the siblings and the device. In a thrilling climax, they manage to escape with the device and successfully return to their planet, saving it from destruction. Race to Witch Mountain received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences and performances, particularly from Dwayne Johnson. The film performed moderately well at the box office, grossing over $106 million worldwide. Overall, Race to Witch Mountain is an entertaining family adventure film that combines science fiction elements with thrilling action sequences. It explores themes of friendship, trust, and the importance of using one's abilities for the greater good..
Reviews for "Race to Witch Mountain: A Thrilling Adventure in Search of the Unknown"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I found Race to Witch Mountain to be a disappointing film. While the visuals and special effects were well done, the story felt lacking and the characters were one-dimensional. The plot was predictable and didn't offer anything new or exciting. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and unimpressed.
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I really did not enjoy Race to Witch Mountain. The acting felt forced and did not capture my attention. The story was confusing and hard to follow, lacking a clear direction. The dialogue was cheesy and cliché, making it difficult to take the film seriously. I was left feeling bored and unsatisfied with the overall experience.
3. Michael - 2/5 stars - I was not a fan of Race to Witch Mountain. The film had potential with its premise, but it fell flat in execution. The pacing was off, with moments of excitement followed by dull and slow scenes. The characters were underdeveloped, making it hard to care about their journey. The movie lacked the depth and complexity that I was hoping for, leaving me unengaged throughout.
4. Emily - 1/5 stars - Race to Witch Mountain was a major disappointment for me. The story was unoriginal and lacked any surprises or unique twists. The dialogue was cringe-worthy and felt like it was written for a much younger audience. I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times throughout the film. Overall, it failed to deliver an entertaining experience and left me feeling like I wasted my time.