Ahead of the launch of its new Wizard of Oz immersive experience, Sphere in Las Vegas has unveiled an enormous Wicked Witch of the East installation.
The iconic character’s 50-foot-long legs and 22-foot-tall ruby slippers are on view to the general public outside Sphere.
The installation is joined by a display on Sphere’s Exosphere, or exterior, featuring the scene in the 1939 film where Dorothy’s farmhouse falls out of a twister and onto the witch.
Sphere’s new activation has launched as tickets go on sale for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, which opens on 28 August.
Sphere has used cutting-edge technologies to enhance the original film, which will fill the venue’s 160,000-square-foot interior display plane.
Additionally, The Wizard of Oz at Sphere will utilise the venue’s haptic seats, environmental effects and custom scents to fully immerse guests.
The film’s songs have also been remastered, and their orchestrations re-recorded for Sphere‘s 167,000 speakers.
Giant witch legs appear at Sphere
As a result, audiences will feel like they are travelling down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City alongside Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.
Jim Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, said: “If you’ve ever wondered if Oz actually exists – it does inside Sphere.
“The Wizard of Oz at Sphere will put on full display what Sphere is capable of as an experiential medium.
“Audiences will feel like they are part of the adventure as they experience the film in a way they never have before.”
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere is a collaboration between Sphere, Warner Bros. Discovery, Google, and Magnopus.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said: “With The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, audiences will have the chance to see the film adapted into an entirely new and groundbreaking medium that celebrates the wonder and glory of its Technicolor roots.”
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere opens on 28 August, with multiple showtimes daily. Tickets start at $104 and are on sale now.
Images courtesy of Sphere Entertainment
