"It's always best to start at the beginning...and all you have to do is follow the yellow brick road."

This installment of Throwback Thursday means so much to me. It is the 75th Anniversary for the film The Wizard of Oz. Everything Ozian has been an obsession of mine since I was probably about 2 years old. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it was my 4th birthday that I received the 50th Anniversary copy on VHS. I'm surprised that that copy lasted until I had my own DVD player. After that, I purchased every available version. I have endless memorabilia, including three different Dorothy dresses and two pairs of ruby slippers. I was beyond blessed to be able to play the role of Dorothy twice and I celebrate the anniversary in my own way every year. This year, since it's a big number, the world is celebrating with me, and I couldn't be happier!  

The first big part of the celebration is that Wizard of Oz was back in theatres. I was able to watch it last week and the experience was surreal to say the very least. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see this movie in the theatre. Not only was it on the big screen, it was in IMAX 3D! From the moment the overture started, I was a weepy mess. I have to say, there's nothing quite like Judy singing Over the Rainbow and being absolutely larger than life. I have no words. If you didn't have the opportunity to see it, you totally missed out.  

If you DID miss out, you can still purchase the 3D version of the film for home viewing. I'm sure it won't be quite the same, and I don't know a LOT of people with 3D TVs, but if I had one I'd most certainly be buying it. Since it wasn't filmed in 3D, it's not going to be like a lot of the other movies from today, but it does give the film a lot of added depth, which really is breathtaking. You can purchase the movie by itself, but there's an epic 5 disc collector's edition (that you NEED if you're anything like me) that has all kinds of goodies. And yes, even though I can't watch the 3D version and I have multiple copies of the movie...I'll still probably buy it.

More awesome things about the anniversary? Well, McDonald's is featuring Oz toys in their Happy Meals right now. They are too stinking cute for words.  

QVC is featuring Julep nail polish in Ruby Slippers, Tin Man, Glinda the Good Witch, and Emerald City, and Philosophy body wash/shower gel in Emerald City and Yellow Brick Road. I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need either of these... There's also some Wizard of Oz scratch off lottery tickets right now. Maybe I'll grab one of those and win enough to pay for my Oz addiction.

I didn't get into the synopsis of the movie because...well...if you don't know about THIS story, you have a problem. It's a timeless classic, people. It's the ultimate "dreams really do come true" story. It's amazing when L. Frank Baum first wrote the book, it was banned for having a female in a strong leadership position. Simply put, the story is about a young girl needing to escape her dull, Kansas life. When she is caught in a tornado, she is suddenly transported to another world that's full of life and color. There, she meets several friends who help her on her journey to the Emerald City, each needing something different from the wizard they are supposed to meet there. When Dorothy is finally transported home, she discovers that she had everything she was looking for all along. Honestly, the lessons in this story are so positive and uplifting. It will forever be a family favorite. I hope that you are all able to to celebrate the 75th Anniversary by viewing this classic once again. Whether you're 9 or 99, it speaks to all of us.

Judy: Left- Songbird: Right

~Songbird