How are the book and the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' alike?

Answer 1

That they have the same main characters and plot are the ways in which the book and movie versions of "The Wizard of Oz" are alike.

Specifically, the main characters are Dorothy and her family life with her pet dog Toto and her guardians Uncle Henry and Aunt Em; her friendship with the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman; and her meetings with Glinda the Good, the Wicked Witches of the East and of the West, and the Wizard. In terms of plot, the beginning and ending sequences differ. The original 1900 book edition ends as though the adventures are real whereas the beloved 1939 movie classic ends as though they are Dorothy's dream. But either way, the main plot shares certain basic commonalities, such as:

Dorothy Gale lives on a Kansas farm with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. She and her pet dog Toto land in the Munchkin country of Oz as a result of a cyclone uprooting the family farmhouse from its foundations. They interact with the Good Witch of the North and Munchkins who are most welcoming about Dorothy's house accidentally landing on and killing the Wicked Witch of the East. They head down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to find a way back to Kansas through the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy gets the Scarecrow off a nearby pole and accepts him, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion as traveling companions. She falls asleep with the Cowardly Lion in a poppy field, but each is rescued timely. The five friends enter the Emerald Palace thinking that their wishes will be granted, but leave on a murderous mission since the Wizard never does something for nothing. Dorothy drenches and kills the Wicked Witch of the West with water. The humbug Wizard does come up with scamming ways to grant the wishes of the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Wizard. But he cannot do so with Dorothy, whom he offers a ride in his hot air balloon back to Kansas. All begins to look hopeless when the balloon takes off without Dorothy and Toto. But she finally asks Glinda the Good what to do, and Glinda tells Dorothy about the traveling power of the magic shoes that Dorothy gets for accidentally killing the Wicked Witch of the East.