Sphere Entertainment Co. has unveiled new details surrounding its ambitious reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, which is set to premiere at the Las Vegas venue on August 28.
The production will harness Sphere’s cutting-edge audio and infrasound technology to deliver a deeply immersive experience, promising to bring new life to the 1939 classic while remaining faithful to its cinematic roots.
The project, produced by Sphere Studios in collaboration with Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, centers on an overhauled audio experience utilizing Sphere Immersive Sound. The venue’s 167,000 programmable speakers will allow sound to move with the action on screen, while newly developed haptic seat technology adds a physical dimension to the iconic journey down the Yellow Brick Road.
“There’s Dorothy and ‘Over the Rainbow’ as you heard them before, and there will be Dorothy and ‘Over the Rainbow’ as you hear them now,” Carolyn Blackwood, Head of Sphere Studios, said in a press release. “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, heard and felt through our cutting-edge technologies, will create a new emotional connection… only possible at Sphere.”
To achieve this, the original mono soundtrack was deconstructed into individual vocal, dialogue, and effects stems using advanced audio isolation techniques. These components were then remixed with a new orchestral recording—performed by more than 80 musicians in a 1930s style on the same scoring stage used for the original film. The update even includes an original ocarina used in the Tin Man’s signature number, “If I Only Had a Brain.”
| READ: Tickets Head on Sale for ‘The Wizard of Oz at Sphere‘ |
The enhanced soundscape includes directional audio synced with on-screen movement—such as oscillating strings following the Tin Man’s sway—and room-shaking bass during dramatic moments like the arrival at the Wizard’s throne room. Sphere’s infrasound-enabled seats will emit tones and vibrations tailored to specific scenes, including an ominous rumble in the haunted forest.
“This is the first time sound technology has been used in this way in any venue,” said Paul Freeman, Vice President and Principal Audio Artist at Sphere Studios. “We developed a physical way of delivering sound that allows us to not only vibrate the seats, but also place tone in them that puts you in the film.”
The experience will be further enhanced with environmental effects and custom scents, enveloping viewers within Sphere’s 160,000 square-foot interior LED screen that wraps the audience in 360 degrees of imagery.
The creative team behind the production includes Grammy winner Julianne Jordan (A Star Is Born), Oscar-nominated composer David Newman (Anastasia), and Oscar-winning sound engineer Shawn Murphy (Jurassic Park), alongside veteran collaborators from Warner Bros. Post Production.
Tickets for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere are on sale now, with prices starting at $104. The show will feature multiple daily screenings. Group and suite reservations, as well as hotel packages through The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, are also available.
For more details or to purchase tickets, visit thesphere.com.
