With Disney’s upcoming Wizard of Oz prequel Oz: The Great and the Powerful coming to theaters next year, it was only a matter of time before Warner Bros.–the studio responsible for the beloved 1939 Judy Garland film–decided to speak up about it. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has a trademark on the words The Great and Powerful Oz, which is slightly different–but different all the same–from the title of Disney’s movie. Although it’s highly unlikely that this will stop the film from being released, it could cause a problem for any merchandise that Disney wants to put out for the movie. Warner Bros. has already gone after possible merchandise to go with the upcoming animated movie Dorothy of Oz, which, according to the article, carries a higher than anticipated production budget of $60 million.
Disney and Warner Bros. at war over Oz