The classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” is being transformed into a unique, immersive experience in the massive Sphere venue in Las Vegas
The premiere is scheduled for August 28, 2025.
The classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” is being transformed into a unique, immersive experience in the massive Sphere venue in Las Vegas, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology. The premiere is scheduled for August 28, 2025.
The Sphere, a state-of-the-art outdoor theater with an LED screen covering 160,000 square feet and a resolution of 16K x 16K, will showcase the film in stunning quality. To achieve this project, leading companies such as Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Warner Bros. Discovery, and the creative studio Magnopus collaborated in an effort not merely to reproduce but to redesign and expand the visual material—without adding new dialogue or music. Using GenAI models such as Imagen, Veo, and Gemini, the resolution of every frame was enhanced, details were added, and scenes were extended to fill the spherical screen, creating the sensation that the viewer is inside the world of Oz.
The experience includes not only the visual upgrade but also 4D sensory effects and haptic feedback technology, allowing the audience to feel the winds of the tornado and the threat of the flying monkeys.
The use of AI faced significant technological challenges, such as upscaling and generating high-quality images for scenes where characters appear very small or distorted due to the spherical shape of the screen. Despite these difficulties, the team created an experience that respects the original work while bringing it into the present in an innovative way.
The production relied on a collaboration of technology and art, highlighting the capabilities of artificial intelligence in creating new forms of entertainment and offering a glimpse into the future of cinema.
