Source: Apple | Posted By: Dan Geer

It looks like promotion is really starting to move on Sam Raimi’s Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz the Great and Powerful, hitting theaters this coming March. While not much has been made public since this past July with the first trailer, USA Today revealed some some new images this week, and now Apple has finally released the second trailer for the film.

This new trailer starts out almost exactly like the first one from July, but then focuses more on the three witches (played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Wiesz, and Michelle Williams), and their mysterious reasons for recruiting a small-time circus magician from Kansas (James Franco) to defeat the wicked Witch, who has laid waste to entire towns within the Land of Oz. Hit the jump to check it out!

Official Synopsis:

“Oz the Great and Powerful” imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

 

Head on over to Apple to watch in HD!

Disney is definitely trying to market this as sort of the next Alice in Wonderland, being that the film comes from the same producers. But, while it does have some similarities, it seems Raimi has made sure to keep it from feeling like a modern Tim Burton film (much to my liking) by not getting too weird with the visuals.

It’ll be interesting to see where this all goes, once the witches find out Oscar Diggs isn’t actually a wizard. What trait does he possess to defeat the wicked witch that the other witches don’t have? After all, they have more magic in the tips of their fingers than he’ll ever have…

I guess we’ll find out next March. The movie does look fun… and pretty…

Oz the Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, stars James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Abigail Spencer, and Joey King. It is slated to hit theaters March 8, 2013 in 2D and 3D.