Adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical, the film reimagines the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with an African American cast.

On her travels seeking help from the mysterious Wiz, Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow, a robot called Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion.

Produced by Universal Pictures and Motown Productions, filming took place in Queens, New York City, from July to December 1977, with a cast starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson (in his feature film debut), Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor.

The story is reworked from William F. Brown's Broadway libretto by Joel Schumacher, and Quincy Jones supervised the adaptation of songs by Charlie Smalls and Luther Vandross.

[12] A crowded Thanksgiving dinner brings a host of family together in a Harlem apartment, where 24-year-old elementary school teacher Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

As Dorothy descends from the atmosphere, she smashes through an electric "Oz" sign which falls upon and kills Evermean, the Wicked Witch of the East who rules Munchkinland.

The Munchkins' main benefactress, Miss One, is the Good Witch of the North, a magical "numbers runner" who gives Dorothy Evermean's charmed silver shoes.

Since Dorothy is far from home, Miss One urges her to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and seek the help of the powerful "Wiz".

En route, the foursome escape from a haunted subway station and a group of prostitutes known as the "Poppy Girls", who seduce the Lion.

Finally reaching the Emerald City, the quartet are granted an audience with the Wiz, who appears as a giant fire-breathing metallic head.

He proclaims that he will only grant their wishes on the condition that they kill Evermean's sister, Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, who runs a sweatshop in Oz's underground sewers.

When she threatens to throw Toto into a fiery cauldron, Dorothy nearly gives in until the Scarecrow hints to her to activate a fire sprinkler switch.

Upon going in the back entrance, they discover that the Wiz is actually Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City who came to Oz by accident in a hot air balloon.

The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion are distraught that they will never receive their brain, heart, and courage, but Dorothy makes them realize that they already have had these things all along even as she fears she will never find her own way home.

They made a brilliant movie, and even though our concept is different – they're Kansas, we're New York; they're white, we're black, and the score and the books are totally different – we wanted to make sure that we never overlapped in any area.

[19] Lumet wanted Jimmie Walker, star of CBS-TV's Good Times, telling Cohen, "Michael Jackson's a Vegas act.

Ted Ross and Mabel King were brought in to reprise their respective roles from the stage musical, while Nipsey Russell was cast as the Tin Man.

Lena Horne, Lumet's mother-in-law at the time of production, was cast as Glinda the Good Witch, and Richard Pryor portrayed The Wiz.

Astroland at Coney Island was used for the Tin Man scene, with The Cyclone as a backdrop, while the World Trade Center served as the Emerald City.

The consensus reads: "This workmanlike movie musical lacks the electricity of the stage version (and its cinematic inspiration), but it's bolstered by strong performances by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

Variety felt that Universal had a "big, rousing, juicy hit on its hands that should enthrall the young in heart" and that the "cast is virtually flawless".

Hischak's Through the Screen Door: What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood criticized "Joel Schumacher's cockamamy screenplay", and called "Believe in Yourself" the score's weakest song.

[45] He described Diana Ross's portrayal of Dorothy as "cold, neurotic and oddly unattractive", and noted that the film was "a critical and box office bust".

[51] The cinematography and production design, which replaced the fantastical Oz settings of the stage version with gritty urban cityscapes, were likewise criticized.

Siskel called it "superior musical theater", said that Diana Ross was "superb", "terrific" and came across as "a real star", but he had reservations about the film's "heavy message".

Ebert praised other cast members and numerous technical aspects of the film, saying that it was "fun" and in the "great tradition of the American musical".

[58] However, Null's overall review of the film was critical, and he wrote that, other than the song "Ease on Down the Road", "the rest is an acid trip of bad dancing, garish sets, and a Joel Schumacher-scripted mess that runs 135 agonizing minutes.

"[60] The St. Petersburg Times noted, "Of course, it only took one flop like The Wiz (1978) to give Hollywood an excuse to retreat to safer (i.e., whiter) creative ground until John Singleton and Spike Lee came along.

[62] Despite its lack of critical or commercial success from its original release, The Wiz became a cult classic,[10] especially because it features Michael Jackson in his first starring theatrical film role.

Martin explains the Tin Man as an individual who "develops a hard exterior to protect soft feelings from the inevitable hurt of a hostile environment".