The Wiz & Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Living Lions!

The Criterion Collection recently released The Wiz (1978) on 4K UHD, which I reviewed on The Corner Penthouse. That gave me the opportunity to watch the film for the first time in 30 years! The last time I saw it was when I wrote a report about it (with a companion video I edited together) in my freshman year in college. I still have that report (not the video), which I included at the end of my aforementioned review.

Anyway, with The Wiz transporting the L. Frank Baum story from Kansas to New York City, there was bound to be a connection or two to a beloved ghostbusting franchise that takes place in the same city...even though Ghostbusters wouldn't come out for another six years.

There is one primary, and rather humorously coincidental, connection between the two films. Yes, I know The Wiz originated as a Broadway play, but I'm looking solely at the 1978 filmed adaptation starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, and Richard Pryor. In both films, and later Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, our intrepid heroes visit the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.

In 2024, when Ray and the kids visited the library for research, a possessor entity caused the left-side stone lion, Patience, to come alive and attack them. (The video below has optional English subtitles.)


That exact same lion also came to life in the New York-ified version of Oz, though instead of attacking, he (portrayed by Ted Ross) performed a song and dance. I bet Ray and crew wished they were as lucky as Dorothy and friends. (The video below has optional English subtitles.)


Technically, there is one other connection between The Wiz and Frozen Empire. In the former, Dorothy and the Scarecrow meet the Tinman at the famous Cyclone rollercoaster in Coney Island... not that it's identifiable in any way since the scene is very tight on just one small area.


Of course, beach-goers in Coney Island were terrorized when Garraka unleashed the Death Chill (trademark pending) there. Sadly, the Cyclone is never the focus of the scene (only the nearby Wonder Wheel), though you can see it in the background of two shots.


It would have been really cool to see it freezing over mid-ride. That would have been a helluva visual.