This is an excellent anonymous review of the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere theater that I found online:
”This is a one star so that the production team reads this. I enjoyed my night out. I love what you've accomplished and hope that this feedback can help improve things for future shows. This film comes incredibly close to being a masterpiece, but to go from a 9 to a 10 the visual effects needed polish. From what was shared about the production process, it seems the filmmakers chose a faster production timeline, relying on a new AI technology to create the visuals. While the generative AI technology from Google is ground breaking and impressive, the lack of attention to detail left me feeling that this was a fancy tech demo rather than a remastered film. It lacked the polish and artistry audiences have come to expect from VFX powerhouses like Marvel and Pixar. The cracks in the visual effects were noticeable to me and pulled me out of the story throughout the whole show. For instance, the computer-generated elements often looked like they don't belong in the same world as the live-action actors. It reminded me of playing the old-school video game Myst. This is due to several issues that, with more time and attention, could have been fixed: Unconvincing Lighting: The lighting on the CGI creations doesn't match up with the real-world scenes. This can make Dorthy and other characters look flat and pasted onto the screen rather than being a natural part of the environment. When a major event like a magical glow or an explosion happens in the CGI, the light on the real actors doesn't change to reflect it, which breaks the illusion. Mismatched Lighting: The subtle lighting of the computer-generated parts of the film doesn't always blend seamlessly with the footage of the real actors and locations. This makes the CGI elements stand out in a way that feels artificial. It's hard to superimpose studio lighting and vast outside landscapes without compromise. I wish they would have done more work here. Unnatural Movement: At times, the movement of CGI characters and objects can appear jittery and unnatural. A common and distracting issue is when characters' feet seem to glide or float over the ground instead of making solid contact, a telltale sign of rushed visual effects. Also there were times when visual elements stuttered while the character was moving which is an animation issue. In summary, the filmmakers missed the opportunity to incorporate the detailed work of visual effects artists who add the necessary layers to create a truly immersive and magical experience. Had they taken the time to integrate this expertise, they could have elevated a great film to that next level.”