LIONS, TIGERS, AND SCORES – OH MY! THE ICONIC SOUNDS OF OZ COME TO SPHERE
'There's Dorothy and 'Over the Rainbow' as you heard them before, and there will be Dorothy and 'Over the Rainbow' as you hear them now, with the film's classic music taking on new clarity and immersion through Sphere Immersive Sound,' said Carolyn Blackwood, Head of Sphere Studios. ' The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, heard and felt through our cutting-edge technologies, will create a new emotional connection to The Wizard of Oz that is only possible at Sphere.'
To take advantage of Sphere Immersive Sound's 167,000 programmable speakers, and ability to direct sound anywhere in the venue, the original film's mono score was re-recorded to take on new clarity via Sphere Immersive Sound, while preserving the casts' vocal performances. The mono audio had to first be separated into individual stems of vocals, dialogue, and sound effects. This process, a collaboration between Sphere Studios and Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, used advanced audio technologies to create the individual components without distortion or artifact. Inside Sphere, the stems are being layered together to create a sound mix that reveals a depth and clarity unheard in the 1939 film.
At Sphere, our respect for this Academy Award-winning music extended to re-recording the score on the same scoring stage as the 1930s original – retaining the same acoustic environment. To further maintain the integrity of the original score, the re-recorded score features more than 80 musicians playing in the 1930s style of film music, including techniques such as pizzicato and vibrato that were standard for the era, but are less common in modern scores. Additionally, an ocarina, a small wind instrument used during the original recording session of 'If I Only Had a Brain,' was also used for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere recording, having been passed down through generations of musicians.
While re-recording the score, each section of the orchestra was also recorded individually with state-of-the-art miking. Coupled with Sphere Immersive Sound's directional capabilities and the vocal and sound effect stems, it will seem as though sound travels around the venue. For example, as the Tin Man tilts back and forth during his number, the isolated sound of the strings will also oscillate to emphasize his movement in visual and sonic unison.
'We approached the recording and mixing process for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere with a deep reverence for the original music, resulting in a breathtaking blend of legacy and innovation,' said Julianne Jordan, Grammy Award-winning music supervisor of The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. 'Sphere Immersive Sound offers opportunities for sound mixing that go well beyond a traditional theater, and this score will now be heard and felt with a level of clarity and immersion that was previously impossible.'
To enhance the immersion in The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, Sphere's infrasound and haptic seat technology is being used for the first time to not only create vibrations, but also emit tones that emphasize moments in the film experience. For example, when the characters enter the haunted forest, an eerie tone will emanate from the seats, bringing the audience into the foursome's perspective and imposing the same ominous feeling.
'This is the first time sound technology has been used in this way in any venue,' said Paul Freeman, Vice President and Principal Audio Artist, Sphere Studios. 'We developed a physical way of delivering sound that allows us to not only vibrate the seats, but also place tone in them that puts you in the film – audiences will literally feel what they are hearing.'
The vibrations, infrasound, and Sphere Immersive Sound will come together for maximum impact during key moments of The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. When the main characters visit the Wizard in his throne room, his voice will boom throughout the venue, complemented by tremors and low frequency sounds from the seats. Intentional reverberations will be created within the venue to completely immerse the audience in sound – and anticipation.
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere will transport audiences, making them feel like they are in Oz traveling down the yellow brick road alongside Dorothy and her friends on an adventure to the Emerald City. The original film, shot for a 4:3 movie screen in the 1930s, will now fill Sphere's 160,000 sq. ft. interior display plane, which wraps up, over and around the audience to create a fully immersive visual environment. The Wizard of Oz at Sphere will utilize environmental effects and custom scents to make audiences feel as if they are part of the movie and have landed in Kansas and Oz.
The sound creative team for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere includes Grammy Award-nominated music producer/sound designer Paul Freeman (Spies); Grammy Award-winning music supervisor Julianne Jordan (A Star Is Born); Academy Award-nominated composer David Newman (Anastasia); and Academy Award-winning sound engineer Shawn Murphy (Jurassic Park). And from Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services: sound engineer Tony Pilkington (Sinners); Academy Award-winning supervising sound editor/sound designer Richard King (Dune: Part Two); and Cinema Audio Society-nominated re-recording mixer Tim LeBlanc (Superman).
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere opens August 28, 2025, with multiple showtimes daily. Tickets start at $104 and are on sale now at thesphere.com. For groups of nine or more, please contact 725-258-7775 or groups@sphere.vegas. For suites, please contact 725-258-6743 or suites@sphere.vegas. Hotel packages are available for a limited time exclusively through The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the resort connected to Sphere. For more information, visit venetianlasvegas.com or call 866-682-6155.
For press assets related to sound, please click here. For an embeddable YouTube link to the sound video, please click here. For the complete The Wizard of Oz at Sphere EPK, please click here.
About Sphere Immersive Sound
Sphere Immersive Sound was specifically developed for Sphere's curved interior. The system includes 167,000 individually amplified loudspeaker drivers. The system's 3D audio-beamforming technology creates unique, highly controlled soundwaves, ensuring that levels and quality remain consistent from point of origin to destination. The system also utilizes wave field synthesis, a spatial audio rendering technique that leverages virtual acoustic environments, allowing sound designers to create a virtual point of origin, which can then be placed in a precise spatial location in the venue.
About Sphere
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that bring storytelling to a new level and take audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thesphere.com.
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