Alpine Pictures Follows The Yellow Brick Road
Hollywood, CA 8/14/2006 11:18 PM GMT (TransWorldNews) Alpine Pictures is developing a series of animated feature films for the screen after acquiring rights to several Oz adventure books written by Roger S. Baum. The OZ series of books for development include Dorothy of Oz, The Oz Odyssey, The Rewolf of Oz, Toto of Oz and the Surprise Party, Toto in Candy Land of Oz, The Wizard of Oz and the Magic Merry-Go-Round and The Green Star of Oz. “Roger’s Oz adventures are wonderful and magical,” says Alpine Pictures co-founder and president Ryan Carroll. “We’re thrilled to bring his stories to life for everyone to enjoy.”Roger’s Lion of Oz was made into an animated feature film, and produced by Sony Wonder, Lions Gate Films and CineGroupe, Sunbow Productions and the Disney Channel (USA TV) and starred Dom Deluise, Lynn Redgrave, Jason Priestly and Tim Curry among others. He is considered one of the top ten best-selling authors of children’s books and has been honored as a member of “Marquis Who’s Who in America.” Dorothy of Oz will be the first in the series to be produced by Alpine Pictures, Inc and has Dorothy Gale with the aid of Lion, Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and Tugg the Talking Boat, battling Jester, who is using the dead Wicked Witch's magic wand to turn the citizens of Oz into porcelain dolls. The Oz Odyssey finds Dorothy on a new adventure in the realm of the yellow brick road; this tale finds her lost along an abandoned trail hidden in the brush of the shadowy Oz Forest. Along the way, she ignores a warning sign and walks with Toto into the Land of Never Return, where she learns that Bekama, the leader of the Tinybits, plans to imprison them forever. Their only hope of rescue lies with the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, Dorothy's three very best friends, who must thwart the dangers of the Oz Forest and find Dorothy before she becomes forever trapped in the lost reaches of Oz. This new tale of Oz kindles the imagination while providing lessons on responsibility, courage, and friendship.The Rewolf of Oz introduces Oz fans to a new character, the Rewolf, whose looks turn from disarming to charming after Dorothy and her companions help him gain the strength and confidence he needs to know the meaning of beauty and friendship. Toto of Oz and the Surprise Party has Toto on his very own adventure as Dorothy leaves him behind in Emerald City to attend a surprise party at Glinda’s palace in the south of Oz. Toto in Candy Land of Oz brings Dorothy and Toto to this unknown land that produces most of the confectionery sweets for the Emerald City shops. The ruler of Candy Land “His Highness The Giant Royal Marshmallow” has a problem and an exciting adventure unfolds. The Wizard of Oz and the Magic Merry-Go-Round is a story about two children who find an old merry-go-round in a junkyard. It appears, at first glance, to be the same one their parents use to ride when they were young. Soon, they discover that it is by traveling with the Wizard of Oz and a special Munchkin to the Emerald City and it becomes extra special when they are able to ride the merry-go-round with their parents. The Green Star of Oz is a tribute to L. Frank Baum and places the original author in the story, as he magically travels with neighborhood children on a green star to Oz, and helps rescue Dorothy and Toto. Alpine Pictures has begun principal photography on “Dark Honeymoon”, which is currently shooting on location along the California coast. Cast includes Oscar nominated actors Roy Scheider (All That Jazz) and Eric Roberts (Runaway Train) along with Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill Vol. I and II) and Tia Carrere (Wayne’s World 1 &2). Alpine recently completed “Love is the Drug”, a teen dramatic thriller, written by, and based on a story by Wesley Strick (“Cape Fear”, “The Glass House”, and “Arachnophobia”) starring Daryl Hannah, Lizzy Caplan (“Mean Girls”) Jenny Wade (“Monster-in-Law”) John Patrick Amedori (“Stick It”) Jonathon Trent (“Smile”) and D. J. Cotrona (TV’s “Skin”) which premiered to rave reviews in Park City earlier this year, and is currently being presented at the Cannes Film Festival. Alpine Pictures, Inc. operations currently include film and television production and distribution to all markets including theatrical, cable, broadcast and home video (DVD). The company is also expanding into the highly profitable area of new media such as Internet and vodcast. www.alpinepix.com
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?storyid=9517&ret=Default.aspx
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?storyid=9517&ret=Default.aspx
