10 Parts Of The Emerald City You Never Noticed

There are many things fans might have missed about this famous location, especially since it doesn't enjoy too much screentime in the final film.

The Wizard of Oz is by far one of the most classic pieces of cinema in history. It ushered in an era of technicolor and has been lauded ever since for it's production value and succinct narrative for the time. It's an iconic literature adaptation on the big screen, although one with a dark behind-the-scenes past.

The Emerald City is such a key part of the plot and has even gone on to be a large part of productions such as Wicked and other sequels and prequels to the classic novel and film. However, there's a number of things that fans might have missed about this famous location, especially since it actually doesn't enjoy too much screentime in the final film.

10 Glass Domes

On approaching the Emerald City, the production team created a breathtaking painting in order to symbolize the far off location. It boasted huge green towers and was framed by the flowery fields and connected to the yellow brick road.

It's a great piece of imagery but one design choice remains quite confusing. There appear to be see-through glass domes at the front of the city. Later on, there are dome-shaped buildings but they don't appear see-through. There's perhaps a part of the city the gang never explored.

9 Clear Windows

The windows throughout the Emerald City are actually clear. Whereas everything else has a complex and grand design and the windows have patterns on them, they aren't stained glass as many might expect.

This is likely because it would ruin the lighting of the interior of the buildings. If the windows were an array of colors, it wouldn't be the Emerald City anymore, with a series of reds, blues, and yellows instead shining into the city.

8 Air Balloon Podium

The Air Balloon has become a big part of the Oz character. It's a piece of tech from the real world that some Emerald City citizens are amazed by. It's clear that the fake wizard always wanted to escape this city on his balloon though.

The podium that was created for the balloon wouldn't have been there previously. The set design has made it clear that the wizard was always planning his escape and this classic golden age film managed to tell a story just in the choice of its physical production.

7 Emerald Stars

Throughout the Emerald City, there are these strange star-shaped objects that fans have never seemed to know anything about. It's unclear what their purpose is, but the combination of the huge gem and metallic star must be for a reason.

It could be that this is another way to direct light in the building or perhaps acts as some kind of power source. However, the most likely answer is these rarely noticed stars are simply a part of the design of the city, as an aesthetic choice.

6 Interior Biodiversity

While there appears to be greenery outside the city, there's also biodiversity inside of the Emerald City, although its purposes are unclear. There is an array of plants and flowers that some citizens are working on.

Maybe it's part of a greener initiative, or perhaps it's simply to make the city look nicer, however, the way it's organized in one area does imply that it's some kind of agricultural project.

5 Scarecrow And Tin Man Stations

There's a strange inclusion in the film in that there's a number of stations for the Scarecrow and the Tin Man to help them restore themselves. Whether they need an oiling or perhaps some more stuffing.

Considering the wizard of Oz isn't actually magic, there's no way they knew that these individuals were coming. Therefore, there's either a lot of Scarecrows and Tin Men that stick around in Oz, or they had actually been there before.

4 Secret Panels

There are a number of secret panels throughout Oz in the doors. The initial use of these is to talk to the gang as a security measure. At Oz's door and the initial entrance to the city, there are guards who use these panels.

Perhaps the panels are also used by some kind of unknown pet, or there could be further reasons. A lot of the doors throughout Oz are designed with these panels begging the question as to why they all need them.

3 Unique Light Sources

There are very few light sources in Oz, likely because of how much light comes through the windows and reflects off of the emerald stones. Oz himself though has created some kind of light structure, probably from Earth technology.

He has fitted lights inside of the emeralds themselves, making them seem mystical to anyone being fooled by his persona, while also practical. It's a great little narrative to include within the design of the city.

2 Only One Animal

Throughout the film, there are plenty of creatures, from monkeys to lions to a supposed bird in the trees which has sparked a strange and dark myth surrounding the film.

However, in the Emerald City itself there only appears to be one animal. That's the singular color-changing horse that takes the group along the green streets of this fantasy land. It seems odd considering how important animals are to Oz.

1 A Farming City

There's clearly something funding this incredible city and their answers may be found in the background of the initial scene that sees the group actually enter this Emerald palace.

In the background, there are a variety of different fields that seemingly have crops in them. The film iteration of the Emerald City, therefore, implies that it is built on some kind of agricultural industry.

NEXT: The Wizard Of Oz: 10 Things Fans Didn't Know About The Cast

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