I dunno of sequel or remake. But I seems to remember an animated series called "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Wonder if I can see it again somewhere.

I mean this Return to Oz (based on another of the books? I'm not sure?) and its actually from 1985:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089908/

The Lion reminds me of Curly from The Three Stooges (I don't even want to look up who came first, cause in my mind The Lion came first - as far as experience is concerned).

Watching it recently with my 4-year old son (he's properly scared of the Witch), I'm noticing that poor Toto was sure "woman"-handled. I don't know why the dog stood for it, unless they drugged the poor animal?

My kid now sings "We're off to see the wizard" song - thank heavens for DVD's.

Oh, and it sure seemed as if the Wicked Witch had something personal against the Scarecrow. Not once, but twice she tried to kill him ahead of the others (both times with fire), and even the Witch's monkey's pulverized him and left both the Tin Man and the Lion alone after they took away Dorothy and Toto.

Maybe this is better explained the the book(s)?

Sorry to disappoint, but Curly came first. His first screen appearance was in 1934, four years before The Wizard of Oz began filming.

I wonder why they took a Curly adaptation and turned it into the Cowardly Lion. And weren't the Stooges from Universal Studios? How'd MGM get away with that one? I love the Wizard of Oz, but that's just plain stealing someone's else's act.

They didn't take Curly's act. Bert Lahr was doing that act for years on stage prior to WOZ. It is just a superficial resemblance.

I saw the Wizard of Oz as a play when I was in the first grade. I vagely remember watching the movie on tv the next year or so after that. I honestly don't rember a lot of the scenes in the movie. Have really never thought of watching it again in the many years since.

The book is interesting in that people or things die in it. Much more darker tone than the movie. And the way the tinman became the tinman is rather messy.

I liked the movie but wouldn't mind seeing a darker version of it.

Frank Baum backed off from the darkness. After the first book, everything got a lot gentler. Soon, it was explicitly stated that no one ever died in Oz.

I never realized the original Oz book was so dark - I realized it the first time when reading the "prequel" Wicked, when book parts have "quotes" from other books that play in with theme of the book you're reading. In the case of Wicked, the quotes came from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and in one, the Wizard is explaining that, for him to grant a wish for Dorothy, she must do something for him first. What must I do, asked the girl.
Kill the Wicked Witch of the West answered Oz.

As you know, the Wizard in the movie only wanted her broomstick, but he knew that, to get the broomstick, the Witch would have to be killed. Its suggested, and Dorothy indeed knows, and says out loud to the Wizard that, to get the broomstick, they would have to kill her.

There's quite a difference, however.