AI-Powered Wizard of Oz to Dazzle on Las Vegas Sphere’s Massive Screen

Sphere Entertainment recently unveiled plans for an immersive rendition of The Wizard of Oz tailored for its distinctive Las Vegas venue, with new insights revealing how Google and Magnopus are leveraging AI to transform the 86-year-old classic for the Sphere’s colossal 160,000-square-foot semi-spherical display.

A partnership between Google’s Cloud and DeepMind divisions went beyond standard AI-upscaling methods to craft a version of The Wizard of Oz with sufficient clarity for the Sphere’s 16,000-by-16,000-pixel screen. Google’s team employed customized Gemini models, Veo 2, and Imagen 3 to boost the film’s resolution, expand backgrounds, and digitally integrate characters who wouldn’t typically share the same frame.

To deepen audience immersion, scenes once limited by framing constraints now showcase all characters simultaneously for longer durations. For instance, in an early scene, Dorothy converses with Aunt Em and Miss Gulch, while Uncle Henry, previously off-screen, now appears alongside an expanded view of the house’s interior, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

To refine the AI models enhancing the film, Google’s team tapped into more than just extra footage. By delving into Warner Bros.’ archives, they accessed shooting scripts, photographs, production artwork, and set designs, which were fed into Veo and Gemini models. These resources helped the AI learn intricate details about characters, settings, and even technical aspects like camera focal lengths, ensuring accurate behavior for digitally added characters absent from certain original scenes.

“AI has impacted over 90% of the film,” said Ravi Rajamani, global head of generative AI engineering at Google Cloud, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, hinted at additional sensory elements—like heat, wind, and scents—still undisclosed, which will enhance the experience when The Wizard of Oz premieres at the Sphere on August 28, 2025.