The 86-year-old film has a brand new look thanks to artificial intelligence

It's been 86 years since Dorothy's epic adventure. Released in 1939, the film, a cult classic, has been completely reimagined using artificial intelligence technology. This restoration, which will be shown on a 160,000-square-meter LED screen, features new scenes and much wider-angle versions of existing scenes. This also means the film will be shown in 16K resolution.

The first classic film to be screened at Las Vegas's massive venue, the Sphere, this restoration of The Wizard of Oz goes far beyond a traditional restoration. It not only adapts the film for the big screen, but also aims to deliver a virtually recreated cinematic experience powered by artificial intelligence.

According to the project detailed on CBS Sunday Morning, a team of 2,000 people used AI to increase the film's resolution and expand the original frames. In this process, the original images aren't just sharpened; they're also artificially envisioned and completed outside the frame through a technique called "outpainting." For example, in one scene in the original film, Dorothy's uncle enters the scene later. In the remake, the scene is expanded, so we always see him there, off to the side. Furthermore, the AI even created a performance for the character during moments when he wouldn't normally be seen.

As Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz puts it, “A grainy close-up of Dorothy is recreated in rich detail, and then outpainted to reveal the entirety of the Scarecrow, the Yellow Brick Road, and the Mountains of Oz.” In other scenes, the actors’ existing performances are expanded upon to create a completely new frame.

In the statements made, it was emphasized that the film was made in a way that remained true to its essence: “Our aim is not to change the film, but to draw you into the film as if you were inside the shooting studio.”