Follow Interstate 40

    Who doesn’t love the classic story, The Wizard of Oz? With its lovable characters and exciting adventures, very few can resist chanting “There’s no place like home” by the time Dorothy is back in Kansas. The only thing I could think of while watching the sometimes dark, tragi-comedy Little Miss Sunshine in my English class this week was this heartwarming family film. At first I did not understand why this title popped into my mind, but after analyzing elements of both movies, I realized that they both have similar plot lines, archetypes and themes, even if they are delivered in different ways. 

Both films begin with characters who are generally unhappy. Dorothy feels out of place on the farm, and the Hoover family in Little Miss Sunshine is dysfunctional. Suddenly, both Dorothy and the Hoovers are transported to a different world. In Dorothy’s case, a tornado takes her on a journey down the yellow brick road, while a phone call from Sheryl’s sister whisks the Hoovers down the highway to California in a bright yellow van.

    Even the characters in both movies are similar. Dorothy and Olive are both going to their “Oz” to achieve their dreams. Glinda the Good Witch serves as Dorothy’s mentor and always believes in her, much like how Grandpa Edwin trains Olive for pageants and teaches her to love who she is. The lion, who is seeking courage, is represented both by Dwayne and Frank, since they both need to become courageous enough to come to terms with the reality of their lives. Richard Hoover (Olive’s dad) is Little Miss Sunshine’s tin man, since they are missing a nurturing temperament and heart respectively. Olive’s mom, Sheryl, mirrors the scarecrow. The scarecrow needs a brain, and Sheryl needs to better understand the members of her family. Olive’s Wizard of Oz is represented by the judges in the pageant, since she believes they can give her the success she wants. Some characters from The Wizard of Oz are represented in Little Miss Sunshine in non-human forms. Olive’s music is her Toto, since it is always with her, and the Wicked Witch of the West is represented by all of the various conflicts the Hoover’s face. 

In the end of both stories, all characters realize that they were happy where they were before they left on their journeys. Of course, this does not mean that their homes are blissful and perfect, but they are perfect for them. They also realize that they had the characteristic they seemed to be lacking all along.

I will never look at either movie the same way again!