 The Wiz is a 1978 American musical adventure film produced in collaboration between Universal Pictures and Motown Productions , and released by Universal Pictures on October 24 , 1978 . An urban reimagining of L. Frank Baum 's classic 1900 children 's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African @-@ American cast , The Wiz was loosely adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name . The film follows the adventures of Dorothy , a shy twenty @-@ four @-@ year @-@ old Harlem , New York City , schoolteacher who finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz , which resembles an alternative fantasy version of the Big Apple . Befriended by a Scarecrow , a Tin Man , and a Cowardly Lion , she travels through the city to seek an audience with the mysterious Wiz , who they say is the only one powerful enough to send her home . 
