Frank Baums, The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the most popular films made. Even though it was released in 1939, almost three-quarters of a century ago, the film continues to entertain audiences and speak to them in a personal way. The question that comes to mind when analyzing this film is: what gives it such timelessness? When thinking about the film's timeless qualities, it seems clear that the plot is one of the things that keeps it relevant. Primarily, the plot of The Wizard of Oz is timeless because it serves as a great example of the heroic journey, both literally and cinematically. This journey of self-awareness is a metaphor for growth, something we all seek to discover at some point in our lives. To fully appreciate the significance of the plot, one must fully understand the heroic journey. Joseph Campbell identified the stages of the heroic journey and explains how the film meticulously adheres to these stages. For example, the first stop on the hero's journey is the ordinary world (Campbell). At first, the structure dictates that the author should depict the protagonist in his ordinary world, surrounded by ordinary things and performing ordinary tasks so that the author can introduce the reasons why the hero needs the journey in order to develop his character or his character. improve one’s life (Vogler 35). The purpose of this portrayal is to show the audience what the protagonist's life is currently like and to show which areas of their life are conflicted or incomplete. When the call to adventure comes, the protagonist is whisked away to another world, full of adventure, danger, and opportunities to learn what needs to be learned. T...... middle of paper ...... are similar in her ordinary and special worlds, and she must work throughout the rest of the film to resolve them. The Wizard of Oz can be analyzed in many different ways, but the depth of the plot is what gives this film its timeless qualities, making it a favorite even today, and one can't help but note how cinematically advanced this film was for its time, truly making it a masterpiece. Works Cited Campbell, Joseph. The hero with a thousand faces. New York: Bibliothèque du Nouveau Monde, 2008. Dartmouth University. “Glossary of Cinematographic Terms.” November 21, 2011. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/humanities/film.shtml#glossary.Vogler, Christopher. The writer's journey. Studio City, CA: Michael Weise Productions, 1998. The Wizard of Oz, The. Real. Victor Fleming. Perf. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan and Ray Bolger. Warner Bros..., 1939.