A Kansas schoolgirl is whisked away by a tornado to the Land of Oz, where she meets friends who accompany her to visit a wizard who may be able to help her get home.

I’m breaking down movies by their three-act structure. What is three-act structure? I explain it here.

Note: I break the story down into five-minute blocks to make it easier to see the length of each section. Rough time codes follow.

Prolog

Dorothy is a farm girl who, along with her dog Toto, can’t stay out of trouble. Toto has bitten Miss Gulch, and Dorothy must be saved from falling into the pig pen by the farm hands. 5

Act 1

Dorothy longs for a better place. Miss Gulch seizes Toto. 10

Toto gets away and returns home, so Dorothy flees with him, only to return (at the urging of a traveling charlatan fortune teller) as a tornado appears. Dorothy and Toto—in the house—are transported by a tornado to a strange land. 15

Dorothy finds herself in Munchkinland and is told by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, that her house landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East (the inciting incident). 20

Dorothy is welcomed to Munchkinland by happy Munchkins. 25

The Wicked Witch of the West appears but is denied the ruby slippers when Glinda transports them to Dorothy’s feet and tells her to keep them on (the call to adventure). The Wicked Witch vows revenge (the motivation to get help to return home). 30

Act 2 (five minutes late)

Glinda directs Dorothy to the Wizard of Oz for help getting home. 35

Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow who wishes he had brains; Dorothy invites him along, hoping the wizard can help both of them. The Wicked Witch enchants apple trees to attack them (a plot twist!) 40

Dorothy and Scarecrow befriend a Tin Man who wishes he had a heart; Dorothy invites him along. 45

The Wicked Witch appears to threaten them. A Lion attacks (a double crisis!). 50

Midpoint

When Dorothy stands up to the lion, and he turns out to be cowardly, she invites him along. The Witch puts poppies in their path. 55

Dorothy & the Cowardly Lion fall asleep. Glinda saves them. 60

Dorothy & friends enter Emerald City & prep to meet the Wizard. 65

The heroes get a terrifying audience with the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard demands the Witch’s broom (another plot twist!). 70

The heroes go into the spooky woods in Winkieland (ruled by the Wicked Witch), but Dorothy is carried off by the Witch’s flying monkeys. 75

At the castle, the Witch is unable to take the slippers due to their protective power. Toto escapes. Dorothy sees her loved ones in the crystal ball, but gets mocked by the witch. She breaks down in tears (the defeat!). 80

Act 3 (five minutes late)

Disguising themselves as Winkie guards, Dorothy’s friends free her, but they are pursued. 85

Dorothy accidentally kills the Witch by splashing her with water (a secret key to success!). The guards are happy and give her the witch’s broom. At Emerald City, the Wizard tries to put them off until the next day but is revealed to be a charlatan (turning the tables). 90

The Wizard insists the heroes have already proven themselves & he can take Dorothy home but fails (a final setback!). 95

Glinda tells her the ruby slippers can return her home too. Dorothy says tearful goodbyes to her friends and uses the power of the slippers (the climax). 100

Epilog (brief)

Dorothy awakens in her bed with a bump on the head, surrounded by her family & friends and exclaims she will never leave again, because “there’s no place like home!” (the decision). 102

This theme works better in the book, in which Dorothy is a younger girl who shouldn’t be leaving home, but Judy Garland was 16, just the time when a girl is thinking about building her future life away from home.