Isabella Flores
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 film that has become a classic in pop culture. The film is known for its fantastical elements, including a horse of a different color. The horse, which pulls a carriage in the Emerald City scenes, periodically changes colors. To achieve this effect, filmmakers used four separate horses that were tinted with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavored gelatin powder. The horses would try to lick the powder off themselves, so the scenes were filmed as quickly as possible.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of the movie | 1939 |
| Name of the horse | Horse of a Different Color |
| Number of horses used | 4 |
| Colors of the horse | White, yellow, red, purple, green, blue, orange |
| Method used to change the color of the horse | Lemon, cherry, and grape-flavored powdered gelatin (Jello) |
| Reason for using gelatin | The ASPCA refused to allow the horses to be dyed |
| Challenges with using gelatin | Horses would try to lick it off, requiring quick filming |
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What You'll Learn
- The horses were tinted with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured gelatin powder
- The horses could not be painted due to animal rights concerns
- Four horses were used to create the Horse of a Different Colour
- The horses kept licking the gelatin off themselves between takes
- The Horse of a Different Colour pulled a carriage made for Abraham Lincoln
The horses were tinted with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured gelatin powder
The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz features a horse that periodically changes colours. This was achieved through the use of four separate horses, tinted with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured gelatin powder. The horses were prevented from licking off the powder between takes, as this would discolour their coats.
The Horse of a Different Colour, as it was known, pulled the carriage that transported Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to the Wizard's secret chambers in the Emerald City. The filmmakers initially considered painting the horses to achieve the colour-changing effect, but the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) refused to allow this.
Technicians instead tinted the horses with flavoured gelatin powder, creating a spectrum of white, yellow, red, and purple. The horses' persistent licking of the powder meant that scenes had to be filmed as quickly as possible.
The Horse of a Different Colour changes colour six times, appearing green, blue, orange, red, yellow, and violet. The effect is one of the many awe-inspiring special effects in the film, which also include the transition from black-and-white to colour and the close-ups of the ruby slippers.
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The horses could not be painted due to animal rights concerns
The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz features a horse that changes colour. This was achieved by tinting the horse with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured gelatin powder. The horse was prevented from licking off the powder between takes. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) refused to allow the horses to be dyed.
The Horse of a Different Colour was a horse that drew the carriage in the opening Emerald City scenes of the film. Four separate horses were used to create the effect of a horse that changes colour from moment to moment. The filmmakers found that multiple colour changes on a single horse were too time-consuming.
Technicians tinted the horses with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured powdered gelatin to create a spectrum of white, yellow, red, purple, green, blue, and orange. The horses were prevented from licking the coloured powder off themselves between takes, which is why the scenes were filmed as quickly as possible.
The horses' coats would be discoloured if they licked the sweet powder off, which would ruin the shot. To prevent this, the horses were filmed as quickly as possible. The horses were also restrained by the driver of the carriage, who tried to stop them from licking the powder off.
The horse's colour changes from white to green, blue, orange, red, yellow, and violet. This was achieved by sponging the horse down with different colours of Jell-O crystals.
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Four horses were used to create the Horse of a Different Colour
The Horse of a Different Colour is a horse that drew the carriage in the opening Emerald City scenes of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The carriage was driven by the Cabbie, played by Frank Morgan, and changed colours periodically. To create the effect of a horse that changes colour from moment to moment, four separate horses were used. The filmmakers found that multiple colour changes on a single horse were too time-consuming.
The horses could not be painted due to animal rights concerns. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) refused to allow the horses to be dyed. Instead, technicians tinted them with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured powdered gelatin to create a spectrum of white, yellow, red, purple, green, blue, and orange. The horses were prevented from licking the coloured powder off themselves between takes, which is why the scenes were filmed as quickly as possible.
The horses were tinted with Jell-O crystals, a product that contains gelatin, which is derived from animal by-products, including horses, making this a possible case of cannibalism. The horses persistently tried to lick the powder off themselves, which caused discolouration. This is why the scenes were shot as quickly as possible, and the driver can be seen restraining the horse in the film.
The Horse of a Different Colour appears in other media related to The Wizard of Oz. In the 2009 map poster The Marvelous Map of Oz, the location of the Ranch of a Different Colour matches where the horses are seen in Oz the Great and Powerful, off the Yellow Brick Road in the Munchkin Country, near the Emerald City.
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The horses kept licking the gelatin off themselves between takes
The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz features a famous "horse of a different color" in its opening scenes. The horse, which pulls a carriage, periodically changes colors. To achieve this effect, filmmakers used four separate horses, tinting them with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavored gelatin powder. This process was chosen over painting the horses due to animal rights concerns.
The horses, however, kept licking the gelatin off themselves between takes. This behavior required the scenes to be filmed as quickly as possible, as the horses licking the sweet powder would discolor their coats, ruining the effect. In the film, the horse changes colors from white to yellow, red, and purple. The horses' persistent licking of the gelatin powder is evident in the final cut of the film, where the driver can be seen trying to restrain the horse from licking itself.
The use of gelatin powder was not without controversy. One source notes that gelatin is derived from animal by-products, including horses, which some have argued makes this a case of cannibalism.
The horse of a different color has become an iconic image from the film, with its ever-changing hues adding to the fantastical nature of Oz. The challenge of creating this effect, including the horses' penchant for licking the gelatin, is a testament to the creativity and perseverance of the filmmakers.
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The Horse of a Different Colour pulled a carriage made for Abraham Lincoln
The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz features a horse that periodically changes colour, known as the Horse of a Different Colour. This effect was achieved by tinting four separate horses with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured powdered gelatin, creating a spectrum of white, yellow, red, and purple. The horses would try to lick the powder off themselves between takes, so the scenes were filmed as quickly as possible.
The Horse of a Different Colour pulled a carriage in the opening Emerald City scenes of the film. The carriage was originally made for President Abraham Lincoln and given to him as a gift during the Civil War. It possesses a handwritten note on its frame, "A. Lincoln, June 8, 1863." Before becoming a part of the collection at The Judy Garland Museum, it had been used in nearly 200 films.
The Horse of a Different Colour was driven by the Cabbie, played by Frank Morgan, and pulled the carriage that carried Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion to the Wizard's secret chambers. The horse changed colours before everyone's eyes, creating a magical and unusual effect.
The use of tinted gelatin on the horses was a creative solution to the challenge of bringing the Horse of a Different Colour to life. While the film's creative team initially considered painting the horse, this idea was dismissed due to animal rights concerns. The use of gelatin allowed for a colourful and tasty treat for the horses, although it also created a sense of urgency during filming to prevent the horses from licking it all off!
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Frequently asked questions
No, the horses were not painted due to animal rights concerns.
The horses were tinted with lemon, cherry, and grape-flavoured powdered gelatin (Jello).
The Horse of a Different Colour changed colours from green, blue, orange, red, yellow, and violet. Four separate horses were used to create this effect, as filmmakers found that multiple colour changes on a single horse were too time-consuming.
The horses would lick themselves to get the sweet powder off, which would discolour them. This is why the scenes were filmed as quickly as possible.
