Todd-AO

American film company and technique

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July 14, 2026

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Todd-AO was a wide-screen film format and company developed by American showman Michael Todd. Introduced in 1955, it was first used for the film version of Oklahoma!. Todd-AO utilized a 70-mm film format, offering a significantly wider aspect ratio than standard films, which helped attract audiences back to theaters during the rise of television. This technology was also employed for Todd's Academy Award-winning film, Around the World in Eighty Days. The development of Todd-AO was part of a broader trend in the 1950s to create more visually spectacular movie experiences through wide-screen formats like CinemaScope and VistaVision.1234

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Michael Todd
…the wide-screen film technique called Todd-AO, first used in the film version of Oklahoma! (1955). In October 1956 Around the World in Eighty Days in Todd-AO opened with a barrage of publicity generated by Todd. It won the Academy Award as best picture of the year.
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…the wide-screen film technique called Todd-AO, first used in the film version of Oklahoma! (1955). In October 1956 Around the World in Eighty Days in Todd-AO opened with a barrage of publicity generated by Todd. It won the Academy Award as best picture of the year.
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Oklahoma!
…wide-screen processes—once in the 70-mm Todd-AO process and again in the 35-mm CinemaScope process (which could be shown in many more theatres than Todd-AO). There are subtle differences between the two versions.
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…wide-screen processes—once in the 70-mm Todd-AO process and again in the 35-mm CinemaScope process (which could be shown in many more theatres than Todd-AO). There are subtle differences between the two versions.
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motion-picture technology
Wide-screen and stereoscopic pictures
In 1955 Todd-AO introduced a wider film (photographed on a 65-mm negative and printed on a 70-mm positive for projection), with several sound tracks added. Like anamorphic systems, the wider format could be achieved with a single projector. The first two Todd-AO productions, Oklahoma! (1955) and Around…
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In 1955 Todd-AO introduced a wider film (photographed on a 65-mm negative and printed on a 70-mm positive for projection), with several sound tracks added. Like anamorphic systems, the wider format could be achieved with a single projector. The first two Todd-AO productions, Oklahoma! (1955) and Around…
Read More