10 Ways Wicked Is Different To 1939’s The Wizard Of Oz

Includes SPOILERS for Wicked: Part 1 and some SPOILERS for Wicked’s stage musical, which could apply to Wicked: Part 2.

Wicked dives deeper into the world of Oz, which many movie fans will be familiar with from the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. The original film is considered one of the best movies of all time, and it’s been a lasting cultural influence on films, literature, and the world of Broadway musicals. Author Gregory Maguire was fascinated by the character of the Wicked Witch, and he offered a re-exploration of her life in the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was then adapted into the iconic stage musical in 2003.

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In 2024, filmmaker Jon M. Chu released his cinematic adaptation of the musical, with his version of Wicked’s cast led by Cynthia Erivo and Arianna Grande. For movie fans who aren’t familiar with the book or play, it can be rather jarring, given the many differences to the classic film. Maguire’s novel is considered revisionist fiction, as it re-examines the characters from L. Frank Baum’s original The Wizard of Oz book and the subsequent movie, offering different perspectives on what their lives may have looked like.

10 The Wicked Witch & Glinda Are Friends At School

Wicked Shows The Origins Of Two Iconic Characters

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The main plot of Wicked sees The Wicked Witch, named Elphaba, attending school at Shiz University, where she meets Glinda and other notable characters from The Wizard of Oz. Elphaba and Glinda come from vastly different upbringings, as the former has been ridiculed her entire life for being unexpectedly born green. She’s spent her years as an outcast, and though she’s learned to live with it, it still hurts her.

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Glinda, on the other hand, is a wealthy aristocratic girl who knows how to charm people and be popular, and they instantly get off on the wrong foot. Due to their differences, it takes time for Elphaba and Glinda to accept each other, especially after they’re assigned to each other as roommates. However, throughout the film, a beautiful friendship forms, setting up Wicked: Part 2 to unravel in a tragic, bittersweet way as Elphaba is taken down.

9 Wicked Dives Deeper Into The Lore Of Oz

Wicked Explores New Aspects Of Oz

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As much as The Wizard of Oz introduces its viewer to the enchantingly weird world of Oz, there’s not all that much exposition about what goes on in this land or how it works. That’s primarily because the story is told from Dorothy’s perspective, and the movie frames Oz as not being “real” as she eventually returns to Kansas after waking up from bumping her head. In Wicked, Oz isn’t just someone’s dream world; it’s an actual setting.

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Like in The Wizard of Oz, the Wizard is a character who’s come from the real world in a hot air balloon, and he uses steampunk-like technology to con the Ozians into thinking he’s magical. So, in this version, both Oz and the actual world exist in different spaces. Oz has its own political situation, with various lands, species, schools, and more that offer some sense of more detailed world-building.

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8 Dorothy Isn’t A Prominent Character In Wicked

Dorothy Is Barely In Wicked

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Dorothy, who was eternalized by the majestic Judy Garland, is the primary protagonist in The Wizard of Oz. She’s a delightful teenage girl who just wants to protect her dog but lands in Oz and gets roped into a conflict against the Wicked Witch of the West after accidentally killing her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, and taking her ruby slippers. She then goes on her adventure to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard and go home.

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Though Dorothy has a cameo in Wicked, she’s not a main character in the musical. In the stage play, she only appears briefly as a silhouette, killing Elphaba by splashing her with water, tying the story’s ending to the end of The Wizard of Oz. Wicked Part 1’s ending saw Elphaba fully transforming into the Wicked Witch, and Part 2 will explore some of the events from the original movie, but it’s still going to be told from Elphaba’s perspective.

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7 The Wicked Witch Is The Protagonist In Wicked

Wicked Is A Revisionist Narrative About The Wizard Of Oz’s Main Villain

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The play and musical explore the idea of “nature versus nurture,” showing how being mistreated causes Elphaba to commit evil acts.

Of course, the biggest difference between Wicked and The Wizard of Oz is that the Wicked Witch of the West is the lead protagonist. The thesis of Gregory Maguire’s book was to explore what exactly would turn a character, and a crucial quote from the stage musical is, “Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” The play and musical explore the idea of “nature versus nurture,” showing how being mistreated causes Elphaba to commit evil acts.

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Wicked: Part 1 doesn’t even see Elphaba doing anything evil, and at this point, she’s clearly still the hero of this story, while the Wizard and Madame Morrible are the villains. Elphaba merely wants to protect the animals of Oz, as the Wizard tries to oppress them to build upon his own power and status.

6 Wicked Explores The Politics Surrounding Animals In Oz

Animals Are Being Oppressed In Oz

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The political situation surrounding the animals of Oz is a central plot thread, causing the divide between Elphaba and the Wizard. Dr. Dillamond is a goat professor at Shiz University who explains that animals were once a powerful species in Oz, and many were able to talk. However, in current times, talking animals are becoming less and less abundant as the Wizard has begun to oppress them.

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Madame Morrible believes that animals should be “seen and not heard” and writes this on Dr. DIllamond’s board, causing a disruption in his classroom. None of the students at Shiz seem to sympathize with Dr. Dillamond except for Elphaba, who resonates with him being different. The Wizard of Oz famously features a talking lion, but there’s no mention of the oppression and silencing of animals in the original movie.

5 The Wizard Is A Villain In Wicked

The Wizard Is A Far More Sinister Character Than In The Original Movie

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The titular character in the 1939 classic movie isn’t necessarily a hero, as Dorothy and her followers discover him to be a fraud. He’s a con man who’s tricked Oz into believing that he’s some sort of deity, but the original movie doesn’t involve him being directly evil. In fact, he ends up helping Dorothy and co. to realize the personal growth they’ve undergone in their journey. Wicked’s portrayal is entirely different.

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Elphaba admires the Wizard at the start of the movie and believes that he’s the singular man in Oz who will recognize her for how special she truly is. Played by Jeff Goldblum, the Wizard manages to live up to her expectations at first, charming her and Glinda when they arrive at the Emerald City. Matters quickly take a turn for the worse when Elphaba realizes that the Wizard is leading the crusade against animals, and he becomes a clear-cut antagonist.

4 Glinda Isn’t A Hero In Wicked (Or At Least Not Exactly)

Glinda Supports Elphaba To An Extent

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Glinda is played fantastically by Arianna Grande in Wicked, charming audiences with her whimsical humor. While the original movie paints Glinda as a kind-hearted, altruistic witch, the new film explores her nature in a more complicated way. Glinda is introduced in Wicked as a shallow, spoiled girl who sometimes bullies Elphaba. She does good deeds, but it’s usually only to project her own good image, and the students at Shiz University frequently fall for it because she’s popular.

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The second half of the film shows that Glinda really has empathy, and she begins to care for Elphaba, leading to a sweet friendship. Ultimately, however, Glinda isn’t willing to take a stand with Elphaba. She may have decent intentions, but she isn’t willing to risk her own image for the sake of others. The start of Wicked: Part 1 shows her in the aftermath of Elphaba’s downfall, and though she shows regret for her involvement in the death of her friend, she’s not all that shaken up.

3 The Yellow Brick Road Hasn’t Been Built Yet In Wicked

The Wizard Plans The Yellow Brick Road’s Construction

The Yellow Brick Road is an iconic bit of imagery in The Wizard of Oz, and it’s used as the method of transportation for Dorothy to follow, leading her from Munchkin Land to the Emerald City. It’s an unforgettable part of the lyrics to the song “We’re Off To See The Wizard” that Dorothy and the munchkins sing at the start of the original movie when she sets off on her journey.

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The absence of the Yellow Brick Road is notable in Wicked, as it’s one of the quintessential building blocks of the vibrant world of Oz. Later in the movie, when Elphaba and Glinda first meet with the Wizard in the Emerald City, he shows them a model set of Oz, explaining his plan for a new form of infrastructure that will connect everything, asking the girls to help him decide on a color. Glinda is the one who has the eye to decide on the classic yellow bricks.

2 Wicked Shows The Origin Of The Wicked Witch Of The East

Elphaba Isn’t The Only Sympathetic Wicked Witch

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Aside from showing the origins of Elphaba and Glinda, Wicked also shows how the Wicked Witch of the East came to be. In the original movie, she dies when Dorothy’s house lands on her, so she’s never really explained outside of being the Wicked Witch of the West’s sister. Elphaba’s sister in the new movie is named Nessa, and she’s explored as being another deeply sympathetic character who’s not nearly as evil as the original film makes her seem.

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Nessa is an outcast like her sister, but at a point in the movie, Glinda encourages Boq Woodsman, a munchkin boy, to go ask her out. Boq has a crush on Glinda, and he asks Nessa out, believing that Glinda will see him as a better person. While he shows some genuine affection for Nessa, it’s clear he’s not as interested in her as she should be, and the movie hints that their fling will end poorly in Part 2. Wicked: Part 1 also shows the origin of Nessa’s ruby slippers.

1 Dorothy’s Companions Haven’t Been Transformed Yet

The Tin Man & Scarecrow Don’t Look Like They Do In The Wizard Of Oz

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Dorothy’s iconic crew of companions from The Wizard of Oz are all featured in Wicked: Part 1, though only one of them is easy to spot. Courage the Cowardly Lion is shown caged in a classroom, and Elphaba frees him back into the wilderness, acknowledging that he’s being harmed. This explains his fearful nature in the original movie. Boq Woodman is transformed into the Tin Man and ridden of his heart by Elphaba in the Wicked musical, which will likely happen in Part 2 of the movies.

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Prince Fiyero was Elphaba’s love interest in Wicked: Part 1, and he’s eventually turned into the Scarecrow in the stage musical and book, setting up a plot line for the next Wicked film. Without going into much detail about why this happens, it’s important to note that all of these characters eventually take part in the witch hunt that brings down Elphaba.

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9/10 41 8.4/10 Wicked PG

Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Director Jon M. Chu Release Date November 22, 2024 Cast Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd Runtime 160 Minutes Expand

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Category: Entertainment