Jon M Chu’s musical Wicked Part One, starring Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, has defied gravity on movie screens worldwide. The movie premiered on November 22, 2024, and was adapted from the long-running Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked.
With a star-studded cast and a dazzling soundtrack, Wicked Part One sets the stage for the untold story of Elphaba and Galinda, uncovering the roots of their friendship and the journey that leads them to become the witches we know from The Wizard of Oz. The audience is immediately encapsulated by Elphaba’s journey, which includes her going from a misunderstood girl to the Wicked Witch of the West, highlighting the complexities within her relationship with Galinda— who is later known as Glinda the Good. Their contrasting personalities and evolving friendships form the core of this heartwarming story. The cinematic masterpiece of Wicked Part One sets the stage for Elphaba’s transformation and the larger conflict between the witches and the Wizard of Oz.
The movie’s plot is also filled with loads of easter eggs, and is packed with references to how the Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion came to be. Diehard fans— us included— are over the rainbow, with countless nods sprinkled throughout the film that pays tribute to both the Broadway show and the 1939 Wizard of Oz film, starring Judy Garland.
In one of the very first shots of the film, there’s a rainbow over Oz. This is perhaps one of the most obvious easter eggs and is a direct nod to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which happens to be one of the most famous songs from the Wizard of Oz film.
In addition to musical references, our favorite fashion nod is the dress Ariana Grande wears as a nod to the original voluminous bubble pink ball gown that Glinda wears on Broadway and in the Wizard of Oz movie. Another fashion easter egg in the movie is, of course, the silver slippers. In The Wizard of Oz, Glinda tells Dorothy to “never let those ruby red slippers off your feet,” because they are very powerful. In the film, they are famously red, but in the 1900 original story by Frank L. Baum, they were described as silver.
Our favorite easter egg was, of course, the cameo from Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. The original Broadway actresses Galinda and Elphaba debut in this film during the “Wiz-O-Mania” performance. Chenoweth and Menzel play two enchantresses who explain the prophecy about the Wizard’s Gimmerie. This was such a special moment that shocked fans since their surprise appearance was kept quiet until the release of the film. We especially enjoyed this magical moment since it paid homage to these original stars, as well as commemorated Chenoweth and Menzel’s love for this story.
Staying true to its Broadway nature, the movie has been split into two parts, similar to the Broadway show being divided into two acts. Fans are waiting to enter the path of the yellow brick road once again. However, Wicked Part Two has been confirmed to premiere a year later, on November 21st, 2025. Part two intertwines the Wizard of Oz plot, including the transformation of Elphaba into the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda into Glinda The Good Witch of the North. Wicked Part Two not only introduces the origin of the classic characters, such as the Tinman, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Dorothy, but includes Elphaba’s ending, which will surely be wicked.
Along with another stunning soundtrack to correspond with Act Two of Wicked, two new songs will be incorporated into it, written and composed by Stephen Schwartz, who has composed many works for Pochahontas, Godspell and, of course, Wicked. Nothing is known about these mysterious two songs, however fans are reeling to discover what wonders it will hold for the land of Oz.
Ever since the tale of the two best friends was released, more and more people have started to connect with and realize the themes that are explored in Wicked Part One. The particular themes surrounding Wicked Part One follow racism and discrimination, friendship and, ultimately, overcoming oppression. For one, Elphaba’s character is forced to endure resentment and discrimination from the second she is born. In the opening of the movie, her parents wanted to send her away based on the fact she was born green. From there, everyone in Oz has feared Elphaba and kept her distance from her, causing her to be extremely lonely and live through detriment and bigotry.
By exploring the unfortunate events of racism and inequality towards Elphaba in Wicked Part One, she also overcomes oppression by (quite literally) defying gravity and the land that desperately attempts to bring her down. The soon-to-be Wicked Witch of the West, soon to be named by the people of Oz, realizes that she can make a change and stand up for what is right. However, oppression isn’t complete without figures that enforce it. In this case, that would be the self-acclaimed “Wizard of Oz” and Madame Morrible, a headmistress at Shiz University, which both Galinda and Elphaba attend together. Despite these figures turning the entirety of Oz against her, Elphaba chooses to remain fearless in the face of persecution, thus paving the way for her journey to defy Oz and their deceptions of her.
Another main theme included in this film was the initially awkward, but iconic friendship that stirred between the main characters, Galinda and Elphaba. The two were initially resentful of each other due to Galinda’s jealousy of Elphaba’s magical talent and recognition from Madame Morrible, while Elphaba resents the image that Galinda made for herself to be adored by others. However, Elphaba convinces Madame Morrible for Galinda to be studied under her wing alongside her, as a gesture towards their potential friendship. From there, a beautiful and unexpected dynamic was forged. Despite being complete opposites, they settled on the fact that “pink goes good with green.” Their complicated, but alluring friendship proves that we can all benefit from each other, especially if we all don’t share the same qualities.
Overall, we strongly agree that Wicked Part One was an adventure worth following and fans are “holding space” for the next part. From the first glance of Oz to seeing Elphaba defying gravity, Wicked was truly a cinematic masterpiece.
