The world has been patiently waiting for part one of the Wicked movie to hit theaters on Nov. 22, and now that it has, it’s all anyone can talk about. The movie takes place in the Land of Oz and follows witches Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) as they form an unlikely friendship while attending Shiz University. Fans have been excitedly gearing up for the release for months. However, when the movie finally dropped, fans were even more excited about all of The Wizard Of Oz Easter eggs spotted throughout the film.
I mean, it makes sense, since the Wicked musical is based on the 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The book is a reimagining of Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that was later made into the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Although a majority of Wicked‘s storyline takes place years before Dorothy Gale finds herself in Oz, there are plenty of references to the classic tale throughout the film.
From Dorothy’s ruby slippers to the Yellow Brick Road, the Wicked movie contained plenty of nods to The Wizard Of Oz and if you’ve seen the film, you might have spotted some of them! Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for Wicked Part 1 follow.
- The Wicked title on the screen
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During the movie’s opening number, “No One Mourns The Wicked,” the credits show the film’s title in the same font used for the opening credits of The Wizard of Oz.
- dorothy, the tin man, lion, & Scarecrow appear together
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Speaking of the opening scene, there’s a quick nod to Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow as they’re spotted walking together on the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City after Glinda proclaims to her fellow Ozians that The Wicked Witch is dead.
- The yellow brick road
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In the movie, when Glinda descends in her bubble to share the news about the Wicked Witch’s death, a shot of the beginning of the Yellow Brick Road is exactly the way it appears in The Wizard of Oz. Also, when Elphaba and Glinda visit the Wizard in the Emerald City later in the movie, it’s revealed that Glinda helped name the iconic path, and choose its iconic color.
- the ruby slippers
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After returning to their room at Shiz University following the party at Ozdust Ballroom, Glinda decides to give Elphaba a makeover during “Popular.” As Glinda rummages through her *many* clothing chests and racks of shoes, she hands Elphaba a pair of ruby slippers, which resemble the shoes Dorothy wears in The Wizard Of Oz.
Meanwhile, the silver shoes that belonged to Elphaba and her sister Nessarose’s mother have a design that is reminiscent of a tornado. Talk about attention to detail.
- the lion as a cub
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In the movie, during one of Professor Dillamond’s history classes, he’s forced out of the room after an official decree was passed that animals are no longer allowed to teach at Shiz University. Dr. Dillamond’s replacement entered the class carrying a caged lion cub, who Elphaba noticed was trembling.
This lion cub cub grows to be the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.
- the sleep-inducing poppies
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In the same scene with the lion cub, Elphaba gets so angry over what happened to Dr. Dillamond that she forces the poppies she picked to fly through the air, making her classmates fall asleep. Elphaba and Fiyero then run off with the lion cub into the forest.
In The Wizard Of Oz, The Wicked Witch of the East uses poppies to stall Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man’s arrival into the Emerald City.
- The flying monkeys
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After meeting the Wizard, Elphaba casts a spell on the monkey guards using the Grimmerie. She makes them grow wings, and they all turn against her after Madame Morrible deems her wicked.
In The Wizard Of Oz, the flying monkeys are creatures the Wicked Witch of the West sends out to apprehend Dorothy and her friends.
- the hot air balloon
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After learning the truth about the Wizard and Madame Morrible, Elphaba and Glinda run through the palace to avoid getting captured by the flying monkeys and the guards. They eventually end up in a tower, where they find the hot air balloon the Wizard arrived in the Emerald City with. The two friends hijack it to get away, but their plan is foiled by the palace guards.
In The Wizards Of Oz, the Wizard tries to take Dorothy home in a hot air balloon, but is unsuccessful.
I don’t know about you, but seeing The Wizards Of Oz Easter eggs in the Wicked movie made my theater kid heart so happy. Hopefully, we get more nods to the iconic 1939 film in part two!