00:00How do you find it weighing visually?
00:03You have to make up your own version of it.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the ways Wicked follows
00:10the yellow brick road set by The Wizard of Oz, and how it veers off the beaten track.
00:15If you're yet to see Part 1, or you haven't seen the show, be gone before someone drops
00:19some spoilers on you.
00:21We're kidding of course, but this is your spoiler warning for both Part 1 and Part 2
00:26of Wicked.
00:27Creating costumes for a movie as big as Wicked
00:38meant honoring The Wizard of Oz, nodding to Broadway, and still surprising fans.
00:43And Paul Tazwell's team delivered.
00:55The Wicked Witch of the West is that witch in pop culture, so keeping her iconic silhouette
01:00just made sense, though they gave her style some modern updates.
01:13As for Glinda, while Broadway's bubble dress is blue, Billy Burke's bubble entrance is
01:17an unforgettable image that served as inspiration here.
01:29It's also why the movie's Glinda practically lives in pink.
01:33You'll also spot the return of the original silver slippers, although there's a nod to
01:37the ruby pair too.
01:38Also, Nessa Rose's shoes feature tornado-shaped heels, foreshadowing her fate.
01:46The focus of the story
01:58While The Wizard of Oz focuses on Dorothy's adventures in Oz, she's essentially just a
02:02footnote in Wicked.
02:04In fact, she only appears momentarily.
02:06Gregory Maguire, who wrote the source novel, was inspired by events in the 90s and the
02:10power the media has to shape public opinion.
02:13He considered how the most famous fictional Wicked character is only known by that label
02:18without further exploring her story.
02:24He took the fantastical world of Oz and grounded it in reality, dealing with issues like friendships,
02:30power struggles, love, and how society rejects those seen as different.
02:44The musical explores identity, injustice, and how perceptions are formed, leading to
02:48Elphaba's fate and Glinda's rise as the Good Witch.
02:57Perhaps one of the most frustratingly catchy numbers in The Wizard of Oz is Follow the
03:01Yellow Brick Road.
03:09Yet it's a key part of Dorothy's journey, helping her meet new friends and leading her
03:13to the Wizard.
03:14On Broadway, the Yellow Brick Road doesn't play as big of a role, though the Wizard explains
03:18to Elphaba why he built it, and that melody even appears in Defying Gravity.
03:31In the film, the Wizard unveils his grand plan for an Oz where all paths lead to him
03:36— we're surprised he even needed a hot air balloon with such an inflated ego.
03:40All that's missing is the perfect color, and that's where Elphaba and Glinda leave their
03:44first mark on Oz.
04:01In L. Frank Baum's book, anyone entering the Emerald City has to wear emerald-tinted glasses.
04:13They're told it's because the city's brightness and glory would be too much for their eyes,
04:21but really it's just to uphold the Wizard's illusion.
04:24The 1939 film takes a different approach, convincing everyone that the Emerald City
04:28is a jolly old town, which Dorothy and her friends accept, no questions asked.
04:41Elphaba and Glinda are initially dazzled by the city's grandeur, too, but after meeting
04:46the Wizard, Elphaba starts to spot the cracks in the facade.
04:49She takes off her metaphorical glasses and pulls back the curtain, revealing a regime
04:53built on the very prejudices she's been fighting.
05:073. Stays True — Origin Stories for Characters
05:12If you have no idea what's coming up in Part 2, you may want to skip ahead.
05:16All clear?
05:17Okay, let's talk about how Wicked gives Dorothy's companions their origin stories,
05:21starting with the Scarecrow.
05:22In Dancing Through Life, Fiyero sings,
05:28an ode to living the unexamined life.
05:31See where we're going with this?
05:32Now for Bok.
05:33His storyline shows how he loses his heart to Glinda,
05:40but when she doesn't feel the same, he settles for Nessarose.
05:43By Act 2, he literally becomes heartless.
05:54Sound familiar?
05:55Finally, there's the trembling, caged lion cub Elphaba and Fiyero rescue.
05:59Elphaba gets blamed for his nervous disposition rather than those who caged him,
06:03which brings us to our next point.
06:183. Totally Different — Justice for Animals
06:22In The Wizard of Oz, we see the horse of a different color and the flying monkeys,
06:26both serving human masters.
06:28The cowardly lion is the only speaking animal, and he has hope for his future in Oz.
06:43In Wicked, animals represent marginalized and oppressed groups,
06:46showing the prejudice and injustice of being treated as other.
06:50Once, animals and humans lived in peace, but after a severe drought,
06:54people needed someone to blame.
06:56There was a time before you were born when life in Oz was different.
07:02So, when and why did this change?
07:07From what I've read, the Great Drought.
07:08The Wizard took advantage of this,
07:10promising a better future if people followed his lead.
07:13Soon, animals were cast out, losing the qualities that once made them equals.
07:18This serves as a chilling reflection of social injustices in history and even today.
07:23Listen to me, you're not being told the whole story!
07:272. Stays True — The Wizard is a Fraud
07:31Toward the end of The Wizard of Oz,
07:33Toto pulls back the curtain on the wizard to reveal a man
07:36with little more than a knack for showmanship.
07:38Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
07:42The Great and Powerful has spoken!
07:46Who are you?
07:48I am the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.
07:52Dorothy calls him a bad man,
07:54but he's quick to explain that he's not bad,
07:56he's just not the leader everyone expects him to be.
07:59In both versions, he also explains how he ended up in this position of power.
08:03I will be wonderful, and they said wonderful.
08:11Believe me, it's hard to resist!
08:15In Wicked, Elphaba catches on to the wizard's scam pretty quickly.
08:19Folks have come to expect that sort of thing,
08:21and you gotta give the people what they want.
08:25The most magical thing he does in the film is pull a coin from behind her ear,
08:29and she spots a poster from his circus days.
08:32This wizard also tries to convince Elphaba he's not so bad,
08:35and it almost works. Almost.
08:38You have no real power!
08:40Exactly. That's why I need you.
08:432. Totally Different — The Ending
08:46Dorothy goes on this epic adventure in Oz,
08:49culminating with her melting the Wicked Witch and clicking her heels together,
08:52only to find out it was all a dream.
08:55But it wasn't a dream. It was a place. And you, and you, and you, and you were there.
09:01Oh, that's right.
09:04But you couldn't have been, could you?
09:06Wicked may not be a literal prequel to The Wizard of Oz,
09:08but if it was, Dorothy sure has a powerful subconscious
09:12to dream up a backstory for everyone she meets.
09:14Wicked ends with Elphaba and Glinda parting ways
09:17for what seems like the very last time,
09:19leading up to that famous melting scene.
09:21Melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world!
09:26Who would have thought a good little girl like you
09:29could destroy my beautiful wickedness?
09:31But without giving too much away,
09:33unlike The Wicked Witch, Elphaba's story doesn't end there.
09:37Who can say if Wicked's ending was changed for the better?
09:40But one thing's for sure, it stayed with us for good.
09:44Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
09:57and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
10:00You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:05If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:10Number 1. Stays true. The power of friendship.
10:14The Wizard of Oz is all about self-discovery, inner strength,
10:17and realizing that home isn't just a place, but a feeling of love and belonging.
10:22Friendship plays a huge role,
10:24teaching the value of trust and support on life's big journey.
10:27We know each other now, don't we?
10:29That's right, we do. To Oz, to Oz.
10:33We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
10:37In Wicked, Elphaba and Glinda's bond shapes their lives and the choices they make, too.
10:42Despite their differences, they form an unlikely friendship that helps them grow.
10:46After you, madame. Let's see.
10:51Pink goes good with green.
10:53Goes well with green.
10:55So does.
10:56Their relationship faces challenges, misunderstandings, jealousy, and conflicting beliefs,
11:01but proves that true friendship can survive it all,
11:04as they deal with power, identity, and societal pressure.
11:07Their friendship remains a constant source of strength.
11:10It provides emotional support in a world that often tries to pull them apart.
11:14You can do anything.
11:17I know.
11:18I think that we are all deserving of friendship and kindness and love, no matter who we are.
11:25And this film celebrates that.
11:28Number 1. Totally different. Are people born wicked?
11:32In The Wizard of Oz, we're told that the very objective scale of attractiveness
11:37is enough to determine whether someone is good or bad.
11:40I'm Glinda, the Witch of the North.
11:42You are?
11:44I beg your pardon, but I've never heard of a beautiful witch before.
11:49Only bad witches are ugly.
11:51Yep, that's all it takes.
11:52But Wicked flips that tired trope on its head in its opening number, asking,
11:57Are people born wicked?
12:02Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?
12:06Take Elphaba. She's got a huge heart, but most people can't see beyond her skin color,
12:11making her feel like a perpetual outsider.
12:14Then there's Galinda, or Glinda,
12:16who might seem like your textbook mean queen bee, but actually shows a lot of goodness, too.
12:21She doesn't give a twink when anyone thinks.
12:23Something is not the same.
12:26Of course she does. She just pretends not to.
12:29Meanwhile, the wizard beloved by Oz is nothing but a self-serving charlatan
12:34hiding behind smoke and mirrors.
12:35So how did Elphaba end up as the Wicked One?
12:38The best way to bring folks together is to get a real good head of me.
12:44Did we miss any similarities or differences that should have hit us
12:47like a house falling from the sky?
12:49Let us know in the comments.
12:51Everybody is going to remember that if you just follow the road,
12:55it's going to lead you right to hell.
12:57You're right. To me.
13:01Do you agree with our picks?
13:02Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
13:05And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
13:27you
Comments