00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're pulling back the curtain on our picks for the ways
00:10Wicked Part 1 pays homage to The Wizard of Oz.
00:13If you haven't seen the movie yet or don't know how the musical plays out, this is your
00:17spoiler warning.
00:18Good to see me, isn't it?
00:21Number 10.
00:22A Familiar Font
00:24With all the next-level marketing for this movie, you've probably spotted the Wicked
00:28logo on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs.
00:37Yet for the movie itself, they opted for a totally different font.
00:41It's a small, subtle change, but a genius nod to where it all started.
00:45Yep, it's the same style used in The Wizard of Oz title card.
00:55It tells the story of Oz long before Dorothy stirred up a storm, but as you probably know,
01:01her story overlaps with what's coming in Part 2.
01:14The To Be Continued card at the end of Part 1 also uses that same font, tying the past
01:19and future together in one perfect little detail.
01:23Number 9.
01:24The Mustache Man
01:25As Elphaba gets ready to board the train to the Emerald City, Galinda, now Glinda, keeps
01:30referring to the train conductor by his mustache.
01:37At first, it feels like a throwaway joke.
01:40Let's be honest, it's quite the facial feature, we'd probably do it too.
01:43But here's the fun part.
01:45It may reference one of the busiest actors on The Wizard of Oz set.
01:56Frank Morgan played multiple roles, including Professor Marvel, the gatekeeper, carriage
02:01driver, a guard, and of course, the wizard himself.
02:05In most of those roles, he sports some rather hearty mustaches.
02:09Much like the conductor, he essentially also has the task of bringing our protagonists
02:13to their audience with the wizard.
02:23Number 8.
02:24Hot Air Balloons
02:25In The Wizard of Oz, we learn how the wizard ended up in Oz.
02:28Wicked honors his roots with small details referencing his past circus career.
02:45One of his tricks involved a hot air balloon, which, as we saw, was also the vehicle that
02:50brought him to Oz.
02:51Indeed, a hot air balloon follows the wizard throughout Part 1.
03:05We see it in Little Elphaba's pop-up book, and he even uses one to send Elphaba an invitation
03:09to his palace.
03:11Perhaps the most obvious reference is the hot air balloon Elphaba and Glinda try to
03:15escape in, seemingly the very same one that first brought the wizard to Oz.
03:20Number 7.
03:25Glinda's Bubble and Bubble Dress
03:29If you've seen the Broadway show, you know Glinda's bubble dress is blue.
03:33But for this movie, they went pink, just like Billy Burke's famous dress in the 1939 film.
03:38For costume designer Paul Taswell, the moment Glinda comes down in her bubble and steps
03:42out in that beautiful pink fairy princess gown is one of the most striking images, and
03:47it inspired her look here.
03:49Even the details of her dress reflect her bubble.
04:01Taswell imagined Ariana Grande stepping out of her bubble to reveal her own stunning pink
04:06dress.
04:07It's a beautiful modern take on the classic gown that would probably even make Burke's
04:10Glinda a little envious.
04:16Number 6.
04:18Whether you know it or not, you've already met Dorothy's future companions in Part 1
04:23of Wicked.
04:24Where, you ask?
04:25Well, in one of director Jon M. Chu's favorite Easter eggs — major spoiler alert for Act
04:302 — Fierro stands between two pillars with his arms outstretched, almost scarecrow-like.
04:36Then when Bok introduces himself to Glinda, he awkwardly holds a mallet over his shoulder,
04:41creating a silhouette that might look something like this.
04:44Finally, there's the poor little lion cub Alphaba and Fierro rescue.
04:52Its little head pops up out of the basket as they cycle it away to safety.
04:55Now, where have we seen that image before?
04:58It's no coincidence, either.
04:59The music from that scene plays in the background here, too.
05:09Number 5.
05:10The Yellow Brick Road
05:11We've talked about how Wicked follows the Yellow Brick Road from the 1939 movie, so
05:15it's only right to mention the actual road.
05:18Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
05:20Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
05:22Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
05:23Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
05:25Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the Yellow Brick Road!
05:28In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's journey begins from a spiral in Munchkinland, which is alluded
05:33to during No One Mourns the Wicked.
05:35The film even gives the path its own origin story.
05:38I give you the Oz of tomorrow.
05:43The Wizard shows Alphaba and Glinda his plans for the Oz of tomorrow, but it's missing a
05:47final touch, a vibrant color for the path to the Emerald City.
05:51Alphaba and Glinda settle on yellow, though The Wizard would probably never give them
05:56credit.
05:57After all, he built it so that Ozians can follow, follow, follow, follow it back to
06:01him.
06:02People need direction.
06:03When this thing gets built, everybody is going to remember that if you just follow the road,
06:07it's going to lead you right to me.
06:12Number 4.
06:13Poppies.
06:14In the opening scene of Wicked, young Munchkinlanders race through a field of tulips to deliver
06:18the news about the Wicked Witch.
06:20According to production designer Nathan Crowley, they actually planted nine million tulips
06:25to resemble a rainbow.
06:26We must be over the rainbow.
06:29The film also throws back to the poppy scene from The Wizard of Oz, where the Wicked Witch
06:32uses the flowers to put Dorothy into a deep sleep.
06:35Oh, this is terrible.
06:36You can't budger a ninch.
06:37This is a spell, this is.
06:38It's the Wicked Witch.
06:39What do we do?
06:43In Wicked, Alphaba brings a bunch of poppies to Dr. Dillamond, his favorites, but never
06:48gets to give them to him.
06:50When their new history teacher ignores the Lion Cub's trembles, Alphaba's outrage makes
06:54the poppies levitate, knocking out nearly everyone in class.
06:58Talk about planting seeds for the fans.
07:00That was you who made all that happen.
07:03How did you do it?
07:06I don't know.
07:07I've never known.
07:08Number 3.
07:09A musical trail
07:10One of the genius parts of Stephen Schwartz's music in Wicked is how he honors Herbert Stothart,
07:15who composed The Wizard of Oz score.
07:17Before anyone even sings a note, we get our first musical reference when the kids run
07:21through the tulips.
07:22Get me out!
07:23The witch!
07:24She's dead!
07:25You can also hear echoes of Follow the Yellow Brick Road in songs like Defying Gravity
07:29and One Short Day, where you can also hear hints of this.
07:45Fans might recognize the over-the-rainbow melody in the Unlimited theme.
07:48If you're thinking, but they don't sound the same, they use the same notes, just at a different
07:53tempo and with new chords.
07:55It's completely different rhythmically and harmonically.
07:58It goes somewhere over the rainbow.
08:06And the Unlimited theme is...
08:13It goes one step further in the Wizard and I scene, with an actual rainbow and bluebirds
08:18flying.
08:20Number 2.
08:21Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion's quick cameo
08:25Come on, could we even talk about Wizard of Oz Easter eggs without mentioning the cameo
08:29from the OG gang?
08:38At the start of the movie, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, you can spot Dorothy and Toto walking
08:42down the Yellow Brick Road with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, oh my.
08:47And yes, Dorothy's carrying the Wicked Witch's broomstick.
08:50This ties in perfectly with the film's opening, where Glinda confirms the Wicked Witch's death
08:54to the Munchkinlanders.
08:55Fellow Ozians, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead.
09:00This is the only time we see Dorothy and her crew in Part 1, but as we mentioned earlier,
09:05her storyline picks up in the second half, with the trailer even teasing her arrival
09:09for her audience with the Wizard.
09:16Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:20Mustn't Let You Get Wet.
09:21Too bad Madame Morrible wasn't there when Dorothy threw that bucket of water.
09:32A Horse of a Different Color.
09:34We've never seen a horse like that before.
09:36Well, maybe once.
09:49The Wizard Chucks a Mini House Model.
09:51If there's a little model of Nessa Rose in there, we hope she was well clear of this
09:55flying house.
10:09Just a Slight Gulch.
10:11Miss Cottle uses Gulch in place of Hiccup when she first meets Elphaba, who isn't yet
10:15enrolled at Shiz.
10:30Elphaba's Name.
10:31If you say L. Frank Baum, very slowly, you'll almost find yourself saying Elphaba.
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11:01The Ruby Slippers.
11:03Few images are quite as iconic as Dorothy clicking her heels together in those ruby
11:07red slippers.
11:15Of course, they would go on to become one of the most famous pairs of shoes in the world.
11:19Wicked decided to go with the original silver pair instead, complete with clever details
11:24like tornado-shaped heels.
11:25Oh, and did you catch Nessa's stripy socks?
11:28But don't worry, those ruby reds get their moment too.
11:34Becoming popular, as Galinda gets ready to give Elphaba a makeover, she picks up a pair
11:39of red shoes.
11:40In a perfectly thought-out homage, she even clicks them together three times before handing
11:45them over.
11:55Definitely a popular Easter egg for fans to obsess over.
11:59Did you spot any other Easter eggs that made you say there's no place like the original
12:02Source movie?
12:04Let us know in the comments.
12:05Folks have come to expect that sort of thing.
12:06And you gotta give the people what they want.
12:07Do you agree with our picks?
12:08Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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