- 5 weeks ago
Get ready to pull back the curtain and peek behind the Emerald City! Join us as we explore the most enchanting and clever homages to the beloved classic, The Wizard of Oz, woven throughout the magnificent world of the Wicked films. From subtle visual cues to direct character nods and iconic lines, these magical touches are sure to delight fans of both Oz and the Land of Oz.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the wickedly wonderful ways
00:14Wicked and Wicked for Good, paid homage to the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.
00:19If you haven't seen any of these films, don't let spoilers crash down on you like a house
00:24falling from the sky.
00:26Goodbye, Lessa.
00:28I'm off to see The Wizard.
00:30Number 20.
00:33Where did Elphaba get that cackle?
00:35It's the first time these former besties have reunited since Fierro jilted Glinda on their
00:40wedding day, and Glinda gives Dorothy Nessa's shoes.
00:43To say things are tense would be a huge understatement.
00:46Those shoes are all I have left of my sister.
00:49They weren't yours to give.
00:54Yes, well, it seems a lot of us are taking things that don't belong to us now, aren't
00:58we?
00:58Old wounds rip straight back open.
01:01The sniping starts fast, the resentment spills everywhere, and before long, talking just
01:07isn't cutting it.
01:08What begins as sharp words turns into a full-blown physical clash, mirroring one of the most iconic
01:14scenes from the stage show.
01:15At one point, Elphaba taunts Glinda by flying away with an especially witchy cackle.
01:20To which Glinda responds...
01:22We believe we can help with this one.
01:35Does this answer your question, Glinda?
01:36Unlike the wizard, who mostly sits around playing with trains, zoetropes, and giant mechanical
01:49heads, Frank Morgan was arguably the hardest working man in Oz.
01:53No really, he's everywhere.
01:55Sure, he's Professor Marvel back in Kansas, but he's also the gatekeeper, the carriage
02:00driver, the wizard's guard, and the wizard of Oz himself.
02:04Who are you?
02:05Oh, I am the great and powerful wizard of Oz.
02:10You are?
02:11I don't believe you.
02:13No, I'm afraid it's true.
02:15That's a lot of hats, so it makes sense that the Wicked movies would find clever ways to
02:20honor him.
02:20Would you take us to see the wizard?
02:22The wizard?
02:24The wizard?
02:25I can't...
02:26Yes, of course!
02:28Some nods are more obvious, but one in Wicked for Good is easy to miss.
02:33Just before Wonderful, take a closer look next to the controls for the giant head.
02:38You'll spot a smaller head that's a dead ringer for Morgan.
02:41I would give anything to go back to a time when I...
02:44when I actually believe that you are wonderful.
02:51Number 18, Dorothy's entrance music.
02:57Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
03:02We'll talk about the way the 2024 movie pays tribute to Herbert Stothert later on, but for
03:07now, we're focusing on some musical easter eggs we spotted in for good.
03:10For starters, did you ever notice that when Glinda sings Couldn't Be Happier, it follows
03:16the same pattern as Follow the Yellow Brick Road?
03:18Here, try to sing along.
03:20Couldn't be happier...
03:22Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
03:23As we know, it's in this part of Wicked, where the two paths of the Yellow Brick Road intersect.
03:40So naturally, why not mark the moment with a score that hints at the very music that introduces
03:451939 Dorothy to Oz.
03:47It's very subtle, but absolutely sets the tone and reminds us of this story's origins.
03:53Goodbye Dorothy.
03:54Goodbye Dodo.
03:55It's just that one road the whole time.
03:57Take your time, hurry up, darling.
04:01Before we move on from this scene, there's one last little easter egg we have to flag.
04:09Dorothy's gingham dress is easily one of the most recognizable outfits in movie history,
04:14and Wicked subtly has some fun with that.
04:16Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown?
04:20Uh-huh.
04:20Jolly old gown.
04:21Take a peek at the curtains in the Gale home, and you'll spot a very familiar pattern.
04:26Very Sound of Music.
04:27Very Let's Make Clothes Out of What We've Got.
04:30Maybe Dorothy or N.M., or even Uncle Henry, is thrifty and handy with a needle.
04:35And since we don't really see Dorothy's dress up close very much,
04:39maybe the filmmakers didn't want to checker their chances by underplaying it.
04:43I swear it never ends with that girl.
04:46Number 16.
04:47A Familiar Font
04:48With all the next-level marketing for this movie,
04:51you've probably spotted the Wicked logo on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs.
04:55aging.
04:58...
04:59Yet for the movie itself, they opted for a totally different font.
05:06It's a small, subtle change, but a genius nod to where it all started.
05:10Yep, it's the same style used in the Wizard of Oz title card.
05:15...
05:16Wicked tells the story of Oz long before Dorothy stirred up a storm.
05:24In fact, you can see that very tornado lurking in the For Good Universal logo.
05:28The To Be Continued card at the end of Part 1 also uses that same font, tying the past
05:33and future together in one perfect little detail.
05:37Number 15.
05:38The Mustache Man.
05:40As Elphaba gets ready to board the train to the Emerald City, Glinda, now Glinda, keeps
05:45referring to the train conductor by his mustache.
05:48All aboard to the Emerald City!
05:52At first, it feels like a throwaway joke.
05:54Let's be honest, it's quite the facial feature, we'd probably do it too.
05:58But here's the fun part.
05:59It may reference one of the busiest actors on the Wizard of Oz set.
06:03Ha ha ha, ho ho ho, and a couple of tra-la-la's.
06:07That's how we laugh a day away in the merry old land of Oz.
06:11As we mentioned earlier, Frank Morgan played multiple roles in the 1939 movie, many of
06:16whom sported some rather hardy mustaches.
06:19Much like the conductor, Morgan's characters essentially also have the task of bringing
06:23our protagonists to their audience with the wizard.
06:26Plus he's not the only mustache man to pay tribute to the actor.
06:30The Wizard will see you now!
06:33Number 14.
06:34The Gale Force.
06:35The Gale Force comes from Gregory Maguire's novel, where they're basically the wizard's
06:39military and secret police.
06:41If you're thinking 1930s Europe, that's pretty much the idea.
06:45We must not rest until we capture that Wicked Witch.
06:47When Steven Schwartz and Winnie Holtzman brought Wicked to the stage, though, things had to
06:51be softened for a more family-friendly audience.
06:54So the Gale Force became the much less scary Wizard's Guards, with Fierro introduced as
06:59their captain.
07:00The movies reinstated their original name.
07:03Once again, Fierro is announced as their leader.
07:06Thank goodness for you, Glinda, and your handsome swain, Prince Fierro, newly appointed captain
07:14of the Gale Force, assembled by the wizard himself to capture the Wicked Witch.
07:21Now, of course, the name is no coincidence.
07:23It's almost certainly intended to be a sly nod to Dorothy Gale and the cyclone she rode in
07:29on.
07:30Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
07:34Who, me?
07:36I'm not a witch at all.
07:38I'm Dorothy Gale.
07:39Number 13.
07:40Hot air balloons.
07:41In The Wizard of Oz, we learn how the wizard ended up in Oz.
07:45Wicked honors his roots with small details referencing his past circus career.
07:49One day, while performing spectacular feats of stratospheric skill never before attempted
07:55by civilized man, an unfortunate phenomena occurred.
07:59The balloon failed to return to the fair.
08:02One of his tricks involved a hot air balloon, which, as we saw, was also the vehicle that
08:06brought him to Oz.
08:08Indeed, a hot air balloon follows the wizard throughout Part 1.
08:11We see it in Little Elphaba's pop-up book, and he even uses one to send Elphaba an invitation
08:26to his palace.
08:27Perhaps the most obvious reference is the hot air balloon Elphaba and Glinda try to escape
08:31in, seemingly the very same one that first brought the wizard to Oz.
08:35In the one, presumably after many repairs, he flies away in when Glinda eventually banishes
08:41him.
08:42The wizard is taking a permanent leave of absence.
08:45Number 12.
08:46The Scarecrow's Stagger.
08:48When Dorothy first meets the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, she rescues him from his post
08:52in the cornfield.
08:53You see, it's very tedious being stuck up here all day long with a pole up your back.
08:58Oh dear, that must be terribly uncomfortable.
09:00Can't you get down?
09:02Down?
09:03I'm...
09:04Well, I'm...
09:05Oh, well, here.
09:06Let me help you.
09:07He's a little clumsy on his feet after being stuck there for who knows how long.
09:11Or maybe a certain someone just needs time adjusting to legs made entirely of straw.
09:16Either way, Elphaba's spell clearly worked because, as he tells Dorothy, he doesn't feel
09:21pain.
09:22Does it hurt you?
09:23Oh no, I just keep picking it up when I get back in again.
09:27In the Wicked finale, we get a major plot twist as Elphaba and Fierro are reunited after
09:32surviving their respective predicaments.
09:34When Fierro reappears as the Scarecrow, he also seems a little unsteady on his feet.
09:39Now, where have we seen that stagger before?
09:42We were off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of ours.
09:46We hear he is the wizard of a whiz, whatever a whiz there was.
09:50Number 11.
09:51Glinda's Bubble and Bubble Dress.
09:53It's good to see me, isn't it?
09:55If you've seen the Broadway show, you know Glinda's bubble dress is blue.
09:58But for this movie, they went pink, just like Billy Burke's famous dress in the 1939 film.
10:04For costume designer Paul Taswell, the moment Glinda comes down in her bubble and steps
10:08out in that beautiful pink fairy princess gown is one of the most striking images, and
10:13it inspired her look here.
10:15Even the details of her dress reflect her bubble.
10:18Oh, hello.
10:19Wow.
10:21Popular.
10:23I know about popular.
10:25You're good.
10:26So I've been told...
10:27Taswell imagined Ariana Grande stepping out of her bubble to reveal her own stunning pink
10:32dress.
10:33It's a beautiful modern take on the classic gown that would probably even make Burke's
10:37Glinda a little envious.
10:38If there are no further questions, I'm gonna go.
10:42Number 10.
10:43Rescuing the Lion Cub.
10:45Whether you know it or not, you've already met Dorothy's future companions in Part 1 of
10:50Wicked.
10:51Where, you ask?
10:52Well, in one of director John M. Chu's favorite Easter eggs, major spoiler alert for Act 2,
10:57Fierro stands between two pillars with his arms outstretched, almost Scarecrow-like.
11:01Then, when Bach introduces himself to Glinda, he awkwardly holds a mallet over his shoulder,
11:07creating a silhouette that might look something like this.
11:10Finally, there's the poor little lion cub Alphaba and Fierro rescue.
11:13Fierro, what are you doing?
11:15Well, you're coming?
11:17Its little head pops up out of the basket as they cycle it away to safety.
11:21Now, where have we seen that image before?
11:24It's no coincidence, either.
11:25The music from that scene plays in the background here, too.
11:28Why is it you're always causing some sort of commotion?
11:31I don't cause commotions, I am one.
11:34Number 9.
11:35Animals and Hearts and Balconies.
11:37Oh, my.
11:38Perhaps some of the most subtle callbacks to The Wizard of Oz show up in the visuals.
11:42Take the No Place Like Home scene, where Alphaba encounters a tiger, a bear and a lion.
11:48Or should we say...
11:50Lions and tigers and bears!
11:53Oh, my!
11:54In the next scene, Glinda and Fierro's engagement splashes across the front page,
11:58complete with the two of them framed inside a heart.
12:01And where does Bach hide it?
12:03Right over his own heart.
12:05Fitting, considering we know someone who's long wanted one.
12:08Just because I'm presuming that I could be kinda human if I only had a heart.
12:15Later, when Bach and Glinda cross paths again, she's standing on a balcony while he's the voice singing low.
12:21Hmm, reality is never quite as romantic as we imagine it, is it?
12:26Picture me a balcony above a voice sings low.
12:34Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
12:38Number 8.
12:39Our Wizard Lies.
12:40Wicked just wouldn't be Wicked without tipping its pointy hat to the woman who made the original Wicked Witch iconic.
12:47I'll get you, my pretty.
12:49And your little dog, too.
12:50Ah!
12:51Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
12:53Both films sneak in little love notes to Margaret Hamilton, from silhouettes and shadows to propaganda artwork.
12:59Some seriously eagle-eyed fans even caught the profile of Hamilton's witch in the sky when Alphaba tries to get the Ozians' attention through skywriting.
13:07And if that moment feels familiar, it should.
13:10Mr. Wicked Witch!
13:11Take cover!
13:12Runs up!
13:13Runs up!
13:14Runs up!
13:15Runs up!
13:16Runs up!
13:17Runs up!
13:18Runs up!
13:19Runs up!
13:20Runs up!
13:21Runs up!
13:22Runs up!
13:23Runs up!
13:24Runs up!
13:25Runs up!
13:26Runs up!
13:27Runs up!
13:28Any Wizard of Oz fan knows this isn't the only time Alphaba takes to the skies to leave a message for the folks below.
13:33At least this time, there's no Madame Morrible lurking around to completely ruin it all.
13:38It's the witch!
13:40She's followed us here!
13:41Surrender, Dorothy!
13:44Oh!
13:45Number 7.
13:46The Yellow Brick Road.
13:47We've talked about how Wicked follows the Yellow Brick Road from the 1939 movie, so it's only right to mention the actual road.
13:54Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
13:56Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
13:57Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
13:58Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
14:00Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
14:01Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the Yellow Brick Road!
14:05In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's journey begins from a spiral in Munchkinland, which is alluded to during No One Mourns the Wicked.
14:12The film even gives the path its own origin story.
14:15I give you the Oz of Tomorrow.
14:19The Wizard shows Alphaba and Glinda his plans for the Oz of Tomorrow, but it's missing a final touch, a vibrant color for the path to the Emerald City.
14:28Alphaba and Glinda settle on Yellow, though the Wizard would probably never give them credit.
14:33After all, he built it so that Ozians can follow, follow, follow, follow it back to him.
14:38People need direction.
14:39When this thing gets built, everybody is gonna remember that if you just follow the road, it's gonna lead you right to me.
14:48Number 6.
14:49Poppies.
14:50According to production designer Nathan Crowley, they actually planted those 9 million tulips we see in the opening scene to resemble a rainbow.
14:58We must be over the rainbow.
15:00The films also contain poppy throwbacks, like the ones the Wicked Witch uses to put Dorothy into a deep sleep.
15:06Oh, this is terrible!
15:07You can't budger a lynch!
15:09This is the spell, this is!
15:11It's the Wicked Witch!
15:12What do I do?
15:13In Wicked, Alphaba brings a bunch of poppies to Dr. Dillamond, his favorites, but never gets to give them to him.
15:20When their new history teacher ignores the Lion Cubs' trembles, Alphaba's outrage makes the poppies levitate, knocking out nearly everyone in class.
15:28Then in For Good, we see visuals of the friends frolicking in a poppy field, and even the wizard's coat features poppy embroidery.
15:35A man's called a traitor, or liberator, a rich man's a geek, or philanthropist.
15:45Number 5. No Place Like Home.
15:48The Wizard of Oz is a very quotable movie, but perhaps no line is more famous than…
15:53There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.
16:07On stage, Alphaba delivers this line after she and Nessa are reunited in their childhood home.
16:12But in the movie, it's expanded into a full song, in which Alphaba ponders what home truly means while trying to convince the animals to stay and fight for their place in Oz.
16:22Think how you will grieve for all you leave behind. Oz belongs to you too.
16:34But did you notice there's another callback within the lyrics too?
16:37In The Wizard of Oz, Glinda tells Dorothy to tap her heels three times while repeating that iconic line.
16:43We guess repeating things in threes is just how they do it in Oz.
16:46There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.
17:04Number 4. A Musical Trail
17:07One of the genius parts of Stephen Schwartz's music in Wicked is how he honors Herbert Stothert, who composed The Wizard of Oz score.
17:14Before anyone even sings a note, we get our first musical reference when the kids run through the tulips.
17:20Good news! Do it! She's dead!
17:23You can also hear echoes of Follow the Yellow Brick Road in songs like Defying Gravity and One Short Day, where you can also hear hints of this.
17:30Keep straight ahead for the most glorious place on the plains of the earth for the sky.
17:37So I'll be back for good someday. Make my life and make my way.
17:42Fans might recognize the Over the Rainbow melody in the Unlimited theme. If you're thinking, but they don't sound the same.
17:48They use the same notes, just at a different tempo and with new chords.
17:52It's completely different rhythmically and harmonically. It goes somewhere over the rainbow.
18:03And the Unlimited theme is...
18:05It goes one step further in the Wizard and I scene, with an actual rainbow and bluebirds flying.
18:16Number 3. Lines We've Heard Before
18:20Remember how we talked about the 1939 classic being endlessly quotable?
18:24Yeah, Winnie Holtzman and Dana Fox clearly remember, too, because they borrowed a few lines for their screenplay.
18:30For starters, Dorothy isn't the only one who calls the wizard.
18:33You're a very bad man.
18:35You're a very bad man.
18:37We also love the clever twist on a line originally spoken by Glinda.
18:41You have no power here.
18:43You are gonna admit to her guests that you have no real power.
18:46We all know who truly holds the power here.
18:48And speaking of Glinda, the way she calls out to the animals at the end of For Good sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it?
18:55Come out, come out, wherever you are.
18:59Yes, come out. Wherever you are, come out.
19:02But maybe the most brilliant nod of all is Madame Morrible delivering some dialogue that initially came from the Wicked Witch herself.
19:09Well, you know what they say. Madame Morrible, MM, flip it around.
19:14These things must be done delicately.
19:17These things must be done delicately.
19:20Number 2. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion's quick cameo.
19:25Come on, could we even talk about Wizard of Oz easter eggs without mentioning the cameo from the OG gang?
19:31Oh, we're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
19:35In here we are, the Wizard of a Wizard, ever a Wizard of Oz.
19:38At the start of the movie, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment,
19:41you can spot Dorothy and Toto walking down the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, oh my.
19:47And yes, Dorothy's carrying the Wicked Witch's broomstick.
19:50This ties in perfectly with the film's opening, where Glinda confirms the Wicked Witch's death to the Munchkinlanders.
19:56Fellow Ozians, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead.
20:00This is the only time we see Dorothy and her crew in Part 1, but as we mentioned earlier,
20:06her storyline picks up in the second half, with more crossovers between the two tales.
20:11Bring me the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.
20:17So, I have proof that she's dead.
20:21Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
20:25Mustn't Let You Get Wet.
20:27Too bad Madame Morrible wasn't there when Dorothy threw that bucket of water.
20:30You cursed rat!
20:32Look what you've done!
20:33I'm melting!
20:34Melting!
20:35Oh, what a world!
20:37What a world!
20:38A horse of a different color.
20:40We've never seen a horse like that before.
20:42Well, maybe once.
20:44What kind of a horse is that?
20:46I've never seen a horse like that before.
20:48No, and never will again, I fancy.
20:50There's only one of him and he's it.
20:52He's the horse of a different color, you've heard tell about.
20:55The wizard chucks a mini house model.
20:57If there's a little model of Nessa Rose in there, we hope she was well clear of this flying house.
21:02Who killed my sister?
21:04Who killed the Witch of the East?
21:06Was it you?
21:07No.
21:08No, it was an accident.
21:10I didn't mean to kill anybody.
21:12Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents too.
21:15Just a slight Gulch.
21:17Miss Cottle uses Gulch in place of Hiccup when she first meets Elphaba, who isn't yet enrolled at Shiz.
21:22Elmira Gulch.
21:24Just because you own half the county doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of us.
21:28For 23 years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you.
21:31And now, well, being a Christian woman I can't say it.
21:35Elphaba's name.
21:36If you say L Frank Baum very slowly, you'll almost find yourself saying Elphaba.
21:43Can I call you Elphie?
21:44Well, it's a little bit perky.
21:45I know.
21:46And you can call me.
21:47Galinda.
21:48That is your name.
21:49Let's not quarrel.
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22:06Number 1.
22:07The Ruby Slippers.
22:09Few images are quite as iconic as Dorothy clicking her heels together in those ruby red slippers.
22:14There's no place like home.
22:17There's no place like home.
22:20Of course, they would go on to become one of the most famous pairs of shoes in the world.
22:25Wicked decided to go with the original silver pair instead, complete with clever details like tornado-shaped heels.
22:31Oh, and did you catch Nessa's stripy socks?
22:34But don't worry, those ruby reds get their moment too.
22:37There they are, and there they'll stay.
22:39During Popular, as Galinda gets ready to give Elphaba a makeover,
22:43she picks up a pair of red shoes.
22:46In a perfectly thought-out homage, she even clicks them together three times before handing them over.
23:01Definitely a popular Easter egg for fans to obsess over.
23:04Slippers and cackles and poppies, oh my.
23:07Did you spot any other Easter eggs?
23:09Let us know in the comments.
23:13I'll see you next time.
23:15Let us know in the comments.
23:18Interestingly, if the storm isn't yours as former captain of the Rose Tasman,
23:20pick up a full-player,
23:22theä½ , of the South inspectors pack and call her.
23:25The water may keep carrying the sandworms fuerte,
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