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How Does Wicked Connect to The Wizard of Oz? The Magical World Explained
Before Wicked hits theaters, let's take a look at its connections to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
In just a few weeks, the world of Wicked will burst onto the big screen, inviting a whole new generation to experience the beloved musical for the first time, and allowing longtime admirers to see it like never before.
Because the film will be in theaters around the country, and because families will be heading out to the movies together around the Thanksgiving holiday, the Wicked film has the chance to reach a massive new audience who've either never seen the musical, barely remember it, or just never paid attention until now. That means, for some viewers, a little bit of background is in order. So, if you're wondering how Wicked connects to the rest of the land of Oz, and particularly the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, here's a handy guide.
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What is Wicked based on?
The story of Wicked actually began nearly 30 years ago, when novelist Gregory Maguire released the novel of the same name, subtitled as "The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." Drawing on the lore of L. Frank Baum's numerous Oz novels, as well as the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz, the 1995 book presents an alternate version of the events surrounding the Wicked Witch, attempting to explain how she became the creature we see in The Wizard of Oz.
In 2003, Maguire's novel was adapted into the musical of the same name by writer Winnie Holzman and composer Stephen Schwartz. It remains one of the most popular and enduring musicals of the last 20 years, and now it's finally going to be a feature film courtesy of director Jon M. Chu, with a screenplay co-written by Holzman.
When does Wicked take place?
Because it chronicles the life and rise of "The Wicked Witch of the West," the green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo in the film), Wicked is necessarily a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Maguire's novel begins with Elphaba's birth, then flashes forward to her school years, then flashes forward again by a number of years to show her activities as a witch and why she came to be called "Wicked" by the citizens of Oz. In Maguire's novel, 12 years pass between Elphaba's time at Shiz University and the arrival of Dorothy Gale in Oz at the beginning of The Wizard of Oz.
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The musical version of events compresses the timeline slightly, but follows basically the same arc. We meet Elphaba as a young student at Shiz University, where she meets Galinda (Ariana Grande), and the two form an unlikely friendship while Elphaba's power draws the attention of the Wizard of Oz himself (Jeff Goldblum). Much of the story is set years before The Wizard of Oz, though the end of the story (which will unfold in Wicked Part 2 in November 2025) runs right up to The Wizard of Oz and even exists alongside it.
Which Wizard of Oz characters appear in Wicked?
As the name suggests, Wicked is the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and also follows the rise of the Good Witch of the North, Glinda. They're the two main characters in the story, and they're accompanied by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who plays a major role. So, are those the only three characters from The Wizard of Oz with key roles to play in the story?
Definitely not. Without giving too much away, Wicked also lays out connections to the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy Gale, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and other key Oz characters. So, if you've only seen the original film and you're looking for connective tissue, it definitely exists throughout this story.
How can you watch Wicked?
Wicked is showing exclusively in theaters beginning November 22. Get tickets now at Fandango.
