Easter eggs, cameos, differences from the Broadway musical and more

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Wicked Part One is out in theaters now, bringing the beloved Broadway musical to the big screen. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande take on the roles of unlikely best friends Elphaba and Glinda, alongside co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey. The Wizard of Oz prequel (which tells half the story of the musical and Gregory Maguire’s novel) follows two witches as they meet at Shiz University, and unwittingly sets in motion the events that culminate in the bucket of water in the 1939 film. …

If you’ve already seen the musical at the multiplex and have questions about how things are going for Elphaba, Glinda and company, we’ve got everything you need to know right here, from Easter eggs to When Wicked Part Two. is about to take off on our screens. However, be careful: there are Major Wicked spoilers ahead!

Wicked Part One ending explained

Elphaba and Glinda’s journey to Oz changes when they actually come face to face with the Wizard. Elphaba tells him of her desire for the animals of Oz to be free, and he says he will do it if she can prove herself. The Wizard tells Elphaba that one of his monkey guards is always watching the birds from the palace windows, and he and Madame Morrible force her to look at the Grimmery, a book of spells that can only be read by those with great magical gifts. Morrible reassures her that it’s okay if she can only say a few words, but Elphaba can easily cast an entire spell. As a result, the monkey (and the rest of the guards) grow feathered wings, resulting in a slow and painful transformation. Angered by what she was forced to do, Elphaba realizes that the Wizard has no powers of his own and maintains control over Oz by creating a common enemy to unite the people: the animals. She refuses to cooperate with him and flees his chambers with Grimmery, and Morrible calls the guards to capture her.

Glinda follows Elphaba through the palace and they end up in a tower. They find a balloon there and try to steal it, but the guards interfere with their plan. The couple climbs higher into the tower, into the attic, and locks the door with a broom. Meanwhile, Morrible announces throughout Oz that Elphaba is an evil witch and cannot be trusted, and Glinda tries to convince her to return and apologize to the Wizard and Morrible. Elphaba refuses and tells her that she needs to do the right thing. She tries to use the Grimmery spell on herself, which gave flying monkeys wings, without success, but when the Wizard’s guards break into the tower, the broom begins to levitate. As she sings “Defying Gravity”, Elphaba says goodbye to Glinda and mounts her broom to escape. The guards reach Glinda and try to detain her, but Morrible forces them to release her. When Elphaba flies out the window, she begins to fall to the ground, but then sees herself as a child and reaches out to her. When they hold hands, she begins to float and heads into the unknown.

What happened to Dr. Dillamond?

Animals in Oz are oppressed and discriminated against, and Dr. Dillamond the goat is the only animal professor left at Oz University. During one of his classes, he discovers that someone has defaced his projector screen with the words “animals should be seen, not heard.” Stumbling upon a meeting between him and some other animals, Elphaba learns that there is a conspiracy to stop the animals from speaking, and many of them flee Oz before things get worse. During his next class, Dillamond is expelled from the university and replaced with a new human professor, since animals are not allowed to teach. The new professor has a lion cub in a cage, and he tells the class that these cages are new devices designed to keep animals under control.

What is the Wizard and Madame Morrible’s plan?

To maintain power in the land of Oz, the Wizard and Morrible launched a campaign of hatred against animals. “The way to bring people together is to give them a really good enemy,” he tells Elphaba, and animals like Dr. Dillamond are accustomed to doing just that. However, once Elphaba defies the Wizard and decides to do the right thing, the focus shifts to her and the pair set out to make her the common enemy of Oz: the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked Part One cameo explained

• Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth: When Elphaba and Glinda arrive in the Emerald City, they are given a street performance that plays out the origin of the Grimmery spellbook. The Wise Ones are played by none other than Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the actors who played Elphaba and Glinda in the Broadway musical version of Wicked.

• Stephen Schwartz: When Elphaba and Glinda arrive at the Wizard’s palace in the Emerald City, the guard announces that “The Wizard will see you now.” The security guard is played by Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics for the stage version of “Wicked.”

Wicked Part One Easter Eggs Explained

• Nessarose’s Silver Slippers: On Elphaba’s sister Nessarose’s first day at Shiz University, their father gives her their mother’s silver slippers. The sophisticated shoes feature tornado-shaped heels and rainbow patterns, a reference to the tornado that brought Dorothy from Kansas to Oz in The Wizard of Oz and the song “Over the Rainbow.”

• Ruby slippers: While she sings “Popular”, Glinda gives Elphaba a pair of ruby ​​slippers to help her with her makeup. Of course, the ruby ​​slippers that Dorothy wears in The Wizard of Oz are one of the most iconic images from the 1939 film.

• The Wizard’s real name: As Elphaba and Glinda try to escape the Wizard’s guards in the palace tower, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a poster with the name “Oscar Diggs” on the wall. This is the real name of the Wizard.

• Mrs Gulch: Keen-eyed viewers may have heard Mrs. Gulch, also known as the “real” version of the Wicked Witch of the West from Kansas, being named when Elphaba and Glinda arrive at Shiz University.

• Balloon: The Wizard arrives in Oz in a hot air balloon, which Elphaba and Glinda try to steal, and he also tries to take Dorothy home in it later, but fails.

How is Wicked Part One different from the musical?

“Wicked Part One” is a fairly faithful adaptation of the first act of the Broadway musical, but with some minor changes. Let’s start with the fact that the flashback to Elphaba’s childhood at the beginning of the film is not in the musical. Also, in the musical version of Defying Gravity, Elphaba does not fall before flying, and she and Glinda do not try to steal the Wizard’s balloon either. Other scenes are also slightly extended – “Popular” and “Dancing Through Life” run a bit longer than their musical counterparts – while Elphaba joins the musical with “Something Bad” but eavesdrops on the film.

When will Wicked Part Two be released?

As you may have guessed, Wicked Part One is only half the story. Based on the first act of the musical, the second half of the story will be told in the film “Wicked Part Two”, which will be released on November 21, 2025.

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Wicked Part One is out now. For more information visit our Angry review and our guide to the rest of the best upcoming movies still to come in 2024.