Wicked is a largely faithful adaption of the Broadway musical’s Act 1, which explores the backstory of Oz’s most famous witches, Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). But, telling just the first act in the time the musical takes for the entire story, Wicked makes a few additions, including a look at Elphaba’s childhood (with Karis Musongole playing Young Elphaba) and an added cameo by the original Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Yet one change in particular greatly improves the story. The film includes more of Oz’s talking animals, highlighting their problematic disappearance. The mistreatment of animalkind drives the story as Elphaba is determined to speak out against it. This motivates her to turn against the Wizard and, by extension, her wicked reputation.

With Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage in the film), the flying monkeys, and the caged lion, the musical shows the issues talking animals are facing clearly enough. Yet the lion is a doll, Dillamond is in a rare position of respect as a teacher at Shiz, and the monkeys are tragically unable to speak, leaving the typical life of a talking animal in Oz unexplored. The film expands on what the musical established, adding more animal characters to highlight the problem. With animation creating more distinctive animals, the film emphasizes the differences between the human population and the talking animals, which is the cause of the hatred between them. This addition to the film enhanced the story, proving the film to be a worthwhile endeavor.

‘Wicked’ Takes Advantage of Movie Magic to Highlight the Issues the Animals Face

With movie magic, Wicked manages to add something new to the story. It certainly benefits from moments that wouldn’t work on stage, like when Elphaba first demonstrates her magic at Shiz, and a painting of the Wizard crumbles to reveal a hidden image celebrating animals. With this moment, the film demonstrates how the animals are being replaced, foreshadowing the film’s major conflict. The film adds animal characters because that is an area where the stage show is somewhat limited. Dressing performers up as anthropomorphic animals isn’t practical if they do not play a significant role. With the film’s ability to animate animals, it can include many more, allowing quick glimpses of them to build the story.

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The film puts this advantage to good use, showing animals in many more scenes, including Dr. Dillamond’s meeting with his friends, the musicians in the Ozdust scene, and a few remaining animals in the Emerald City. And each one is important. Dr. Dillamond’s secret meeting with a few other talking animals highlights the problem with their skittishness at being discovered, and their discussion of leaving Oz. The different setup makes things less exposition-heavy as the animals explore their options. It also shows that, though the closest to the story, Dillamond is not the only citizen in danger. The film uses even brief appearances of animals effectively. It’s worth noting that as Glinda and Elphaba travel through the Emerald City, there are far more humans than animals, showing how outnumbered they are. Likewise, in the Ozdust ballroom, while the band is made up of animals, the party-goers are overwhelmingly human. With more animals, even if few have significant roles, the film emphasizes the separation between these populations.

Elphaba’s Backstory in ‘Wicked’ Gives Her a Stronger Connection to the Talking Animals
Image via Universal Pictures

Yet one of the more significant additions establishes why Elphaba is so passionate about this issue. The musical makes Elphaba’s desire to help the animals about her also being an outcast due to her green skin. However, the film gives her a deeper connection to the talking animals than a mutual rejection. It explores her childhood, specifically showing one of the rare places she found acceptance: with her childhood nanny, Dulcibear (Sharon D. Clarke), who cared for her even when her parents did not. The motherly bear gave her comfort from the day she was born. While children teased her and her father resented her, Elphaba found kindness in the presence of Dulcibear, solidifying her connection to the animal population, which drives her story and gives her an emotional drive to her choices.

By amplifying Elphaba’s connection to the animal population and showing them throughout Oz, Wicked enhances this plot beyond what it is in the musical without making dramatic changes to the story fans love. And the animals’ presence in Part 1 will likely become more notable in Wicked Part 2, which will show the escalation of the issue. Though Wicked changed little regarding the animals of Oz, it tweaked things to the benefit of the story and the characters, showing what a good adaptation can do.

Wicked is now playing in theaters.

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The story of how a green-skinned woman framed by the Wizard of Oz becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The first of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.Release Date November 22, 2024 Cast Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd Runtime 160 Minutes Expand