Jon M. Chu’s Broadway musical adaptation,Wicked, became one of the most successful movies of 2024 despite only covering the first half of the original musical.Wickedis set in the world ofThe Wizard of Oz, and it tells the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The movie sees Elphaba, a young woman with green skin and magical powers, begin school at Shiz University, initially idolizing The Wizard of Oz and hopeful about creating positive change. However, as the movie progresses, it becomes increasingly clear thatsomething bad is happening to the animals inWicked.
Thanks to its focus on Elphaba’s story and her hopes of aiding her animal friends,Wickeddifferentiates itself fromThe Wizard of Ozquite quickly, but the two are still intertwined. WhileWicked: For Goodwill provide more insight into Elphaba’s story,Wickedalready makes it clear that there is more to her than Dorothy knows inThe Wizard of Oz. ThoughWicked’s initial trailerteased the appearance of Dorothy and friends talking to The Wizard, these scenes did not appear inWickedbeyond a quick glimpse of Dorothy on the yellow brick road, which is ultimately for the best.
Dorothy Having More Scenes In Wicked Would Have Backfired
It Would Have Drawn Attention Away From The Main Story
Wicked’s initial teaser trailer showed Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow entering the Emerald City and speaking to The Wizard of Oz, with him ominously saying “Bring her to me” to the group. While this was undoubtedly intriguing to audiences who were learning aboutWickedand its connections toThe Wizard of Ozfor the first time, the scene does not actually make sense to include in the first half ofWicked’s story. In fact,including this Dorothy scene in the final version of the movie would have detracted from the main story.
Many ofWicked’s audience members would not necessarily have seen the stage musical version prior to seeing the film, sointroducing Dorothy as a character would have made the movie feel like it was too much about her. Since Dorothy is a character that audiences are largely familiar with, including her inWickedmay have prompted casual audiences to wonder where she is throughout the film rather than focusing on Elphaba and Glinda.
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Since, in the final version, Dorothy is only seen for a few seconds at the very beginning, this creates a spark of intrigue without making the movie too much about her. Especially considering the following scenes show Glinda announcing Elphaba’s death to a crowd and then telling the story of how they met,it would not have made sense to fit Dorothy into their school timeline. Instead, just hinting at her appearance later in the story was the perfect way to connectWickedandThe Wizard of Ozwithout combining the stories too much yet.
Dorothy’s Scenes In Wicked Also Would Have Changed The Musical
Dorothy Is Not Present In The Musical At All
Showing Dorothy and friends in the first trailer forWickedwas also strange, sinceDorothy does not appear in the musical at all. Though her character is referenced, the closest thing that audiences get to actually seeing Dorothy is her silhouette at the end of the performance. This moment does help to reinforce the connection between the older movie and the Broadway show, but it also proves that Dorothy is just one very small part of Elphaba’s story and only at the very end of the second act at that.
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What’s more, the length ofWickedis the same as the entirety of the Broadway musical despite only covering the first act of the show, meaning that the movie does have more time to explore the dynamics between characters and can include additional events from theWickedbook. Including Dorothy more in the movie adaptation is an understandable way of adding more information to the story. However, it certainly wouldn’t have made sense in the first half considering how much it would have changed the events of the Broadway musical.
Were Wicked’s Teased Dorothy Scenes Ever Really Meant For The First Movie?
It Makes More Sense For Them To Be From Wicked: For Good
Though theWickedtrailers that have been released thus far have understandably been forWicked: Part I, the two parts were shot back to back, soit is possible that the scenes showing Dorothy in the Emerald City were always meant forWicked: For Good. Knowing that, it actually makes complete sense for the Dorothy scenes to have been included as a purposeful misdirect on the part of the trailer editors and marketing team to get audiences excited about a new story set in the world of Oz.
For moviegoers who were not familiar with the plot ofWickedprior to the first film’s release, showing glimpses of Dorothy inWicked’s trailer gave audiences something recognizable to hold on to.
Aside from creating added drama within the trailer and getting fans excited, it is likely that the trailers were drawing onThe Wizard of Ozcharacters very intentionally to draw in audiences. For moviegoers who were not familiar with the plot ofWickedprior to the first film’s release, showing glimpses of Dorothy inWicked’s trailer gave audiences something recognizable to hold on to. SinceThe Wizard of Ozis such a beloved film, knowing that another story that takes place in the same universe and focuses on some of the same characters is being released could be a great way to attract new audiences.
Wicked 2 Is A Better Movie For Dorothy To Appear In
Wicked: For Good Overlaps With The Events Of The Wizard Of Oz
Regardless of whatWicked’s trailers showed,Wicked: Part Iworked out perfectly, and there is still plenty of time for Dorothy to make her appearance inWicked: For Good. The first movie set up all the main characters and really had time to develop them in a way that audiences could love, making its runtime well spent. Now that audiences are invested in Elphaba’s story and want to knowwhat happens inWicked: For Goodfollowing the first part’s open ending, it is the perfect time for Dorothy to appear.
Since the opening scene ofWickedalready teased Dorothy’s appearance in Oz, it seems likely that she will show up again in some capacity.Wicked: For Goodwill focus more on what Elphaba does after she has already been named the Wicked Witch of the West, which eventually overlaps with Dorothy’s arrival. Given thatThe Wizard of Ozalso features scenes where Dorothy and the Wicked Witch interact prior to her melting, it could be possible forWicked: For Goodto approach these same moments from a new perspective, or at least mention them.
Given how significantly Dorothy interacts with some ofWicked’s characters, including Glinda, it would be a much more natural time for the character to appear in theWickedmovies.
Given how significantly Dorothy interacts with some ofWicked’s characters, including Glinda, it would be a much more natural time for the character to appear in theWickedmovies.Part Iwould have felt rushed if Dorothy had appeared, butWicked: For Goodhas a great opportunity to expand on the beloved character as much or as little as is necessary to fully explore Elphaba’s story. One thing is certain,Wickedhas created a great set-up that will be incredibly exciting to see come to completion in November.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
