Dive into the magical world of Oz as we uncover the most incredible hidden details, references, and Easter eggs in "Wicked: Part One"! From subtle nods to the original "Wizard of Oz" to behind-the-scenes secrets, we're breaking down everything you might have missed.
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00:00Everything that really counts to be popular.
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're pulling back the emerald curtain on the most impressive Easter eggs,
00:10throwbacks, and other small details you may or may not have spotted in Wicked Part 1.
00:15If you haven't seen the film or the stage show, we wouldn't want to devastate you with spoilers,
00:20so this is your warning.
00:21Well, these things are sent to try us.
00:31Number 20. Shiz's library books.
00:34Shortly after Fiyero arrives at Shiz, Galinda takes him on a campus tour,
00:39including a stop at the book place. That's library for the rest of us.
00:43And this is the, um, the book place.
00:48There's a collection of, um, rare books around here somewhere, and some medium rare as well.
00:53If, like many of us, you were too busy wincing at Fiyero's gross mistreatment of the books,
00:58or swooning at his every word, you may have missed the level of detail the props team put
01:03into making this library look real. As director John M. Chu shared,
01:07those are actually real books Fiyero's dancing across.
01:10He stands up on the bookshelf and starts to kick using the books,
01:13and I loved how you surf those books on. Those are real books that you're really surfing on.
01:18Indeed, if you were to pause on practically any book in this scene,
01:21you'd get an idea of the kinds of classes taught at Shiz.
01:24Justice for the books. They deserve bookmarks, not boot marks.
01:36Number 19. Serving a storm.
01:39Madame Morrible is a powerful sorcerer with a very particular specialty.
01:43Not to fret. Weather is my specialty.
01:46Costume designer Paul Taswell leaned into this with outfits that nod to astronomy,
01:51reflecting her control over the elements. But it's Morrible's hair that's especially telling.
01:56I've used that idea throughout her clothing, and also in her hairstyle, this undulating cloud.
02:04Designed by Frances Hannan, her hairstyle is meant to resemble a cloud with, quote,
02:09Hannan also hints that Morrible's hair plays a bigger role as her character evolves.
02:14Without giving too much away, let's just say you'll want to keep an eye out for a
02:17wilder look as the winds of change blow her story in a new direction in part two.
02:22Believe nothing she says. She has stolen our rumoury. She is evil.
02:31Number 18. A woman who is a witch.
02:35She is evil.
02:38Number 18. Ama Clutch in the East Dormitory.
02:42As you probably know, Wicked is based on Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked,
02:46The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. While the musical takes plenty of liberties
02:50with its source material, the film still pays tribute to the book. I don't see why you can't
02:54just teach us history instead of always harping on the past. For instance, it includes Galinda's
03:00friends Fanny and Shenshen, although Fanny is gender swapped in the movie. However, a more
03:05subtle nod appears in the scene where Shiz's incoming students get their room assignments.
03:22If you look under Galinda's name, you'll spot Ama Clutch. In the book, she's Galinda's chaperone,
03:28but after she has an accident and needs medical care,
03:31Galinda ends up rooming with Elphaba, who is also without chaperone.
03:43Number 17. Just a slight gulch.
03:46Head Chistress Miss Cottle is honoured to welcome Governor Thropp's daughter to the university.
03:50Well, just the one, it seems.
03:59I'm the other daughter. I'm beautifully tragic.
04:04The other daughter?
04:06Upon meeting Elphaba, she worries that there's been an oversight. Or, as she puts it,
04:10Not a fret. Just a slight gulch.
04:14Gulch? What's a gulch, you might ask? Or, if you're a Wizard of Oz superfan,
04:19you may have picked up on the fact that this is a nod to one Elmira Gulch.
04:22You know that awful woman who uses her wealth and power to exact petty revenge on teenagers,
04:28and their little dogs, too?
04:30This isn't the only way Miss Gulch is referenced in the movie,
04:32but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
04:35Elmira Gulch, just because you own half the county,
04:38doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of us.
04:41For 23 years, I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you.
04:44And now, well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it.
04:48Number 16. Stripy socks.
04:51We will, of course, get to some of the iconic footwear later on,
04:54but we just need a moment to talk about Nessa Rose's socks first.
04:58So they can all see how beautiful you are right down to your toes.
05:04You'll notice that she tends to opt for a stripy design.
05:07Not to bring the tone down too much,
05:09but you may recall that one of the first, and pretty much only,
05:12things we see of the Wicked Witch of the East in The Wizard of Oz
05:15is a stripy pair of stockings.
05:18The munchkins call me because a new witch has just dropped a house
05:21on the Wicked Witch of the East.
05:23And there's the house, and here you are.
05:25And that's all that's left of the Wicked Witch of the East.
05:28Don't worry, that's not really a spoiler.
05:30We already know the Wicked Witches of the East and West are sisters,
05:34and we doubt we've brought any houses crashing down on anyone
05:36by alluding to her fate either.
05:38You have no power here.
05:40Dig on before somebody drops a house on you too.
05:43Number 15. A celebration of hot air balloons.
05:47One thing the movie isn't short on is a lofty motif of hot air balloons.
05:51Look! A man in a balloon arriving from the sky!
05:58It's the same vessel that brought the wizard to them,
06:01just like in The Wizard of Oz.
06:02We first spot one in Elphaba's pop-up book as she tells her sister about him.
06:07It's all about our wonderful Wizard of Oz. Do you know how he got here?
06:13No. From the sky. In a balloon.
06:16Later, as Elphaba surveys the courtyard at Shiz,
06:19the camera zooms in on a mural of the wizard,
06:22complete with a hot air balloon next to him.
06:24Let's not forget, the wizard also sends Elphaba her invitation for their audience by,
06:29you guessed it, hot air balloon.
06:31And of course, there's the actual balloon that Elphaba and Glinda
06:34try to escape in as they flee from the guards.
06:40Quick, jump! Jump! Me jump!
06:45Jump now!
06:46Come on!
06:51Talk about inflated importance.
06:54Number 14. There's no place like Omaha.
06:58During what was meant to be one short day in the Emerald City,
07:01Elphaba and Glinda catch a showing of Wizzomania.
07:04Presenting the absolute factual story of our wonderful Wizard of Oz.
07:09The tale tells of the wise ones, don't worry, we'll get to them later,
07:12leaving a prophecy that someone will arrive in Oz
07:15capable of reading the lost language of the Grimmery.
07:18What follows is a projection of the wizard saying,
07:28We're not sure if he was asking for directions or pulling a fast one on the Ozians,
07:32but they sure believed he fulfilled the prophecy.
07:35Who knew Omaha could sound so mystical?
07:38You can read it! He must be... a wizard!
07:42Eagle-eyed fans may have also made the connection between this moment
07:46and the wizard's final scene in The Wizard of Oz.
07:49Number 13. Over the rainbow where bluebirds fly.
07:53Did you know composer Stephen Schwartz found a sneaky way
07:55to insert part of the Over the Rainbow melody into his score?
07:58The Arlen melody is completely different rhythmically and harmonically.
08:03It goes,
08:10And the Unlimited theme is,
08:18And so on.
08:18There's also another throwback to the iconic tune in part one
08:22that is worth keeping an eye out for.
08:24In The Wizard and I, Elphaba dreams of how her life could change when she meets the wizard.
08:34As the song picks up momentum, so does Elphaba.
08:40At one point she takes a leap and you can just make out a rainbow behind her.
08:44You know, as if she's jumping somewhere over the rainbow.
08:48As she lands, a flock of birds, no, make that a flock of bluebirds, take flight.
09:18Number 12. What's in a silhouette?
09:22Speaking of homages to The Wizard of Oz,
09:25did you catch how Elphaba's hand casts the same shape
09:27as Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch while she tries to cast a spell?
09:31Shadows and silhouettes also play significant roles
09:34in foreshadowing future events throughout the film.
09:41So if you're avoiding spoilers for part two, skip ahead now.
09:44When Bach first introduces himself to Galinda,
09:46he's got quite the lean going,
09:49almost as if he was pulled straight out of this scene from The Wizard of Oz.
10:00Later on, during Dancing Through Life,
10:03Fiyero stands watching Galinda with his arms outstretched
10:06in a pose that, let's just say, may serve him well in the future.
10:09We haven't really met properly, have we?
10:12Why, no.
10:14Number 11. Ding dong, the witch is.
10:17Schwartz's overture practically sets the gold standard for opening a show.
10:33It's dramatic and pulls the audience into the story from the very first note.
10:37The film captures that same drama but with an additional twist.
10:41Just before transitioning into No One Mourns the Wicked,
10:44the melody takes an upbeat turn, hinting at a tune we all know well.
10:54If you sang along, you might have noticed the melody cuts off
10:57right before where the word dead would have been sung.
11:03Hmm, now that's an interesting choice.
11:05Why wouldn't they play the full line?
11:07Could it mean something?
11:08Guess we'll have to wait for part two to find out.
11:12What a world, what a world!
11:14Who would have thought a good little girl like you
11:16could destroy my beautiful wickedness?
11:19Ah, let go! Let go! I'm going!
11:24Number 10. Familiar Friends follow the Yellow Brick Road.
11:28The film opens with a bird's-eye view of Oz,
11:31complete with a rainbow and the Emerald City in the distance.
11:34During a sweeping shot, Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, Tin Man,
11:38and the Cowardly Lion head down the Yellow Brick Road.
11:41Although they're only briefly spotted from behind,
11:44they can be seen carrying the Wicked Witch's broomstick
11:47after supposedly melting her.
11:49This is the first time we've seen the Wicked Witch's broomstick
11:51in the film, and it's the first time we've seen it in real life.
11:55This is the most we see of Dorothy in the film,
11:58but the three friends she makes on her journey
12:00all play a larger role, even if you don't recognize them.
12:04For those who haven't seen the stage version of Wicked,
12:06we won't give away too much.
12:08Look, this is one that I'm not going to say much about,
12:09but I'm going to say look at everyone's silhouettes.
12:11If you're a fan of the show, and you know what's coming,
12:15look at everyone's silhouettes,
12:16and I think you're going to have a fun time.
12:18Let's just say that much like the so-called Wicked Witch,
12:20things aren't always perfect.
12:22If you're a fan of the show, and you know what's coming,
12:25look at everyone's silhouettes,
12:26and I think you're going to have a fun time.
12:28Let's just say that much like the so-called Wicked Witch,
12:31things aren't always what they seem.
12:33Unlimited
12:36She had her secrets.
12:39Number 9. The Wizard's Past Life
12:42Folks have come to expect that sort of thing,
12:44and you gotta give the people what they want.
12:49The Wizard may have plenty of tricks up his sleeve,
12:52The two stumble upon relics from the Wizard's circus days,
12:55including the hot air balloon that brought him to Oz.
12:58Elphaba recognizes the Wizard for what he truly is
13:01upon spotting a poster for his magic act.
13:04You have no real power.
13:06Exactly. That's why I need you.
13:09The poster even features the Wizard's real name.
13:12Well, not his full name,
13:14which was revealed to be Oscar, Zora, Rastor,
13:16Fadrig, Isaac, Norman, Henkel, Emmanuel, Ambroise, Diggs
13:20in the Oz books.
13:21I give you the Oz of tomorrow.
13:25He was able to fool people into thinking
13:28that he could do something magical.
13:32I think people need direction.
13:33Even so, Elphaba sees that everything about
13:36the not-so-wonderful Wizard was a lie,
13:39including the name his kingdom was built upon.
13:41The best way to bring folks together
13:45is to give them a real good
13:48Elphaba and Fierro grow closer after rescuing a lion cub,
13:51who may or may not grow up to have a cowardly complex.
13:55The scene plays out pretty much as it did
13:57in the stage version, with one clever twist.
14:00On stage, Elphaba casts a vague spell
14:03to incapacitate the others in the classroom.
14:05That was you who made all that happen.
14:07Here, Elphaba uses her magic to help Fierro
14:10and Elphaba get back on their feet.
14:12Elphaba's magic can be used to help Fierro
14:15Here, Elphaba uses a bouquet of poppies
14:18that she brought Dr. Diliman to spread a sleeping spell.
14:22This is a nod to the deadly poppy field
14:24from the original Oz book and the 1939 film.
14:28In both, the poppies nearly send Dorothy
14:30into an eternal slumber.
14:32Elphaba initially doesn't realize
14:33the power within the flowers,
14:35but she'll surely remember this
14:36when she encounters Dorothy down the road.
14:39Oh, you can't rest now, we're nearly there!
14:41Number seven, a horse of a different color.
14:44What's been amazing for me
14:46is falling into something huge
14:49and trust the free fall.
14:50The stage musical introduces us to Fierro
14:53as he arrives at Shiz University with his driver.
14:56In the film, Fierro shows up to Shiz
14:58on a horse of a different color.
15:00We mean that literally.
15:01The colorful horse didn't originate
15:03from L. Frank Baum's books,
15:05but the 1939 movie.
15:07What kind of a horse is that?
15:09I've never seen a horse like that before.
15:12No, a never will again, I fancy.
15:14There's only one of him in Egypt.
15:16He's the horse of a different color,
15:17you've heard tell about.
15:19With Technicolor being a cornerstone
15:21of that cinematic classic,
15:23the filmmaker seized every opportunity
15:25to saturate The Land of Oz,
15:27right down to the horse
15:28pulling Dorothy's carriage.
15:30In another change from the stage version,
15:32Elphaba is the first person Fierro meets at Shiz.
15:35Just as his horse is a different color,
15:38Fierro finds that Elphaba
15:39isn't like any girl he's ever met.
15:41Not because she's of a different color,
15:43but because rather something deeper.
15:46We didn't see you there,
15:46you must have blended with the foliage.
15:51Is this how you go through life?
15:52Just running amok
15:53and trampling anyone in your path?
15:55No.
15:58No.
15:58Sometimes I'm asleep.
15:59Number Six.
16:00Lion in the Basket.
16:14Liberating the lion cub from his cage,
16:17Elphaba places him in her bicycle's basket
16:19and rides into the forest.
16:21If you're getting deja vu,
16:22that's because Elphaba did something similar,
16:25yet completely different,
16:26in another life.
16:27You wicked old witch!
16:29Uncle Henry, Auntie Em,
16:30don't let him take Toto!
16:32Don't let him take him, please!
16:33I've got enough, Auntie Em!
16:33Stop her!
16:34Put him in the basket, Henry.
16:36In 1939's The Wizard of Oz,
16:38Elmira Gulch takes Toto from Dorothy,
16:40cycling away with the Cairn Terrier
16:42in her basket.
16:43Thankfully,
16:44she doesn't notice Toto slipping out
16:46and racing back to Dorothy.
16:47Although Dorothy and Toto escape
16:49Miss Gulch's clutches,
16:50they meet a greener reflection
16:52of their old neighbor in Oz.
16:53I'll get you, my pretty!
16:55And your little dog, too!
16:59Elphaba rescuing the lion
17:00mirrors Miss Gulch taking Toto.
17:02Of course,
17:03where Elphaba gets the lion to safety,
17:05we don't even want to think about
17:06what Gulch would have done
17:07with the little dog.
17:09Number Five.
17:10Breaking the Glass.
17:11Oh, I saved you some space,
17:13by the way.
17:13Do you really think this is fair?
17:15I do not.
17:16I was promised a private suite.
17:18But thanks for asking.
17:20Forced to share a dorm room,
17:21Elphaba would rather keep the door shut
17:23while Galinda wants it open.
17:25Finding a middle ground,
17:26Elphaba accidentally shatters
17:28the door's glass with her magic,
17:30leaving it open even when it's closed.
17:32I don't know!
17:33I've never known!
17:34In a way,
17:35this moment comes full circle
17:36during the climactic defying gravity.
17:38Taking flight,
17:39Elphaba bursts through the glass window,
17:42mirroring the aforementioned scene.
17:46This time, though,
17:47Elphaba purposely breaks the glass,
17:49reflecting how she's gained control
17:51of her powers.
17:52In both scenes,
17:53Galinda inspires Elphaba's actions,
17:56but for different reasons.
17:57When Elphaba broke the glass door,
17:59it was because Galinda got on her nerves.
18:01When she breaks the window,
18:03it's because Galinda has given Elphaba
18:04the confidence to realize
18:06her unlimited potential.
18:07You can do anything.
18:10This school has been generations of education
18:12to the people of Oz,
18:14and animal professors,
18:15and Ozian professors all around.
18:17The musical's political commentary
18:19is given even more focus in this film,
18:21with additional scenes dedicated to Dr. Dillamant
18:23and other animals,
18:24who are treated as second-class citizens.
18:27The animals are now being blamed
18:29for everything that goes wrong.
18:31The animals are now being blamed
18:33for everything that goes wrong.
18:35The animals are now being blamed
18:37for everything that goes wrong.
18:40When Elphaba first demonstrates her powers at Shiz,
18:42she accidentally causes
18:44several structures to crumble.
18:45One of them collapses to reveal
18:47an old mural that was built over.
18:49The history of Oz should feel present.
18:53Good luck, and welcome to Shiz!
18:58The artwork features a faculty of animal academics,
19:01suggesting many species were once scholars at Shiz.
19:04That number has since shrunk,
19:06and soon enough,
19:07the contributions that animals have made to Oz
19:09may be paved over for good
19:10in the name of quote-unquote progress.
19:13Even if animals can't talk in our world,
19:15there are parallels to how numerous cultures
19:17have essentially been erased from the history books.
19:20There was a time before you were born
19:23when life in Oz was different.
19:26So, when and why did this change?
19:31From what I've read, The Great Drought.
19:32Precisely.
19:34Number three, Ruby Slippers.
19:36You're gonna be popular.
19:39I'll show you what shoes to wear,
19:41how to fix your hair,
19:43everything that really counts to be.
19:46Dorothy Slippers were silver in L. Frank Baum's book.
19:48Wanting to showcase Technicolor's capabilities,
19:51MGM switched the slippers to red
19:53in their film adaptation.
19:55Give me back my slippers.
19:57I'm the only one that knows how to use them.
19:59Being a product of the 1939 musical,
20:01the Ruby Slippers have rarely popped up
20:03in other interpretations of Oz.
20:05Wicked is no exception,
20:07with Nessa Rose's father gifting her
20:08a pair of silver shoes.
20:10However, the filmmakers do sneak in a reference
20:12to the iconic Ruby Slippers,
20:14giving her new bestie a lesson in popularity.
20:17Galinda teaches Elphaba many things.
20:20This includes what shoes to wear,
20:21handing her a pair of red heels.
20:24They may not be exact replicas
20:25of the trademarked Ruby Slippers,
20:27but it's clear what the filmmakers are doing
20:29while still staying in their legal jurisdictions.
20:31Speaking of shoes,
20:33if you take a look at the ones gifted to Nessa Rose,
20:35take special care to notice the tornado-esque heels,
20:38calling to mind her fate.
20:40Number 2.
20:42Echoes of For Good
20:43Pink goes good with green.
20:45It goes well with green.
20:47It so does.
21:00Defying gravity might be the big showstopper,
21:03but For Good is the emotional high point
21:05of Elphaba and Galinda's friendship.
21:18Since that tearjerker doesn't occur until Act 2,
21:21we'll have to wait a year to hear Cynthia Erivo
21:23and Ariana Grande perform the duet.
21:25That doesn't mean For Good is completely absent from this film.
21:33Look at you.
21:38You're beautiful.
21:39There are a handful of musical cues
21:41hinting at things to come.
21:43The most important moment comes
21:44during the Ozdust ballroom sequence.
21:46Realizing the error of her ways,
21:48Galinda joins Elphaba on the dance floor.
21:51It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship,
21:53with both truly seeing each other for the first time.
21:56This is highlighted through an instrumental version
21:58of For Good playing in the background.
22:00To make them sing,
22:02to make them feel that after they've watched it,
22:04they've been changed for good.
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22:23Number one.
22:24Cameos in Oz.
22:26I got us tickets.
22:27You coming?
22:28Everyone will be there.
22:30Erivo and Grande will surely be immortalized
22:32as cinema's Elphaba and Galinda,
22:34but the film doesn't forget their stage predecessors.
22:37The sisterhood between Elphaba and Galinda.
22:40Galinda's comedy,
22:42seeing Kristen Chenoweth originate this role,
22:44seeing her on Broadway.
22:46I'd never heard anything or seen anything like it.
22:48Keeping it in the family,
22:49Galinda's mother is played by Alice Fern,
22:51who starred as Elphaba in The West End.
22:54A few other West End players drop into Oz,
22:56including Cary Ellis and Diane Pilkington.
22:59For the Broadway crowd,
23:00the most notable cameos are saved
23:02for an extended version of One Short Day.
23:04I wanna be in this boy's life.
23:09So I'll be back for good someday.
23:12Make my life and make my way
23:13before today will wander and die.
23:19Chronicling how The Wizard came to Oz
23:21are two whizzamanias superstars,
23:23played by the OG Elphaba and Galinda,
23:26Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth.
23:28It's not Wicked without them.
23:30Or its writers,
23:31Winnie Holtzman and Stephen Schwartz.
23:33Holtzman gets a special bit of dialogue,
23:36while the composer is given a special cameo
23:38as the guard who tells the best friends
23:40that the wizard will see them now.
23:45The wizard will see you now.
23:50What's the most swankified Easter egg you spotted?
23:53Let us know in the comments.
23:56Oh, hello.
24:01Do you agree with our picks?
24:02Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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