Yahoo Lifestyle 29 Incredible Easter Eggs, Details, And Fun Facts About The New “Wicked” Movie
Huuuuge Wicked spoilers ahead, obviously. You’ve been warned!
Jon M. Chu’s Wicked hit theaters on Friday, and it’s certainly got the internet talking.
In case you needed a quick reminder, Wicked takes place before the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, and features a ton of clever references to it.
Many of the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout Wicked hint at the eventual fates of the characters, meaning that this breakdown will feature spoilers for both Part 1 and Part 2. So, let’s dive right in.
1. Right at the start, the Universal logo featured is a black and white, vintage version — identical to the one used in 1939, the same year that The Wizard of Oz came out. The screen also switches from black and white to color, just like The Wizard of Oz famously did.
2. The Wicked title card is displayed in print similar to The Wizard of Oz’s.
3. As the camera pans over Oz in the opening sequence, we catch a glimpse of Dorothy, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow. More on the Fab Four later!
4. We also see 9 million colorful tulips in fields of Oz, all of which have been planted in a rainbow pattern — of course, a reference to Judy Garland’s iconic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Fun fact: The Wicked crew actually planted all 9 million tulips in real life because Jon insisted on avoiding visual effects wherever possible. Wild!
5. While celebrating the Wicked Witch of the West’s death, we see a bunch of children from Munchkinland ringing bells and playing The Wizard of Oz’s famous tune, “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead.”
6. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the instrumental "Miss Gulch” from The Wizard of Oz can be heard subtly interwoven within the opening song, “No One Mourns the Wicked.”
7. Hot air balloons are seen numerous times throughout the film — a reference to the fact that The Wizard is famous for traveling by them. The balloons are used to deliver invitations to meet The Wizard, branded all over the Emerald City, and used by Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) in a bid to escape toward the end.
8. The song “For Good,” which plays while Glinda and Elphaba reflect on their friendship, can be heard subtly throughout the film during moments of connection between the pair — including during “No One Mourns the Wicked,” “Dancing Through Life,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.”
9. Glinda’s mother is played by British stage actor Alice Fearn, who played Elphaba in Wicked in the West End.
10. When Elphaba first showcases her magic powers at Shiz University, she levitates a bench that hits a mural of the Wizard, causing it to fall and subsequently revealing one of the animal professors behind it — nodding toward the erasure of talking animals in Oz, which becomes a central plot point.
11. During “Popular,” Glinda showcases a pair of red heels — clearly referencing Dorothy’s iconic ruby shoes in The Wizard of Oz. Glinda even clicks the heels three times, like Dorothy does! What’s more, Elphaba’s sister Nessarose is gifted a pair of silver slippers (the same color that Dorothy’s were in the original L. Frank Baum book) from their father, which are inside a ruby red case.
12. Nessarose’s slippers also feature a tornado — nodding toward the tornado that lands Dorothy in Oz. Plus, Nessa wears striped socks throughout the film, which references what she’s wearing in the famous moment of her underneath the house in The Wizard of Oz.
13. Fiyero’s (Jonathan Bailey) eventual transformation into the Scarecrow is hinted at when he dances past corn insignias during “Dancing Through Life.”
14. Fiyero is also the only person unaffected by Elphaba’s magic spell, which sends everyone else to sleep. In The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow is unaffected by the Wicked Witch of the West’s sleep-inducing spell.
15. Similarly, Boq’s (Ethan Slater) fate as the Tin Man is foreshadowed. When Glinda rejects him, she places his red handkerchief into the pocket by his heart — hinting that he eventually loses his heart in Part 2. (Boq also mentions that he cries “a lot,” something that becomes hugely important once he becomes the Tin Man.)
16. Elphaba and Fiyero rescue the young lion cub, who eventually becomes the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. While doing so, Elphaba cycles on a bike with the cub in the basket, which is reminiscent of the original Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch's human counterpart, Almira Gulch, cycling away with Dorothy’s pet Toto.
17. When Miss Coddle, the Headmistress at Shiz, is shocked by Elphaba’s arrival, she says, “Not to fret — just a slight gulch!” — again, a nod to Almira Gulch.
18. During the song “A Sentimental Man,” the Wizard throws a wooden house through the air, a direct reference to Dorothy’s house flying in the tornado.
19. The Wizard also questions what color he should make his new brick road, with Glinda ultimately deciding on yellow, of course.
20. Throughout the film, shadows are used to foreshadow characters’ fates and nod toward details from The Wizard of Oz. For example, when Elphaba is practicing her magic with Madame Morrible, her shadow is the same as Margaret Hamilton’s iconic Wicked Witch photo. What’s more, the Wizard goes behind a curtain during “A Sentimental Man,” not only referencing the iconic silhouette featured in the stage play, but also nodding toward the famous line, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
Universal Pictures
21. Glinda and Elphaba sparring during the song “What Is This Feeling?” is similar to their famous wand vs. broom battle in the stage show.
Universal Pictures
22. Glinda’s mirror pose at the end of “Popular” is identical to the one featured in the Broadway production.
23. When students are reading their dorm assignments at Shiz, we see that someone named Ama Clutch is assigned as Galinda’s suite neighbor. This nods toward the original Wicked novel, where Ama Clutch is Glinda’s school chaperone.
24. While Elphaba sings “The Wizard and I,” she runs through a field and jumps high into the air. We see a rainbow and a flock of birds in the background, which nods to the lyric, “Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly,” from “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
25. The horse ridden by Fiyero is reportedly the same one that Jonathan worked with in Bridgerton.
26. When Madame Morrible prevents Elphaba from getting soaked in the rain, she says, “We mustn’t let you get wet.” This is a reference to the Wicked Witch of the West’s fate; she dies after Dorothy throws a bucket of water over her.
27. The tune of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” from The Wizard of Oz is subtly featured within the score of “One Short Day.”
28. Glinda’s outfits throughout the film, namely in “Dancing Through Life,” feature several references to the original Glinda, who was played by Billie Burke. These include her butterfly necklace, big sleeves, and bubble-like details, which hints at her future mode of transportation.
29. And finally, we have all the iconic cameos within “One Short Day.” Not only do writers Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz appear, but OG Wicked stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel make iconic features — and they even adopt some of the most memorable poses from the musical.
There we have it! How many of these Easter eggs did you notice during the film? Can you think of any others that I missed? LMK down below in the comments!
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