SPOILERS for Wicked: Part 1 are ahead! Also, I don’t dive into what happens in Act 2 of the musical – so, you are safe from those here. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you can catch it in theaters now.
I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz; I played it on repeat as a little kid. However, I hadn’t revisited it until after I saw Wicked in theaters right before its premiere on the 2024 movie schedule. While I saw the musical on Broadway a couple of years ago for the first time, I remembered almost none of the plot, and can only sing along to the hits. So, I went into its movie adaptation with an unfocused view of how the original film impacted it.
However, after I left Wicked and gave it a five-star review, I immediately re-watched The Wizard of Oz. And I have to say, my feelings about the characters in the OG film have totally changed.
When Glinda Comes Down In Munchkinland My Feelings Were Very Muddled
To be honest, I didn’t think much about The Good Witch growing up with The Wizard of Oz. She was just a gorgeous gal who appeared in her bubble at the start and end of Dorothy’s journey, and I never really connected her to The Wicked Witch.
Well, that’s totally changed now.
When Wicked opened with “No One Mourns The Wicked” and Glinda descended in her bubble to talk to the Munchkins about the death of the witch, I couldn’t help but clock the way she was seemingly masking how she felt about it all. Then, by the end of the movie, it was clear that Glinda and Elphaba were best friends who split ways at a heartbreaking moment, and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of that as I watched the 1939 film.
Overall, Glinda went from a wholesome, sweet and bubbly witch who juxtaposed the Wicked Witch perfectly, to a complex character who made a choice to not go with her friend that changed the course of both their lives forever. Knowing that she didn’t go with Elphaba and stayed with The Wizard and Madame Morrible, I desperately want to know what was going through her head during her interactions with the Munchkins in both The Wizard of Oz and Wicked, because her past with Elphaba certainly adds a new and tragic weight to them.
I’ve Never Been A Fan Of The Wizard…Now, I Can’t Even Empathize With Him
Upon reflection, the Wizard has never really been that good. I mean, he was hiding his identity and lying to an entire population about his power. However, when I watched The Wizard of Oz as a child, I never saw him as that bad.
However, Wicked totally changed that. Not only is he hiding his identity and lack of power from his constituents, but he’s a big part of an evil plan too. Watching him and Madame Morrible get excited about the monkeys growing wings and hearing them talk about making them spies was despicable. Plus, his wanting to use Elphaba’s power for his own gain is disgusting!
When I initially watched The Wizard of Oz, I guess I always saw this leader as a fish out of water trying to succeed. Obviously, there’s a lot more to it than that in the original film, but watching the new musical helped amplify the leader’s true motivations and selfishness.
I Have A Lot More Empathy For The Wicked Witch Of The West
Now, I’m not even close to the first or last person to make this claim, because it’s the point of Wicked: I feel so much empathy for The Wicked Witch of the West. The show is meant to give you Elphaba’s origin story and teach you about how she became The Wicked Witch, and her tragic beginnings provide a lot of context for her later actions.
However, while that’s something I always understood and supported when I saw Wicked on Broadway and in the movie theater, watching The Wizard of Oz really hit differently. I hadn’t seen the original movie since I was a little kid, so I hadn’t had the opportunity to watch it with this new understanding of the Wicked Witch.
Knowing how much she cares for those around her – and especially those who are mistreated or different – as well as the mistreatment she’s faced all her life, I couldn’t help but feel sad for the witch while watching The Wizard of Oz.
Plus, with every move she made in the original film, I was thinking about how maybe it was a performance. Maybe, she’s pretending and putting on an act. Maybe, she’s drowning in these evil expectations. I couldn’t help but ponder all of that as I watched the Wicked Witch of the West torment Dorothy and co. because the Elphaba we met in the first part of Wicked wouldn’t do that.
Also, Between Wicked And The Wizard Of Oz, I Can’t Stop Thinking About The Monkeys
While I’m on the subject of The Wicked Witch of the West acting in a way I couldn’t fathom after seeing Wicked, let’s take a second to talk about the monkeys, because they hammer home that point. Elphaba is adamant about helping the animals in the musical – she saves the lion with Fiyero, she’s the only one wanting to help Dr. Dillamond, and she’s mortified when she accidentally gives the monkeys wings.
So, seeing the Wicked Witch with the monkeys in the original film was a bit jarring. However, this time, I viewed it more as them serving her, because she’s the only one who doesn’t treat them like servants or slaves (in Wicked that is). Without knowing about Elphaba, The Wicked Witch’s monkeys seem like minions.
However, after watching Wicked, I couldn’t help but think that the monkeys might have followed her for a reason, because the Wizard treated them truly, truly terribly.
Honestly, from the lead characters to various side ones in the OG film, this new musical movie really changed my perspective on them.
Now, I can’t wait to see how the release of Wicked: Part 2 impacts my feelings about the original film more! However, while we wait for its release on the 2025 movie schedule, you can stream The Wizard of Oz with a Max subscription and catch Wicked: Part 1 in theaters now.