The musical Evil serves as a prequel to The Wizard of Ozbut the 2024 film adaptation plays like an homage to the 1939 classic with several carefully placed Easter eggs. Of course, with an overlapping setting and characters, there are many obvious features of The Wizard of Oz in the new screen adaptation. The Wicked Witch, her green skin and pointy hat, as well as her powers and molten destiny, are, of course, at the center of Evilalong with Glinda the Good, the Wizard of Oz himself and more. However, the musical adaptation managed to hide much more stealthy references here and there.
The 1939 The Wizard of Oz The film was groundbreaking for its time and is still remembered as a significant milestone in Hollywood magic today. It has long served as a nostalgic basis for the stage musical Evilwhich is a prequel in its first act, while the second presents Dorothy’s story, but from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked: Part 1 (2024) adapts the prequel part of the story for the screen, allowing audiences to see what was happening in Oz before Dorothy’s arrival in Oz. Yet, the characteristics of The Wizard of Oz play an important role.
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Wicked’s intro goes from black and white to color
The opening screen pays homage to the 1989 Wizard of Oz
Evil begins with a significant reference to The Wizard of Oz. THE introduction, presenting the iconic Universal globe, first appears in black and white before switching to color. This is a subtle homage to the wonderful transformation at the beginning of the 1939 film, when Dorothy arrives in Oz, and the entire film switches from traditional black and white to Technicolor.
The Wizard of Oz is famously the first feature film to use Technicolor, and it ingeniously incorporated this into the story. Dorothy”real“The world at home was all shades of black and gray, but the moment she stepped out of her newly arrived home in Oz, the screen lit up with color.
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Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion walking along the yellow brick road
The Wizard of Oz Heroes Returning to the Emerald City
THE Evil the film took a unique approach to the beginning of the musical, featuring Elphaba’s pointy hat soaked in a puddle of water on the floor of her tower. From there, the camera transported the audience through Oz and the yellow brick road to Munchkinland, where Glinda the Good would share the good news of the Witch’s death.
During this transition, there was a lot to see, including many familiar Ozian sights. Still, the highlight was Dorothy and her companions, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, walking back along the road to the Emerald City.
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The subtle melody of “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead”
The Music Of Wicked also has Easter eggs
The first musical number of Evil, “No One Mourns The Wicked”, shows the citizens of Munchkinland celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch. The film version of this song has an extended introduction, during which the melody of “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead” can be heard briefly (at the one minute mark of the song).
“Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead” is the song by Muchkinlanders in 1939 The Wizard of Oz after Dorothy’s house crushed the Wicked Witch of the East, Elphaba’s sister. Although this song is not fully featured in EvilThe screen adaptation’s homage to the classic is an excellent touch.
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The font on the Wicked Witch posters is the same as the 1939 Wizard of Oz poster
The style of Wicked’s wanted posters looked familiar
There are many details in Evil film version of Munchkinland. It really does look like a fully inhabited community and is full of signs that the Muchkinlanders have been living in fear of the Wicked Witch for some time. The main indicators of this are the various posters and signs warning residents about the Witch and declaring her “Desired.”
These posters have an unmistakable vintage feel.
These posters have an unmistakable vintage feel. The Wicked Witch’s face looks nothing like Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, instead featuring the wicked witch’s exaggerated features in The Wizard of Oz. Then, even more remarkable, the font on these posters is identical to the classic 1939 movie posters, which have since become immediately associated with the world of Oz.
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The “whirlwind” yellow brick road
Munchkinland’s family hub is featured in Wicked
In The Wizard of OzThe yellow brick road forms a whirlwind in the center of Munchkinland, and it is here that Dorothy begins her journey, spinning as she follows Glinda’s instructions to “follow the yellow brick road!“That lollipop-shaped swirl is another memorable feature of the 1939 classic.
Although it looks a little different, the Evil the film incorporated this yellow swirl in the center of Munchkinlandwhere Glinda sings “No One Mourns the Wicked” and sets Elphaba’s huge straw figure on fire.
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The subtle melody of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
The movie Wicked took Stephen Schwartz’s Easter eggs even further
Perhaps the most iconic song of The Wizard of Oz is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, forever remembered as one of Judy Garland’s most bittersweet songs. Like all of the 1939 film’s musical numbers, it could not immediately be included in the film. Evil musical. However, the familiar melody was still used throughout the score.
Stephen Schwartz included “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” here and there throughout the Evil soundtrack, but the film had the opportunity to take this even further. Unlike the stage production, the spoken dialogue is almost always accompanied by background music in the film, which mixes several songs from the Broadway show with those familiar notes from “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Anyone paying attention will be able to spot them scattered throughout the film.
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The red shoes that Galinda gives to Elphaba
Galinda brings Shiz her own ruby slippers
Wicked: Part 1 has already laid the groundwork for Nessa’s ruby slippers, which Dorothy eventually catches after she knocks down a house on the Wicked Witch of the East (prompting Elphaba to take revenge). However, the 2024 film found another way to incorporate these classic shoes.
During Ariana Grande’s performance of “Popular,” her character hands Elphaba a pair of bright red heelsthat look a lot like Judy Garland’s shoes in The Wizard of Oz. Although the real ruby slippers won’t be revealed until Wicked: Part 2This was a fun nod to the 1939 film’s family feature.
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The poppies making everyone sleep
Elphaba discovered the usefulness of poppies in Wicked
Node Evil musical, Elphaba uses her powers to make her classmates dance wildly so she can help the lion’s cup escape from its cage (with help from Fiyero). However, in Evil film, Elphaba causes a bouquet of poppy flowers – Dr. Dillamond’s favorite: putting everyone to sleep. It’s an elegant change and one that clearly takes inspiration from The Wizard of Oz.
As Dorothy and her companions ran among the flowers, they became sleepy and had to lie down to rest.
In the 1939 film, the Wicked Witch of the West takes advantage of the poppy field surrounding the Emerald City. As Dorothy and her companions ran among the flowers, they became sleepy and had to lie down to rest. Universal Evil seems to suggest that the witch later got this idea from her experience in Shiz.
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Bicycles with baskets
Elphaba and Fiyero escaped on family bicycles
After stealing the lion’s cup in Evil film, Elphaba and Fiyero escape into the forest on bicycles. Although they were fairly common bicycles, the baskets mounted on the front and back made these getaway vehicles somewhat familiar. They are precisely like the one Miss Gulch rode in The Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba and Fiyero place the lion’s cup in the basket of one of these bicycles, as does Miss. Gulch placed Toto in the basket of his bicycle when he tried to take him to be placed on the ground. Of course, Miss Gulch was supposed to play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Ozso this Easter egg in Evil makes some sense.
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The towers of the emerald city
Wicked was inspired by the city’s silhouette
THE Evil The film certainly took inspiration from the stage musical’s setting, but leaned even more heavily on 1939 footage. The Wizard of Oz. The Emerald City is an excellent example. Although the city skyline could not be seen from the stage, the curtain for Evil The famous depiction of a map of Oz, including a drawing of the Emerald City. The buildings look more like a castle than the long, narrow towers of The Wizard of Oz. THE Evil the film, however, combined the two ideas.
From afar, the Emerald City rises above The Wizard of Oz look like a bunch of tall, shiny green cylinders, and This project was adopted for the urban landscape in Evil. Furthermore, the surrounding flower fields are almost identical.
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Emerald City Fashion
The citizens of the Emerald City are cohesive with the Wizard of Oz
The people of the Emerald City seemed to come from a different planet than The Wizard of Oz. Their clothes, mostly green, were extravagant, with huge skirts, oddly cut pants, and tall headdresses. This is something that the Evil musical adopted, but the Evil the film had the chance to go even further with dozens of other citizens of the Emerald City.
The costume designers Evil film really captured the aesthetic of The Wizard of Oz. The clothes had that Victorian era feel, but with touches of pure boldness. this could only seem normal in the Emerald City.
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The man with the mustache
The man with the mustache is a tribute to the Wizard of Oz actor
The train that came to take Elphaba to the Emerald City had a conductor with a rather glorious mustache, which Glinda found fascinating. She mentioned the man with the mustache repeatedly, even though that character had nothing to do with anything. Still, he fit perfectly into the world of Oz established by The Wizard of Oz.
In the 1939 film, Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard, also played several other characters, including the doorman, the guard, and the coachman, all with differently shaped mustaches.
In the 1939 film, Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard, also played several other characters, including the doorman, the guard, and the coachman, all with differently shaped mustaches. Over the years, This exaggerated facial hair has become standard in the Oz aestheticmaking this inclusion Evil even more appropriate.
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The wizard says “Follow the road”
Another Wizard of Oz song reference in Wicked
When Elphaba and Glinda finally met the Wizard of Oz in Evilhe showed them his plan to build a brick road leading from all directions to his tower in the Emerald City. He had not yet decided on a color, but expressed his desire that anyone who needed him could just “follow the road.”
Of course, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” is another iconic song from 1939. The Wizard of Oz. Again, Evil implies that the Munchkinlanders’ mantra came directly from the events of Elphaba’s story.
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The wizard’s hot air balloons
Wizard’s future escape route revealed
At the end of The Wizard of Ozthe Wizard is revealed to be just an ordinary man from Kansas. He arrived one day in a hot air balloon and, after helping Dorothy, left again in the same way. THE Evil the film embraced the Wizard’s apparent love of hot air travel, with balloons displayed whenever the man was mentioned.
The Wizard’s message to Elphaba arrives in a small hot air balloon, and at the end of the Wicked: Part 1Elphaba and Glinda try to escape the Emerald City in a giant city. Of course, This won’t be the last time the Wizard’s hot air balloon is shown on screen since he will certainly depart Oz in a Wicked: Part 2just as he did in 1939 The Wizard of Oz.