Whether you’re a Broadway fanatic or just an average filmgoer, John M. Chu’s 2024 movie adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked” is an indulgent phenomenon with incredible costumes, characters, sets, and a sense of nostalgia for many. The musical draws on many elements of the 1939 Victor Fleming film, “The Wizard of Oz.” The new adaptation features current celebrity icons, including Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey.
With an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and an approximate gross of 756 million dollars worldwide, there is no doubt that “Wicked: Part One” has taken the world by storm immediately after hitting the theaters. As the film is scheduled to release a sequel later this week, fans and critics patiently await more songs and comedy to hit their local theaters.
The countless awards “Wicked” has received and been nominated for are evidence of what the production has accomplished and given to its global audiences. The awards received include: Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, a BAFTA Award for Best Production Design, and a Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Observing through the lens of the mise-en-scène, the costumes added a unique twist, bringing the world of Oz to life and highlighting a fashion that wouldn’t exist elsewhere. Grande’s character, Galinda, dressed in a masterpiece in pink, captured the film’s amazing costume design. Other unique elements of costumes can be found in things like the character’s glasses, shoes, bow ties, or even Cynthia Erivo’s prosthetic ears.
“Wicked” takes place on a breathtaking set with architecture unique to the Land of Oz, such as the Emerald City, Shiz University, or Munchkinland. John M. Chu spared nothing on making a set feel completely unique to the Land of Oz, even going as far as to plant over 9 million tulips for the film.
The story takes viewers into the Land of Oz and jumps within the timeline multiple times. Beginning the film with the song “No One Mourns the Wicked” with breathtaking whistle notes from Galinda (Grande), and begins the retelling of her story of becoming friends with Elphaba (Erivio), the “Wicked Witch of the West.” Elphaba, an outcast, after beginning school at Shiz University, feels welcomed by a teacher, Madame Morrible, and navigates many events being the only citizen in Oz with magic.
