5 Wizard of Oz things to look out for in Wicked

One of the great things about movies is that you can often find a clever reference to something else the filmmakers love. It might be Darth Vader's march at the end of the music for a young boy from Tatooine in Star Wars. It could be Benedict Cumberbatch behaving a certain way in Star Trek: Into Darkness over an hour before we hear his character's much more recognizable true name. There's even a funny moment in The Avengers when Captain America is delighted to get a reference to The Wizard of Oz. As a prequel and origin story, Wicked is full of clues that give us a taste of things to come. Here are five that don't give away any major spoilers.

1. "If she'd let him fight his own battles"

Watching the scenes at Shiz University always sparks in me a desire to enroll. I'd love to study with Madam Morrible, but would be contented to sit at the hooves of Dr. Dillamond. This animal professor is concerned about how animals of Oz are being forced to discontinue the practices that make them better than ordinary beasts. A schoolteacher ox "has lost all powers of speech" and an owl vicar who is "forbidden to preach. Now he only can screech."

Elphaba becomes interested in finding the cause for these phenomena, but also has a hand in rescuing one captured animal. She liberates a lion cub from one of the lessons at school. A character later blames her for how that story ends, since he grows up to be a quite Cowardly Lion. We meet some of Dorothy's allies in this musical and this is certainly one.

2. "This hat and you, you're both so smart."

Before a night on the town, the students at Shiz raid their closets for something to make them stand out. Glinda finds a "hideodeous" hat that her granny sent to her and is encouraged by her hangers-on to give it to someone she really hates.

Enter her roommate, who she burdens with this dramatic black witch's hat "out of the goodness of [her] heart." Rather than see it as a cruel joke, Elphaba wears the hat to the Ozdust Ballroom and has the strength to make the hideous thing her own. It is the hat that we see her wear to the end of her days in The Wizard of Oz.

3. "How can I ever express my gratitution?"

Throughout the story of Dorothy Gale, Glinda appears to work her magic with a wave of her wand and some sage advice. Of course we look for how this all started in Wicked.

A turning point for Glinda is when she receives a training wand. She had applied to take a seminar, but was excluded until Elphaba appealed directly to the professor on her behalf out of gratitude for Glinda's generosity towards her younger sister Nessarose. Glinda did that good turn to shake off an unwanted suitor, but her attitude is changed towards Elphie from this point forward.

4. "My monkey servant, Chistery."

Once Elphie and Glinda have arrived at the Emerald City and are introduced to the wizard, he wastes no time in putting his protege's powers to the test. Elphaba is given the Grimmerie, a book of spells and enchantments, and asked to help Chistery with a levitation spell. To her horror, he sprouts wings after a period of terrible pain. The wizard uses her to create spies to do his bidding.

Elphaba is known for the flying monkeys who are loyal to her and it all starts with the moment where she discovers that her idol isn't as powerful as all of Oz thinks he is.

5. "I'll stand there with the Wizard."

If you are looking for a plot summary of The Wizard of Oz, look no further than "The Wizard and I." Very shortly after a green-skinned girl appears on stage, she is acclaimed for her innate magical abilities. The headmistress predicts "the wizard could make [her] his magic Grand Vizier."

Overwhelmed by this appreciation for what makes her odd in her own family, Elphaba imagines a life at the side of the wonderful Wizard of Oz. She has "a vision almost like a prophecy." It involves "a celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with me," which we've already seen in "No One Mourns the Wicked" at the beginning of the show. She looks forward to the day when "people see [her...and] will scream." Best of all, she thinks, she'll be "so happy, [she] will melt!" It's like she's seen Judy Garland in all her ruby slippered glory already.

Wicked comes to theaters on November 22, 2024.