All Wizard of Oz Easter Eggs Explained
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All Wizard of Oz Easter Eggs Explained

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Spoilers below.

As Jon M. Chu brought Evil On the big screen, he made sure to not only stay true to the stage musical, but also pay homage to the film that inspired him. The Wizard of Oz. As a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s magical story, Evilbased on the 1995 book by Gregory Maguire, expands the world of Oz and follows the formative years of the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and the Good Witch Glinda. But even though Elphaba and Glinda’s tricky friendship is the focus of Stephen Schwartz’s musical, there are plenty of Easter eggs and clues that connect them to Dorothy’s journey.

Here you’ll find the references throughout the film, some from the musical, others unique to the film adaptation and ranging from the obvious to the very surprising. Be warned: These tidbits could reveal what lies ahead Wicked: Part Two.

Elphaba’s hat and broom

The film begins at the scene of Elphaba’s death – with an empty bucket of water spilled on the ground, which Dorothy threw at her, causing her to melt and die. All that remains is her pointed hat. Later in the film we learn that the hat originally belonged to Glinda’s grandmother and she made Elphaba wear it as a mean prank. However, she finds her broom in the attic of the wizard’s palace. She makes it fly with a levitation spell.

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Universal

Dorothy’s cameo

In the first few minutes of the film, as the camera pans over Oz, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man appear, walking together on the yellow brick road – but they are shown from behind. Chu remains tight-lipped about whether the role of Dorothy will be cast Part Two.

evil

Universal

The title card

“Wicked: Part 1” is written in the same font as “The Wizard of Oz” in the 1939 film.

Nessarose’s shoes

Elphaba’s younger sister receives her mother’s pair of jeweled shoes, a gift from her father. Although they start out silver, fans of the musical know that these particular heels eventually turn ruby ​​red (I won’t say how) and end up on Dorothy’s feet. It’s consistent with the lore: the Wicked Witch of the West’s sister is the one wearing the shoes when the house falls upon her The Wizard of Oz. For an added Easter egg, there are also striped socks in the Nessarose film.

Glinda also holds a pair of ruby ​​red shoes during “Popular”, but these are not the ones Nessa wears at the end.

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A slight gorge

On the first day of school, Miss Cottle is amazed at Elphaba’s unexpected and short-term enrollment at Shiz. She brushes it off, saying it’s “just a little ravine” and mentions the name Almira Gulch, Dorothy’s evil neighbor, who she imagines as the Wicked Witch of the West.

Take Toto

MGM Studios//Getty Images

“Somewhere over the rainbow”

Composer Stephen Schwartz has spoken in interviews about how he used the first seven notes of the famous “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” melody (written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg) in Wicked’s “Unlimited” melody – the rhythm is just different . Schwartz wanted to incorporate Dorothy’s wish song into Elphaba’s wish song, as the “Unlimited” motif appears in “The Wizard and I” and later in “Defying Gravity”. It’s a sneaky but moving tribute.

Fiyero and Boq’s poses

Fiyero’s cool attitude at school isn’t just for vanity; They also foreshadow his future. In one moment he is posing with his arms outstretched in the doorway and in “Dancing Through Life” he is also hanging upside down in one of the spinning wheels. The original musical’s lyrics make similar references, with lines like “Life is less painful for the brainless.”

As for Boq, he has been seen holding up a croquet mallet the way a certain character in “Oz” holds up an axe. have fans also pointed out When Glinda gives him a red handkerchief, she places it on his heart.

Poppies

Dr. Dillamond mentions that poppies are his favorite flower, to which Elphaba replies, “Me too.” She later brings him a bouquet full of poppies, which she accidentally causes to levitate, sending her entire class (except Fiyero) into a deep sleep. It is a reference to the Wicked Witch of the West, who leads Dorothy and her friends into a poppy field to keep them away from the wizard.

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Elphaba rides a bike

As they leave class, Fiyero and Elphaba grab a pair of bikes on campus and head into the forest. Elphaba puts the cub in the basket of her bicycle, but he has his little head sticking out of the lid – just like Toto did when Dorothy’s neighbor took him.

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Universal

“Can’t get yourself wet.”

When it starts to rain, Madame Morrible opens her umbrella over Elphaba’s head and tells her, “Don’t let yourself get wet,” which also appears in the stage musical. In the scene it appears to be a simple kind gesture, but it is a reference to Dorothy fatally splashing her with water, which resulted in her death.

The Salon in Emerald City

During “One Short Day”, Elphaba and Glinda are invited for a short trip to the Emerald City saloon, just as Dorothy & Co. were prepared when they arrived there.

The Wizard’s Model City

In a scene that does not appear in the musical, the wizard shows Elphaba and Glinda a model of his vision for the future of Oz. They help him decide what color Main Street should be, experimenting with blue and purple, but ultimately ending up with Yellow.

LR Jeff Goldblum is the Wizard of Oz and Michelle Yeoh is Madam Morrible in Wicked, directed by Jon M Chu

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

The Wizard’s Curtain

During “A Sentimental Man,” the wizard invites the two witches to dance behind the curtain, which could literally be a reference to “Beware the Man Behind the Curtain.” The Wizard of Oz. His shadows on the curtain also indicate how Elphaba’s melting is staged in the theater production.

Flying monkeys

When Elphaba practices a levitation spell in the Grimmerie, she accidentally forces the wizard’s army of monkeys to grow wings. As an animal lover, she hadn’t intended this, but the wizard assures her that they could make great spies for unwanted animal activity. Such is the backstory of the Legion of Flying Companions of the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Universal

The hot air balloon

As Elphaba and Glinda flee from the wizard, they end up in an attic where the wizard’s hot air balloon is stored – a reference to the one he uses for transportation The Wizard of Oz. To escape the guards, the witches jump into the balloon and try to fly away, but the ceiling traps them before they can escape.

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Headshot by Erica Gonzales

Erica Gonzales is Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of television, films, music, books and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There’s a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.

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