Wicked is a hugely popular series with a massive fanbase worldwide. However, I’m confident my daughters, who are eight and nine years old, are among the most dedicated fans you’ll ever meet.
My daughters are obsessed with Wicked. They have dolls, brooms, and pointy hats from the show, and they constantly sing the songs – while tidying up, on car rides, or whenever there’s a moment of peace. My youngest even had a *Wickedthemed birthday party when she was six, before the popular movie came out. Last year, they performed a song from the show, dressed in costume with green makeup, at their school talent show.
Like I said, obsessive.
They saw Wicked: For Good on November 17, 2025, a year after seeing the original Wicked. In the year between, it felt like hardly a week went by without them talking about the movies, the show, or The Wizard of Oz. While I had my own opinion about the sequel, I was most interested in hearing what they thought.
As my children get older, I’ve really enjoyed bringing them to advance movie screenings and, even more, discussing the films with them afterwards. These conversations are so engaging that I started recording them – secretly at first, but now with everyone’s excitement – and sharing them with others. What you’ll find below is a slightly edited version of one of these discussions (with some key plot points removed for those who haven’t seen the movie). It features me, my daughters, and my wife, who is arguably an even bigger fan of Wicked than they are – and that’s saying something!
Two things you need to know to follow the discussion.
- My kids are currently rehearsing a children’s theater production of The Wizard of Oz. My oldest plays the Scarecrow, and my youngest plays Toto.
- They are horrified by the slightest display of physical affection between adults, which they detest and describe as “smoochy kisses.”
The rest should be self-explanatory.
Dad: So what did you think of the movie?
8 Year Old: Grrrrrreat. Would you rather watch the first or the second movie again?
Dad: Well that’s what I was going to ask you. Which did you like better?
8 Year Old: I don’t know.
[9 Year Old makes an exasperated face]
Dad: You liked the second movie better?
9 Year Old: Duh!
Dad: Why?
You know, as a movie lover, I was really struck by how much more musical this one is. The first half is already fantastic with some great tunes, but honestly, the second half just gets to you. It’s surprisingly emotional – I actually found myself getting a little teary-eyed!
Mom: You cried more in this one?
9 Year Old: Definitely. I didn’t cry at all in the first movie.
Mom: What made you cry?
9 Year Old: The end. It was sad.
[To 8 Year Old] Dad: Did you cry?
[8 Year Old nods]
Mom: Multiple times. I handed her a tissue and she started bawling.
Dad: What made you cry?
8 Year Old: One of them was like [spoiler redacted; it was a moment during “For Good”].
Dad: But we’ve seen the Broadway show; you knew how it was going to end.
8 Year Old: I knew but it was still sad.
Dad: Ariana Grande is a really good actress, huh? She really sold the emotions of that moment.
8 Year Old: Yeah.
Dad: Didn’t it bother you that the first movie had all the really great songs? This one just doesn’t have any standouts like ‘Defying Gravity’ or ‘Popular’.
8 Year Old: Not so much, because I also really like “For Good” and “No Good Deed.”
Mom: “No Good Deed” was so good.
Dad: What did you think of the new songs?
9 Year Old: I loved them.
Dad: Yeah? Which did you like better?
9 Year Old: I think they were mostly equal. I liked the song about how there’s no place like home.
Dad: I really liked that song. But I have to ask – what did you think of the kiss between Elphaba and Fiyero? (You know, during the song “As Long As You’re Mine”)
9 Year Old: That was another part I almost cried — because it was so bad!
Mom: [pointing to 8 year old] This one was fake vomiting on me.
9 Year Old: I was doing that too!
8 Year Old: I grabbed Mom’s hand and covered my eyes.
Dad: That scene was too much?
8 Year Old: Disgusting.
Dad: There was some smooching and hugging.
You know, my mom was just asking me about Wicked the other day, and she brought up that moment when Elphaba says she feels “wicked” for the first time. It really got me thinking – what does she mean by that? It’s not just about being bad, is it? It’s like she’s realizing the world sees her differently, and maybe even expects her to be a certain way. It’s a powerful moment, and I think it’s about acknowledging that shift in perception.
8 Year Old: That she feels … weird? But … okay?
Dad: I looked over at that point and Mom was, like, nodding her head and smiling. Did you see that?
8 Year Old: Yes.
9 Year Old: Mom was really into it.
Dad: She was going [pumps fist] “Yeah!”
Mom: I was not.
Dad: You weren’t?
Mom: No!
Dad: I must have imagined it.
Dad: So “As Long As Your Mine” was the worst part?
8 Year Old: Yes.
Dad: What was the best part?
9 Year Old: The end.
Dad: What about the end? The last scene? The last song? The way the story wrapped up?
9 Year Old: I feel like it teaches a lesson that friends will always be with you.
Dad: That’s a good lesson.
Mom: Yeah but … [extensive spoiler discussion of the final scene follows]
8 Year Old: I’ll tell you my favorite scene.
Dad: Okay.
The part I liked best was when Glinda had the bottle and gave it to the Wizard. I also thought it was funny when she sounded like Ariana Grande and said, “I hope you prove me wrong. I doubt you will!” And I liked when the monkeys came and she made that sound – “Ooooo!” (My mom wasn’t sure what I meant by that part though).
9 Year Old: I liked how Glinda’s like “I don’t know, make something up. You’re good at that.”
Mom: She had some sassy lines.
9 Year Old: I like the sassy lines.
Dad: I hate the sassy lines.
Our eight-year-old, channeling her favorite Willy Wonka character Veruca Salt (who she admires for being “sassy”), demanded, “Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa now!”
Dad: Exactly.
I didn’t really like how much of it felt like it was made by AI, and the kissing was a bit much. It just didn’t seem very realistic.
Dad: What was something that didn’t look real?
A nine-year-old said the animals, backgrounds, Tin Man, and Scarecrow all looked very unrealistic.
Dad believes the scenery and animals in the movie were created using digital effects, though probably not with AI. He’s confident the Tin Man and Scarecrow were played by actors in makeup, even if the overall look wasn’t great.
9 Year Old: I think it was a little computer in the face.
Dad: Maybe it was a combination.
9 Year: Maybe a little AI.
Dad: The only thing I thought was cool about the Scarecrow, I don’t know if you guys noticed —
Mom: His hair was straw?
Dad: His hair was straw. That was a nice touch. That was cool.
8 Year Old: Yeah.
Mom: They still made Scarecrow look kinda cute.
Dad remarked that the Scarecrow always had great hair, and jokingly wondered if he should get frosted tips to achieve the same look.
8 Year Old: Dad, stop it.
Dad: What did you think of how the Scarecrow and the Tin Man looked in the film?
8 Year Old: I was scared of the Tin Man.
Dad: He looked pretty scary to me too.
I know how he looks in the Wizard of Oz movie! They basically copied his look, but made it more detailed. I didn’t even like the Scarecrow, and I’m the one playing him!
Dad: What about you?
8 Year Old: He was creepy!
Mom: What did you think about how mean Elphaba was to Dororthy?
8 Year Old: Huh?
Dad: She screams at her like “Get those shoes off your feet!”
Mom: And then she paused and sang a very sweet song.
Dad: While she had a child imprisoned under the floor.
Mom: A child is sobbing in her basement while this is occurring.
I was completely stunned when my dad asked my sibling and me how we’d react if he yelled at us, locked us away, and then he and Mom broke into a love song! It was such a bizarre and unexpected question, I couldn’t even process it. Honestly, it felt like something out of a strange dream, and I was just speechless imagining the whole scenario.
8 Year Old: I would throw up.
Dad: Were there any parts that were too scary?
8 Year Old: A little.
Mom: During the Fiyero part you were crying.
8 Year Old: Because that’s scary!
Dad: Okay, now I have a really serious question.
8 Year Old: What?
You’ve watched both Wicked movies and seen the Broadway show. If you could watch it all again, would you prefer to rewatch the movies or go back to the Broadway performance?
9 Year Old: Both movies.
8 Year Old: [loudly while making intense eye contact] MOVIES.
So, if someone offered you a choice this weekend – a ticket to a Broadway show or a movie – you’d actually choose the movie?
8 Year Old: That’s hard.
Mom: I want to see it on Broadway with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
8 Year Old: Yeah, that’s what I want.
Dad: Well, that’s cheating.
Mom: They can sing, man.
Dad wondered if combining the two movies into one long film – about four and a half hours – would be something I’d be interested in seeing, or if it would just be too much.
9 Year Old: Uh…
8 Year Old: I’d be fine.
9 Year Old: Would there be an intermission?
Dad: Let’s say there would be. There’s an intermission on Broadway, so why not?
A nine-year-old said they would absolutely agree! They explained that if they were having that much fun, they wouldn’t even want to take a four-hour bathroom break, because they wouldn’t want to miss a single moment.
Mom: Should they just have made one movie instead of two?
8 Year Old: No!
Dad: Why not?
8 Year Old: Because each one is so long by itself.
9 Year Old: It was suspenseful.
Mom: Should they have cut some things out and just made them into one movie?
8 Year Old: No.
Dad: They added songs, they added scenes. They could have just made one movie.
8 Year Old: No!
9 Year Old: It makes the fans crazier.
Dad: How does it do that?
The movie really grabbed our attention and made us excited for more. The first one was so good that we immediately wanted to see a sequel! Mom was especially thrilled when she found out we were going to see it.
Mom: Yeah. I love Wicked.
9 Year Old: Everyone does.
Dad: And then when Elphaba said “I feel wicked!” she was like [pumps fist] “Yeah!”
Mom: I love that line!
Dad: See? You did react! I wasn’t imagining it!
Mom: Okay, I do love that line.
9 Year Old: [laughs hysterically]
Mom: She says it in this devilish way. She delivered it perfectly.
Dad: She did.
Dad thought that scene was good, though he didn’t react as enthusiastically as Mom. He did have one minor issue, though: he didn’t quite like when Nessa said, “I’m off to see the Wizard!” before leaving.
9 Year Old: Where did that come from?
Dad explained that the scene seems to be inspired by The Wizard of Oz, specifically the song “We’re Off to See the Wizard.”
I enjoyed the show, but some parts were confusing. Right after that thing happened with Elphaba and the spell, she immediately said she was going to see the Wizard and left without apologizing! It felt a little abrupt.
Dad: Yeah, that’s a good point. She makes a big mess and then immediately was like “Peace!”
Mom: I was thinking about the characters, and it seemed like everyone had some good in them. Even Elphaba, who seems wicked, has a good side. And Glinda, who’s supposed to be ‘The Good’ one, definitely does things that aren’t so good, as well as good things. What did you think about Nessa? Did you see any good in her, or was she just a mean person?
8 Year Old: She’s not evil, she’s more like … I don’t know how to describe it.
9 Year Old: She’s annoyed with her life.
Dad: She’s had a hard life.
Mom: Yeah, but she kind of just goes from good to evil.
Dad says she never makes amends for her actions, and then reveals a spoiler about what she does. He points out she actually blames Elphaba for everything, which he thinks is terrible behavior for a sister. He asks if you would ever do something like that to your own sister.
9 Year Old: Never.
Dad: Good.
If she had magic powers, I’d probably be a little jealous, but not a lot. I would never mess up a spell and then try to make it look like it was her fault.
Dad: That’s a relief. What about you?
You know, when I think about how an eight-year-old might react to something, it’s fascinating. If someone had something I wanted, I’d probably feel a little jealous, but I genuinely don’t think I’d be mean about it. It’s that innocent honesty that gets me – and the way they immediately get defensive, like, ‘Why are you looking at me like I’m not telling the truth?’ It’s just so real and relatable, even thinking about it now. It really captures that age perfectly.
Dad: I’m not. [Editor’s Note: I was.]
Mom: I have a question: If they were to make another movie…
9 Year Old: There’s nothing to make.
Dad: What about the continuing adventures of Queen Glinda?
9 Year Old: She’s not a queen.
Dad: Leader Glinda? Wizard Glinda? The New Wizard of Oz!
9 Year Old: No, she’s Glinda the Good.
Dad: They don’t seem to be into a sequel, Mom.
Mom said, “No,” but that wasn’t actually what she meant. She was going to ask if the kids wanted to learn about another character’s story.
9 Year Old: Oh. I want to see Toto’s story.
8 year Old: Toto!
The child explained that the character growls at Glinda because Glinda silenced Toto and sent him away to Kansas.
Mom: Toto? Toto’s who you’re going with?
Dad: Would the movie be called Total Toto?
9 Year Old: Ew, no.
Mom: What would you call it?
9 Year Old: The Dog That Lives in Kansas But Actually Lived in Oz.
Dad: You think that’s a better title than Total Toto?
8 Year Old: No!
Dad: Thank you.
9 Year Old: Or maybe Toto the Toilet!
8 Year Old: Hey, that’s what she called me at rehearsal!
Mom: Toto is a kind of toilet. My friend has one in her house.
9 Year Old: So does play practice.
Mom: They have a Toto toilet?
9 Year Old: Yeah.
8 Year Old: Mom, she actually called me a toilet!
Mom: That’s not cool.
The Differences Between the ‘Wicked’ Movie and Show
1. It’s Half the Show
Despite being advertised simply as Wicked, the film’s full title is more precise: Wicked: Part I. This movie covers only the first half of the Broadway musical, ending where the first act of the play does. (The second half will be released as Wicked: Part II in fall 2025.)
While the movie isn’t a direct copy of the stage show, it’s nearly the same length – around two and a half hours – despite only covering the first act. The reason for this is that the film adds several new scenes not found in the Broadway production. These added scenes account for most of the differences between the two versions.
2. The Flashback to Elphaba’s Childhood
3. CGI Animals
The way the animals are portrayed differs between the Broadway musical and the film adaptation of Wicked. On stage, actors wear costumes, makeup, and masks to play animal characters. In the movie, these characters are created using computer-generated imagery (CGI). For instance, Doctor Dillamond, Elphaba and Glinda’s professor, isn’t just an actor made up to look like a goat—he’s a fully digital goat, complete with glasses and clothes, and voiced by Peter Dinklage.
There are also more animal characters in the film. Besides Dulcibear, there’s an added scene featuring Dillamond and other talking animals that leads into the song “Something Bad.” In the stage version, this song is a duet between Dillamond and Elphaba in a classroom. In the film, Dillamond performs the beginning of the song at home with his fellow animals, and Elphaba joins him later to finish the number.
4. Fiyero and Elphaba Get a Different First Scene
The movie Wicked changes how we first meet Prince Fiyero. Instead of being introduced during his song, “Dancing Through Life,” he now appears in a new scene shortly after Elphaba leaves Doctor Dillamond’s house. She meets him in the woods on his way to school, and they have a quick conversation. He then arrives at Shiz University the next day, with “Dancing Through Life” following soon after.
While this added scene isn’t essential, it gives Fiyero and Elphaba more time to connect. This helps build their relationship, which becomes increasingly important in the second half of the musical – and likely in the upcoming movie, Wicked: Part II.
5. Madame Morrible Personally Trains Elphaba
In the Broadway version of Wicked, Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University, initially appears as a somewhat clumsy older woman who slowly reveals a darker, manipulative side as she assists the Wizard. This portrayal has remained consistent across different actresses.
However, Michelle Yeoh’s portrayal of Morrible in the movie takes a different approach. She’s much more calculating and shrewd from the beginning, immediately taking credit for Elphaba’s magic and pressuring her to join a sorcery seminar. This is notable because Elphaba isn’t even supposed to be a student at Shiz – she’s only there to care for her sister, Nessarose.
The film adds a scene showing one of Morrible’s seminars, where she guides Elphaba in developing her magical abilities. While the Broadway version’s depiction of Morrible worked well for the stage, this new material expands her role, which is especially effective given Yeoh’s talent as an actress.
6. A New Song (With Two Very Important Cameos)
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the original stars of Wicked on Broadway, played a huge role in the show’s success, and are still strongly associated with it almost 20 years after their last performances. They’re featured on the original cast recording and have continued to perform songs from the show in concert. So, it wasn’t surprising to see them appear in the Wicked film, even though Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande now play Elphaba and Glinda.
They appear as citizens of Oz during the musical number “One Short Day,” and also in a new section of the “Wizomania” performance detailing the Wizard’s arrival. They sing a song about the “Grimmerie,” a magical book that only Elphaba can understand. The film adds context to the Grimmerie—in the stage show, it appears suddenly, but the film’s song explains its purpose before Elphaba receives it. It’s a welcome addition and a nice way to include Menzel and Chenoweth.
However, the song itself isn’t particularly catchy or a great showcase for their vocal talents. Still, it was good to see them involved.
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2025-11-19 18:25