With the Wicked movie being divided into two parts, new lore was inevitable — and one new piece of lore, thanks to utilization of some key cameos, brought added depth to the world of Wicked, while paying homage to the story's past.
The movie adaptation of Wicked is one in a long legacy of Oz stories of the past.
Universal's Wicked Part 1 comes 21 years after the debut of the Broadway show by Stephen Schwartz, 29 years after the publication of the novel by Gregory Maguire, 85 years after The Wizard of Oz movie, and 124 years after the world was first introduced to Oz in the novel by L. Frank Baum.
Throughout the movie, there are several allusions to Oz's past, with one bridging the gap between the real world and the fantastical in an exciting way.
Wicked Part 1 Cameos Explained
The rest of this article contains spoilers for Wicked Part 1 of new content not from the Broadway show.
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, Elphaba and Glinda from the original Broadway cast of Wicked when it debuted in 2003, not only make an appearance in 2024's Wicked Part 1, but bring a whole new layer of lore to Oz through a brand new piece of music.
During the song "One Short Day" in the Broadway show, there is a part of the song featuring "Wizomania," a stage show Elphaba and Glinda see in the Emerald City. The same thing happens in Wicked Part 1, but the sequence is extended and audiences get a little more of the "Wizomania" performance.
Notably, the song talks about the history of Oz — both in terms of the Wizard of Oz's arrival by hot air balloon, but even long before that. The players introduce "The Wise Ones," who are revealed to be Menzel and Chenoweth.
Who Are "The Wise Ones" in Wicked?
In-universe, The Wise Ones are ancient beings in Oz who wrote the Grimmerie, the spell book Elphaba uses later in the story.
This is the first time in any version of the Wicked story — musical or novel — that the writers of the Grimmerie are revealed. In the novel, the book comes from Earth, and was seemingly brought to Oz by a sorcerer long ago. In the musical, the book is given little if any origin at all.
For the movie, though, it is established that The Wise Ones wrote it, helping to create the basis for not only Elphaba's magic, but for so much of the culture and belief in the land of Oz.
Out-of-universe, this is a perfect way to incorporate the legends of Menzel and Chenoweth into the story of the characters they helped shape.
On top of this, Menzel and Chenoweth get to bring the most significant musical addition to Wicked in the first of the two movies with their extended sequence in "One Short Day."
On the official soundtrack, they are listed as being featured in the song "One Short Day," so technically their new material is part of the existing song, but its melody and lyrics are brand new for the film. And, of course, being The Wise Ones allows Menzel and Chenoweth to each pay homage to their Wicked characters in their own way.
In a tribute to her Elphaba, Menzel sings the iconic "Defying Gravity" riff as was originally written for Broadway (Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the movie, performs the riff in her own new way for the actual song).
As for Glinda, Chenoweth has a musical moment reminiscent of Glinda's parts of "No One Mourns the Wicked," and does a bit with her magic wand similar the ballgown sequence in "Popular."
Finally, baked into their cameos is a moment for them to interact with their movie counterparts. Menzel sings to Erivo, while Chenoweth sings to Ariana Grande-Butera, in what truly feels like a passing the baton moment from Elphaba to Elphaba and Glinda to Glinda.
It ends with the two Wise Ones essentially sending off the next generation of Elphaba and Glinda, with the song picking up with the rest of "Wizomania" from the stage version of the show.
Wicked Part One is now playing in theaters.
More Wicked Spoilers
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
