The ‘Wicked’ Movie Made One Huge Improvement to the Stage Show

As someone who grew up with “Wicked” as an integral part of my musical theater-loving soul, I must say that this film adaptation has truly captured my heart in ways I never thought possible. The addition of adorable, fully-realized CGI animals has breathed fresh life into the story and made me care about the animal plotline like never before.

In the film “Wicked”, the marketing emphasizes a tale about female friendship between pink and green witches set in a girl-centric Hogwarts-like school. However, it’s more than just a musical or Ariana Grande movie – it’s also a talking-animal movie. The first act revolves around the legal status of animal citizens in Oz, who are being marginalized and persecuted in a plot reminiscent of the Third Reich. This theme is the backbone of the story, driving Elphaba to rebel against the Wizard, as seen in her iconic song “Defying Gravity”. This political subtext sets “Wicked” apart and adds depth to the show.

In the live performance, characters from Dillamond & Co. are portrayed by human actors wearing headpieces and prosthetics, making them appear as steampunk anthropomorphic creatures. Flying monkeys, on the other hand, are characterized more through agile movements and body language reminiscent of Serkis’ style, rather than their physical appearance. The visuals can be quite raw and underwhelming compared to intricate puppetry seen in productions like The Lion King. Growing up, I saw the stage production of Wicked once but frequently listened to the original Broadway cast recording, often skipping Track 5 – “Something Bad.” This song is the only place where the animal-related elements are explicitly mentioned in the story. However, as music, it’s not particularly enjoyable to listen to and caught me off guard when I revisited the show as an adult because Dr. Dillamond plays a significant role in driving the main plot. Initial trailers for the movie didn’t reveal any mention of Dillamond at all. So, one might wonder how this character would translate well onto the screen.

As a film enthusiast, I’d rephrase the given text as follows: In an unexpected twist, the movie version of “Wicked: Part One” transforms Dr. Dillamond into a charming character. Thankfully, Oz! The film stays true to the musical’s initial act but extends its duration by an hour, filling in the extra time with additional dialogue, humor, and world development. A significant portion of this development is dedicated to creating photorealistic CGI animals clad in clothing, giving them a more lifelike appearance compared to those in typical live-action Disney adaptations, albeit without the taxidermy feel or soulless gaze. The cuteness factor kicks in due to their clothing and improved character designs, which are less hideous than traditional 2-D characters.

(Okay, one brief nitpick: The fact that the animals’ plight is rendered overtly as a parallel to the slow creep of Nazism — with the normalization of anti-animal prejudice and animals who once held positions of power throughout higher education being barred from teaching — makes Glinda’s whole deal very strange. By the time the film reaches the climactic moment of “Defying Gravity,” Glinda’s urging Elphaba to just calm down, go along with and apologize to the wizard equates to her saying, “Elfie, listen to me, just be racist!”)

The character that most effectively brings CGI animals to life is Dr. Dillamond, voiced by Peter Dinklage. All it took was making him look like a real, endearing goat with glasses and knitwear reminiscent of the Banshees of Inisherin, and for the first time in over 20 years of loving Wicked, I found myself genuinely engaged with the animal storyline. On stage, Dr. Dillamond is simply a character actor in a goat mask, and the “animals should be seen, not heard” plot is just a cumbersome metaphor. However, on screen, seeing Elphaba and Glinda’s history professor as an adorable little goat evoked the same emotional response I get from movies featuring dogs in danger; it amplified the stakes and made Elphaba’s campaign resonate more deeply. Dr. Dillamond’s daily life as a goat in human society is filled with visually interesting details, such as his lever-operated classroom projector and teapot that tips when he knocks it. His friends include a snow leopard with a large white mustache and a miniature marmoset who also sports a large white mustache. Although it’s quite whimsical, these details add depth to the material. When Dr. Dillamond is subjected to hate crimes or taken away by authorities, it’s especially heart-wrenching because he is just a sweet little goat. No longer is this simply an inelegant metaphor for witch hunts and discrimination; it becomes as emotionally impactful as Au Hasard Balthazar. This is the most significant enhancement the film makes to the stage production.

And yet, zero cute Dr. Dillamond merch? An outrage!

2024-11-22 16:54

The ‘Wicked’ Movie Made One Huge Improvement to the Stage Show

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