How 'Wicked: For Good' revisits iconic Oz moments

The film's creators explain how they incorporated nods to the 1939 classic while also expanding the lore with their own twists

- Ashley Lee

IN A WAY, "WICKED: FOR GOOD" IS A COMPANION FILM TO "THE WIZARD OF Oz," imagining what was really happening when a girl named Dorothy landed in Oz. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the Universal sequel references iconography from the 1939 movie and infuses these classic images with unexpected backstories and deeper meanings. Here, The Envelope breaks down the five key "Wizard of Oz" visuals, as remixed in "Wicked: For Good."

1 THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

The opening scene reveals that Dorothy's road map to Emerald City is meant to reinforce the Wizard's rule in every corner of Oz. Even more heartbreaking is who constructs the road itself: "The captured animals are now being forced to work slave labor," said Winnie Holzman, who wrote the screenplay with Dana Fox.

"The road being built in this corrupt, cruel way was a natural outgrowth of everything set up in the first movie." The animals are chained to an automated vehicle that lays the yellow bricks, made by the Munchkins, "who've lost all their colors in this process of building this oppressive symbol," said production designer Nathan Crowley. The road is paired with a million yellow tulips planted by farmer Mark Eves.

"They bloomed so beautifully they seduce you," said Crowley, "just like the Wizard does."

2 'NO PLACE LIKE HOME'