Spoilers for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked Part One, and Oz the Great and Powerful!

 

          The Oz universe spans over a century. It started with L. Frank Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which sparked numerous other book and film adaptations. 

          The first book was published in 1900 and the original author, L. Frank Baum wrote thirteen more full-length books afterwards set in the mystical land of Oz. After his death, numerous authors also contributed books to the Oz series, until there were a total of forty.

          However, the book that is most well known, and sparked numerous films was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It follows a young girl from Kansas, named Dorothy, who gets sent to the land of Oz through a tornado. In Oz, she meets the scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tin man who wants a heart, and the cowardly lion who seeks courage. Dorothy, more than anything, wants to return home to Kansas. The four characters go on a journey to meet the Wizard in Emerald City, who can supposedly grant all their wishes.  

 

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

          The Wizard of Oz is a classic film, which has been viewed by numerous generations. It follows the same plot as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. and tells the story in an incredibly entertaining way. It features iconic characters that include Dorothy, The Wicked Witch of The West, Glinda the Good Witch, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, and the Wizard. This film premiered when movies were still relatively new. Despite this, the film does an incredible job of capturing the mystery and magic of Oz. 

          The film features the “Wicked” Witch of the West and Glinda the “Good” Witch, who become important characters in their own right. Their origins are depicted in different ways in films like Wicked and Oz the Great and Powerful. 

The film also introduces the storyline of the Wizard being an ordinary man. While this is only brushed upon in the film, Wicked and Oz the Great and Powerful explore this topic in more detail. That reveal is such an unexpected twist, as the magic of the Emerald City and of the Wizard wasn’t real. 

          At the end of the movie, Dorothy awakes in her bed in her home, surrounded by the people we saw her interact with in Kansas at the beginning of the film. She exclaims to them that she saw their doppelgangers in the Land of Oz. This ending allows audiences to question whether she travelled to Oz, or if the whole experience was simply a dream. 

 

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

          Oz the Great and Powerful is a film produced by Disney, that depicts The Wizard of Oz’s origin story. 

          Oscar Diggs is a deceptive carnival magician who gets swept in a tornado, similar to Dorothy, and sent to Oz. In Oz, he meets Theodora, who believes he is the wizard sent to kill the witch who killed her king. Oscar is aware he is not a wizard, but continues to let Theodora believe she is correct. On their journey to the Emerald City, Theodora falls in love with Oscar. When they arrive, Oscar is introduced to Theodora’s sister Evanora, and attempts to charm her, though she is less naive than Theodora. Evanora sends him to kill the Wicked Witch and Oscar, hesitatingly, agrees. However, upon meeting the “wicked witch,” it is revealed she was the good witch all along and Evanora was evil. The two fall in love, which is revealed to Theodora. She then sheds her naivety and transforms into a hideous Wicked Witch. Evanora is pleased with this, and the two work together. However, Oscar uses machinery and tricks to defeat them and win the battle. Oscar then takes his place as the Wizard of Oz.

          This film is an interesting take on the origins of the Wizard. He was able to deceive a whole land into thinking he was a wizard, using clever tricks. The movie also depicts how Theodora became the Wicked Witch of the West we see in The Wizard of Oz. It also questions if Theodora is really as “wicked” as she is perceived, or if she was simply a victim of deceit and betrayal. Was the Wizard the true “wicked” being all along?

 

Wicked Part One (2024)

          The movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, Wicked, was highly anticipated by critics and fans alike, and it did not disappoint. 

          Wicked explores the origins of the Wicked Witch of The West, Elphaba, and Glinda the Good Witch. They meet at the Shiz university and go from fuming roommates to best friends. Initially, Elphaba was not enrolled, but helped her sister Nessa adjust to life on campus. However, when witnessing her magic the headmaster invited Elphaba to be her prodigy. Elphaba is grateful for this opportunity, as she sees it as a chance to meet the Wizard who will be the only person who truly understands her. She is then assigned to room with Glinda, then named Galinda. They immediately butt heads as Galinda is popular and beloved, and Elphaba is feared and bullied for her green skin. However, Galinda experiences sensitivity and compassion towards Elphaba, at a dance, and the two become incredibly close. Elphaba’s magic becomes stronger and she soon receives an invitation to meet the Wizard. She is ecstatic and brings Galinda to the Emerald City to support her. However, upon meeting the Wizard they discover he is a fraud and needed Elphaba to do his bidding. Galinda believes Elphaba should aid the Wizard, but Elphaba feels betrayed and believes the Wizard’s intentions to be nefarious. The movie ends with a sweet exchange between Galinda and Elphaba, as Elphaba is being chased by guards. Elphaba uses her magic to break free from the tower and start a new adventure. 

          Of course, this is not the end of the story, as a second part was confirmed for November of 2025. However, it was interesting to get another backstory for the two famous witches. Similar to Oz The Great and Powerful, the Wicked Witch of the West was betrayed by the Wizard. However, Wicked offers an interesting twist with the two witches being friends before the events of The Wizard of Oz. 

 

          The Wizard of Oz universe is incredibly fascinating and is much more vast than what was covered in the article, as I simply shared the highlights. I thought all the movies were incredible and the two backstories of the two witches in Oz The Great and Powerful and Wicked, were interesting. The former shows the witches being in love with Oz, while the latter explores the possibility of a friendship between the witches. I am very excited to see how their relationship sours in Wicked: Part Two, and how they get the two to the point of despising each other in The Wizard of Oz. 

          Wicked is my favourite of the three movies, as it has such a gripping plot with excellent acting and amazing music. The Wizard of Oz comes in second because of its fun family-friendly story, and impressive quality for 1939. I love Oz: The Great and Powerful, however, it was competing against two very formidable films. The story was great, but I loved the musical energy of the other films. 

          I strongly encourage everyone to watch the films and truly appreciate the incredible stories in the Oz universe.