Musical adaptations can be hit or miss, but it seems Universal Pictures knocked it out of the park with the first half of its take on Wicked.
The beloved musical first released to stages in 2003, and for more than two decades its persisted as an easy favorite among musical theatre fans. Based loosely on Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical achieved far greater acclaim than the 1995 novel. It became a worldwide sensation following its early 2000s release, and now its achieving even greater heights as it makes its way to the silver screen.
There was plenty of anxiety, among longtime fans of the musical, over whether Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were the best choices, over whether it truly needed to be in two parts, and over whether or not the story would be bastardized on its journey from stage to screen. Those concerns are bleeding away, in the wake of the film’s release, as sky-high reviews greet its official big screen debut.
Audiences are walking away from Wicked absolutely dazzled by each element laid out by the filmmakers. Those concerns over casting went out the window as soon as Erivo and Grande appeared on screen, everyone started counting the days until Part Two the moment the credits started rolling, and the story is receiving near-universal praise. Everything from the acting to the music to the scenery is getting rampant praise from viewers, many of whom will be riding high on the magic of Wicked for days, or even weeks, to come.
The incredible backdrops of Wicked
Far too many modern cinematic releases are filmed in a studio, with stellar special effects teams tapped to bring the bland setting to life. Wicked departed from this irritating trend with its gorgeous visuals, the bulk of which are merely enhanced, rather than created. The first half of the two-part series was filmed across several eye-catching locations, rather than rooted in a CGI hell hole, and the results speak for themselves.
Now don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to find the real Munchkinland nestled among Wicked‘s filming locations, but you will find real-world areas like Ivinghoe, a town in Buckinghamshire, England. That’s where an ambitious outdoor set was erected, complete with yellow brick road and a dazzling, life-size art deco-inspired train for Elphaba and Glinda to ride.
An eye-popping nine million tulips of every color were planted ahead of filming to really sell the magical, color-drenched Oz, and large-scale sets and practical effects were broadly used to help lend realism and weight to the final product. It paid off spectacularly, if early reviews are any indication, and people are still reeling from the enchanting visuals served up by the flick.
Most of the outdoor Oz scenes were filmed at the Ivinghoe set, but various other scenes from the film were captured at Elstree, England’s freshly-built Sky Studios, along with some scenes filmed in Atlanta. There are plenty of visual effects tossed in to elevate those practical inclusions, but there’s a thread of realism tossed into even the most magical moments witnessed across Wicked‘s 160 minute runtime.