When it comes to movie adaptations of musicals, every decision, every note sung, every line spoken, and every scene included could make or break the magic for fans. The highly anticipated Wicked movie has dazzled audiences since its November 22, 2024 release. With its realistic visuals and powerful performances, Wicked has become the highest-grossing film based on a musical. Still, as details of its deleted scenes emerge with its digital release, a question lingers: did the film truly reach its true potential? These omitted scenes, some of which expand character arcs and deepen the narrative’s emotional value, offer more than just bonus content for the digital copy of the movie.
The quickly beloved movie was released digitally across popular platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and many more on December 31, 2024. Due to its initial success at the box office, many fans assumed it would stay in theaters for a little longer, though they were pleasantly surprised to hear that it would be available for download over streaming sites on New Year’s Eve. Fans did not love the price of the digital version of the movie as it significantly surpassed movie ticket prices. With the digital version of the movie priced around $29.99 throughout streaming platforms(prices may vary), the movie came with deleted and unedited scenes.
Following the movie’s digital release, Universal Pictures, the company that has held the rights to Wicked for years, released 10 extended and deleted scenes on the digital download version of Wicked. The scenes released were: “Pfannee & ShenShen Meet Glinda”, “Shiz Gazette Introduces Fiyero”, “Toss Toss”, “Elphaba & Fiyero in the Forest”, “Elphaba’s Promise”, “Train Platform Farewell”, “Boq & Elphaba Talk”, “Train Ride to Emerald City”, “In the Emerald City”, and “Palace Monkeys Chase”. These deleted scenes had strong powerful moments that would have added even more depth to the movie. The deleted scenes further evolve character relationships and development.
One scene that reflects the loss potential of the movie, “Elphaba’s Promise”, shows Glinda confronting Elphaba about the poppy scene where Elphaba casts a sleep spell on her class. In the scene, Elphaba and Fiyero run away and rescue a lion cub. This scene reflects Glinda’s insecurity, which isn’t prominently developed in the film Glinda tells Elphaba that she would have helped her rescue the cub too if she had asked. Elphaba promises to trust Glinda from now on, making the moment they share in the song “Defying Gravity” more heartbreaking after Elphaba and Glinda are separated, breaking their promises. These deleted scenes also hold significant value in deepening the complex relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, tracing their emotional evolution from rivals who loathe each other to true friends.
Director Jon M. Chu explained in a December 2024 interview that while it was hard to cut certain scenes, he did so “to serve the bigger grand scheme of what the movie was trying to do, and have a rhythm that could be sustainable.” Though the movie was flawless to many, the cut scenes would have enhanced the movie greatly. The scenes between Elphaba and Glinda display all sides of their friendship, allowing it to look more natural as they become enemies to friends. In the movie, it just seemed like they instantly became friends after helping each other once. The deleted scenes make the development of their friendship smoother and make scenes further in the movie more impactful.