Wicked: For Good facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wicked: For Good |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jon M. Chu |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Alice Brooks |
| Editing by | Myron Kerstein |
| Studio | Marc Platt Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 4, 2025 (Suhai Music Hall) November 21, 2025 (United States) |
| Running time | 137 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Money made | $237.8 million |
Wicked: For Good is a 2025 musical fantasy movie and the sequel to the 2024 film Wicked. It is also known as Wicked: Part Two. The movie was directed by Jon M. Chu and is based on the second half of the famous Broadway musical Wicked.
The story is a new take on the world of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of the Land of Oz before Dorothy arrived. The movie stars Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. It follows their journey as they become known as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Many actors from the first film, like Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum, returned for this sequel.
Wicked: For Good premiered in November 2025 and was a success at the box office.
Contents
Plot
After standing up to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Elphaba is now hiding in a forest. The Wizard's press secretary, Madame Morrible, has spread lies about her, calling her the "Wicked Witch of the West". Elphaba continues to fight for the rights of the Animals in Oz. Meanwhile, Glinda is now famous and engaged to Fiyero Tigelaar, who is the new Captain of the Gale Force.
Elphaba visits her sister, Nessarose, who is now the governor of Munchkinland. Nessa is upset that her love, Boq Woodsman, wants to leave her for Glinda. She tries to cast a love spell on him from Elphaba's spellbook, but it goes wrong and shrinks his heart. To save him, Elphaba turns him into a man made of tin, the Tin Woodman.
Elphaba goes to the Emerald City to face the Wizard. He and Glinda ask her to join them, but she refuses when she discovers he has been caging Animals and taking away their ability to speak. Elphaba frees the Animals and escapes with Fiyero, who leaves Glinda to help her. A heartbroken Glinda suggests to the Wizard that they spread a rumor that Nessa is in danger to lure Elphaba out.
In a hidden castle, Elphaba and Fiyero realize they love each other. But Madame Morrible creates a real tornado that carries a house from Kansas to Oz, which lands on and kills Nessarose. Glinda gives Nessa's magical shoes to the house's owner, a girl named Dorothy Gale, and sends her to see the Wizard.
When Elphaba arrives and finds her sister gone, she and Glinda have a fight. Fiyero is captured by the guards. To save him from harm, Elphaba casts a spell to turn him into a scarecrow so he can't feel pain. Believing she has failed at everything, Elphaba decides to accept her reputation as "wicked."
Dorothy, Boq (the Tin Man), Fiyero (the Scarecrow), and the Cowardly Lion are sent by the Wizard to defeat Elphaba. Glinda goes to the castle to warn Elphaba about an angry mob coming for her. The two friends make peace and say a tearful goodbye. Glinda hides as Dorothy throws a bucket of water on Elphaba, who appears to melt away.
Later, Glinda discovers that the Wizard is Elphaba's real father. Feeling ashamed, the Wizard leaves Oz in his hot air balloon. Glinda becomes the new leader of Oz, arrests Madame Morrible, and restores the rights of the Animals. In the end, it is revealed that Elphaba faked her death. She reunites with Fiyero, and they leave Oz together, free at last.
Cast
- Ariana Grande as Galinda "Glinda" Upland, a popular young woman now known as Glinda the Good.
- Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, a smart and caring young woman with green skin, who becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, a prince who becomes Captain of the Gale Force. Elphaba later turns him into the Scarecrow to save him.
- Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, a Munchkin who is turned into the Tin Man by Elphaba.
- Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, the former headmistress of Shiz University and the Wizard's press secretary.
- Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
- Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Elphaba's younger sister and the Governor of Munchkinland.
- Bowen Yang as Pfannee, one of Glinda's college friends.
- Bronwyn James as ShenShen, another of Glinda's college friends.
- Keala Settle as Miss Coddle.
- Bethany Weaver as Dorothy Gale, a girl from Kansas who arrives in Oz.
How the Movie Was Made
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A Two-Part Story
A movie based on the musical Wicked was first announced in 2012. After many years of planning, director Jon M. Chu decided to split the story into two movies. He explained that a single film would not have enough time to tell the whole story of the characters and songs that fans love.
Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music for the original musical, agreed. He said that the song "Defying Gravity" was a natural place to end the first movie. Splitting the story also allowed them to add more details and even new songs.
Filming and Sets
Filming for both Wicked movies began in December 2022 in England. The actors sang their songs live on set, which is unusual for a movie musical. This was done to make the performances feel more real and emotional.
The director was inspired by movies like Hook and wanted to use real, large-scale sets instead of just computer effects. For the Munchkinland scenes, the crew planted nine million real tulips. They also built a real Yellow Brick Road. The costume for the Tin Man was created using a mix of makeup, a physical suit, and some visual effects.
Music and Songs
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The movie features famous songs from the second act of the musical, including "Wonderful," "As Long as You're Mine," "No Good Deed," and "For Good."
Stephen Schwartz also wrote two new songs for the movie. One is called "No Place Like Home," which Elphaba sings to the Animals. The other new song is "The Girl in the Bubble," sung by Glinda. The music was arranged for a large 125-piece orchestra to make it sound even bigger and more epic than the stage show.
From Stage to Screen
Because the story was split into two films, the creators could add more details and make some changes from the original stage musical.
- Dorothy plays a bigger part in the movie. We see her arrive in Oz, meet the Wizard, and confront Elphaba.
- A new scene shows the Animals being forced to build the Yellow Brick Road. Elphaba tries to inspire them to fight back with her new song, "No Place Like Home."
- The movie puts a strong focus on the fight for Animal rights, which is a theme from the beginning to the end.
- Glinda gets a new song called "The Girl in the Bubble," where she sings about choosing to be truly good instead of just popular.
- At the end of the movie, Glinda welcomes the Animals back into society and promises to make Oz a better place for everyone.
Release and Marketing
Wicked: For Good premiered around the world in November 2025. It was released in theaters in the United States on November 21, 2025.
To get audiences excited, Universal Pictures released several trailers. The first full trailer was shown in theaters in June 2025. The trailers received millions of views online. There were also TV specials, including Wicked: One Wonderful Night on NBC, where the cast performed songs from the movie. The film was very successful and made a lot of money at the box office.
Future
The creators of the Wicked movies have said they might explore more stories in the world of Oz. Also, theme park attractions based on the films are being developed for Universal parks.
See also
In Spanish: Wicked: For Good para niños
- Adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- List of films produced back-to-back
- List of films split into multiple parts
