So, here’s the deal: The Wicked Witch of the West – yeah, she’s gone now, and just about everyone in Oz is overjoyed. Even Glinda, who’s usually all about kindness, steps up to burn a puppet of her old foe. But back in the day? She and that so-called “Wicked” Witch were actually super tight friends.

Their story kicks off way back when they were college students at the University of Shiz. Glinda – though she used to go by Galinda – had big dreams of studying under Madame Morrible, this big-name witchcraft professor. But surprise! Madame Morrible was way more interested in Elphaba, a green-skinned girl who felt pretty friendless but had some serious magical skills.

The film itself is all about contrasts – it’s colorful and fast-paced with storylines that make you wanna dive deeper into them. But here’s the twist: we’ve gotta hang tight for another year to really know everything that’s going on behind the curtain.

Elphaba’s journey tackles a deep question: Why does evil exist? Her story starts with this little Munchkin girl asking that very thing. Born different but genuinely kind-hearted, Elphaba’s faced everything from her dad’s rejection to classmates freaking out over her looks. She’s got family drama piling up too and feels like an outsider even with others around her.

Meanwhile, there’s Glinda over there being… well… peak Glinda—super blonde, kinda shallow but nice enough, and obsessed with popularity. It’s like having Wednesday and Enid sharing some weird dorm in their wicked wizard school days!
Ever feel like references just pile up in your head? That’s how it is with Shiz; it’s kinda like another version of Hogwarts, or Nevermore, or even the Academy of Good and Evil. Think about what Paul Feig did with that movie. Oh, and Jon M. Chu’s project also feels a bit like the Fantastic Beasts series; there’s this oppressive movement demonizing Oz’s creatures. One by one, they start vanishing—they’re taken from their spots, silenced, hunted down, and caged up. Their lessons get swapped out for rules by new teachers who just want kids to ignore history—a classic move to keep everyone in line.

Now talk about casting: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande totally fit the Oz universe vibes perfectly. They represent those two sides that never mix—like night and day—but they really show how our world feels these days: super divided over everything from fashion to morals. Elphaba grows up fast in this story; she decides to ditch that “be like everyone else” dream and goes all-in on her identity. Meanwhile, Glinda, who’s been rocking her perfect pink image for ages, starts questioning things herself.