Did you know that Wicked and Frozen have something in common?

Warning – The following article contains minor spoilers for “Wicked” as it mentions one of its surprises in particular. Please continue unless you want to know something until you see it.

There was Wonka in 2023. And it’s Wicked that provides the category “A great family, musical and colorful holiday show” this year. Another prequel (this time to The Wizard of Oz), but one that wasn’t created from scratch. John M. Chu’s film is actually inspired by a 2003 show created by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holtzman, which itself was adapted from a 1996 book by Gregory Maguire.

The musical, which ran in New York in 2003 and in London in 2006, is still performed there today and is one of the biggest successes of its genre. Which is reflected at the box office (at least in France, where Wicked has never been performed and is therefore less established), as the feature film has already earned $378 million worldwide, including just $281 million in the States, making it the fifth-biggest hit of the year there.

Even before it hit theaters, Wicked was already a phenomenon. And he owes it as much to his themes (fear of others, demonization, considering animal abuse) as to his songs. of which are very light “popular” And very intense “Defying Gravity”A hit that closes the first part of the show (and the film, which was released last December 4 in France) and whose influence goes far beyond Broadway or the West End.

If Wicked’s influence on a film like Maleficent (a re-reading of Sleeping Beauty from the villain’s point of view) is obvious, it’s less so than Frozen. And yet. Already in its narrative, the 2014 Oscar-winning animated film tells the story of Anna and her sister Elsa, whose magical powers have plunged the kingdom of Arendelle into eternal winter. Which is reminiscent of the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West.

On a musical level, so many experts have noted the similarity between “Defying Gravity” and “released, delivered”. First of all, in themes, because the two songs talk about emancipation and who we are, but also in their respective structures.

The proximity is reinforced by the fact that Idina Menzel, who played Elsa in the original version of Frozen, also played Elphaba in Wicked, from October 2003 to January 2005 in New York, then from September to December 2006 in London when the show arrived. channel. While Cynthia Erivo is in the process of choosing her place in the collective unconscious, she remains one of the show’s most iconic faces… and the feature film she inspired manages to orchestrate their meeting.

After praising the film, Kristin Chenoweth (onstage opposite Idina Menzel as Glinda) hit it off when asked about a cameo. So, let the surprise be a little more beautiful for the fans when they see the two actresses arrive on a beautiful stage in the Emerald City, where the two heroes attend a show about the arrival of the Wizard of Oz.

“It was like running a broom.”

A deeply symbolic sequence that brings two generations of Glinda and Elphaba face to face, and in which even Idina Menzel refers “Defying Gravity”. “It was really extraordinary.”– said Ariana Grande Diversity About these ghosts. “Having these two women by our side who helped write, create and birth our characters, to see them embrace versions of us, it was unreal.

“There’s a moment when Idina looks at my hat and sends me on my way.”says Cynthia Erivo, the film’s Elphaba. “Without falling into cliché, receiving the Queen’s blessing in person was very, very beautiful.” An inevitable magical appearance that, in addition to delighting fans, further strengthens the connection between Wicked and Frozen.