Why Wicked was not allowed to use the red slippers from The Wizard of Oz
5 December 2024, 17:40
Dorothy wears silver shoes in Wicked instead of The Wizard of Oz's instantly recognisable ruby red slippers.
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If you're a fan of The Wizard of Oz, you may find Dorothy's slippers in Wicked a little confusifying. Instead of ruby red, they're silver. What you may not realise though is that there's actually several reasons why they're silver in the movie.
The word "iconic" gets thrown around a lot these days but it's undeniable that The Wizard of Oz lays claim to some of the most iconic visuals in cinema history. From the intricate practical sets to the technicolour filming technique, every still is a work of art and Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are all instantly recognisable.
One aspect of the film that's become embedded in pop culture is Dorothy's (well, sorta kinda) ruby red slippers. So why does Wicked swap the ruby red slippers for silver slippers? Here's the story behind the beloved shoes.
- Read more: Who is the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked? Here's what happens in the musical
- Read more: Who is playing Dorothy in Wicked Part 2? The Alisha Weir rumours explained
Why are the slippers silver in Wicked?
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sang live on Wicked
It's long been rumoured that MGM copyrighted the red slippers in The Wizard of Oz and, in doing so, have prevented other projects from using them. Ahead of the release of Wicked, Variety asked director Jon M. Chu if Dorothy's ruby slippers were copyrighted by MGM. He explained: "We had boundaries of what we could reference or not."
He continued: "We never use the ruby slippers. Nessa has on crystal slippers as in the Frank L. Baum book, Gregory Maguire book and the show. I don’t think the phrase “yellow brick road” is copywritten but the shape of the road is. We couldn’t do the spiral. We had to do a circle that continues to show it’s not where the road ends."
As a result, it appears that Universal may not have been allowed to use the ruby red slippers. Nevertheless, they do reference them during 'Popular'. Ariana picks up a pair of red shoes as a suggestion for Elphaba to try on.
In the film, the silver slippers are given to Elphaba's sister Nessarose as a gift from their father. It's only in Part 2 when they make their way to Dorothy.
Are the slippers silver in Wicked the musical?
As Jon M. Chu mentioned, the slippers in Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz book were silver. They're also written as crystal in Gregory Maguire's Wicked book that the musical is based on so the film stays true to that.
As for why the slippers are ruby red in The Wizard of Oz movie, screenwriter Noel Langley reportedly came up with the idea as a way to showcase the film's technicolor.
As for the musical, the slippers are silver but they do use lighting to make them appear red during a song in the second act of the musical.
To find out exactly what happens in Wicked Part 2, and what role the silver slippers play, read our detailed plot summary.
Read more about Wicked here:
- Wicked's Marissa Bode explains how they've changed problematic Nessarose scene in Part 2
- Wicked's Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande say Elphaba and Glinda are queer
- Every actress who auditioned for Elphaba in the Wicked movie
- When will Wicked be on streaming? How to watch the Wicked movie online
- Every actress who auditioned for Glinda in the Wicked movie
WATCH: Wicked cast vs. 'The Most Impossible Wicked Quiz'
Wicked Cast vs. 'The Most Impossible Wicked Quiz'
