Why Wicked's Songs Weren't Nominated At The Oscars

"Wicked," the hit film based on the Broadway music of the same name (which is itself a loose adaptation of the 1995 book "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire, which itself is a twist on L. Frank Baum's "Oz" books and the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz") has garnered a lot of love from audiences and critics alike. While our own review found it a bit messy, the majority of critics appreciated the bright, bold Broadway adaptation, praising the performances of stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in particular. They both act and sing their hearts out as Glinda (the "Good Witch") and Elphaba (the "Wicked Witch of the West") respectively, which led some fans to be completely shocked when they checked the Oscar nomination announcements and saw that "Wicked" had not been nominated for either Best Original Song or Best Original Score. 

"Wicked" did nab a number of other nominations, including Best Actress for Erivo, Best Supporting Actress for Grande, Best Film Editing, and the coveted Best Picture award, so it's not like Academy voters ignored the movie entirely. It turns out there's a good reason that "Wicked" didn't get any music nominations, and it's because the song and score aren't exactly original to the movie. 

"Wicked" isn't the first big blockbuster film based on a Broadway musical, but many of the others have added new music in order to qualify for awards. "Chicago" added "I Move On" and "Les Miserables" added "Suddenly," for example, which made them eligible for Best Original Song under Academy rules. The official rules state that in order to be eligible for Best Original Song, the lyrics and music have to be wholly original:

"Consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits."

Since "Wicked" used the songs and music from the musical, with some minor alterations mostly headed up by the music's original composer, Stephen Schwartz. (It was Schwartz who helped decide to split the story into two films and end the first half with "Defying Gravity," which is pretty neat.) Because there's no music in "Wicked" that isn't also in the Broadway music, with the exception of extending a few songs, it simply doesn't qualify for the Best Original Song or Best Original Score categories. Fans will still have plenty to root for when Oscars night comes, though, with chances to win some of the most important awards of the night.