12 Best Movies Like Wicked

"Wicked," released with enough green and pink merchandising to choke a horse, has been one of the rare musical extravaganzas to cross over from an audience of theater enthusiasts into the mainstream. Based on the popular Broadway musical starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (which in turn was based on a Gregory Maguire novel of the same name), "Wicked" tells the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz." Elphaba (the wicked witch during her pre-"Wizard of Oz" years, played by Cynthia Erivo) ends up becoming roommates with Glinda (Ariana Grande as the future good witch) while they're both studying magic at university. An unlikely friendship blossoms between the two total opposites — until it's suddenly tested by the lure of the Wizard and his Emerald City. 

"Wicked" was a smash hit, earning over $700 million at the box office and 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress (Grande). It ultimately won two — best production design and best costume design — the latter of which made Oscar history, as Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win in the category. While fans will get the opportunity to watch the second half of the story in theaters in November 2025, that's still a ways away. To help pass the time, here's a list of films like "Wicked" that you might want to seek out. (And before you ask, "The Wizard of Oz" isn't on the list, because ... well, that one should be obvious.)

Much like "Wicked," "Into the Woods" takes a classic children's story — well, several, as a matter of fact — and gives it a musical treatment, all while turning our expectations on their heads. Based on the Stephen Sondheim stage musical, it begins where most fairy tales start: a curse. In this case, it's the humble baker and his wife (played by James Corden and Emily Blunt) who seek an escape from a witch's (Meryl Streep) curse that prevents them from having a child. She promises to lift the curse — but only for a price. They have to steal several magical items from other fairy tales that she needs to be free of a curse of her own. 

In their efforts to track down these items, they run into Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame, played by Daniel Huttlestone), Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), and Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford). Wildly imaginative and with an enchanting score, "Into the Woods" takes a notoriously difficult-to-adapt stage production and brings it to the big screen — not unlike "Wicked" itself.

Just as "Wicked" takes a deep dive into the backstory behind many of the most memorable characters in "The Wizard of Oz," "Oz the Great and Powerful" offers us a glimpse of the Wizard himself upon his initial arrival in Oz. As we know from the classic film, he was swept away to the magical world of Oz — much like his successor Dorothy — via a tornado. But here, we get the opportunity to delve into an alternate origin story for one of the most mysterious characters of "The Wizard of Oz." 

Oscar Diggs (aka Oz, played by James Franco) is pretty much what he's always been hinted as: A small-time magician and opportunistic con man who basically moonwalks into a leadership role and has to maintain the facade of being a wizard or risk losing his power. But at the same time, there's a lot more going on than meets the surface, as is also the case with Elphaba in "Wicked." Through his misadventures in Oz — including some tangles with three of Oz's most powerful witches, played by Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz — he evolves into a true leader and much better person.

We love an alternate take on a classic fairy tale. "Ever After" is one of the most thoughtful, grounded retellings of the "Cinderella" story, setting its version of events in Renaissance France. 

Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is the much-put-upon stepdaughter of a vain and selfish social climber (Anjelica Huston), who's determined to see her two daughters marry well and also equally determined to see the kind, intelligent, and naturally noble Danielle relegated to a servant's position in her own home. But her plans are disrupted when Danielle has a meet-cute with Prince Henry (Dougray Scott), although the majority of their relationship is spent with her pulling a bit of an Aladdin act, pretending to be a much more well-heeled lady. 

"Ever After" deserves credit for how well it blends the fairy tale elements of "Cinderella" that we know and love with something that feels grounded in actual history. The fact that Danielle crosses paths with Leonardo da Vinci along the way? Chef's kiss. Drew Barrymore makes for a very endearing interpretation of Cinderella with a modern flair, and the chemistry between her and Prince Henry is immaculate.

Within the narrative of "Wicked," a lot of the attention — and rightfully so — goes to the character of Elphaba, whose personal journey of self-discovery forces her to make a choice between being accepted while compromising her values or being moral and utterly villified. But her roommate and best friend Glinda also has a compelling character arc, and it's with her that we see parallels to the Disney film "Enchanted." Glinda was essentially raised in a bubble (the imagery surrounding her is not a coincidence), where nothing bad could seemingly ever happen to her privileged life. It's only when she's confronted with the cold, harsh reality of Oz that she is forced to mature and make hard decisions that have actual consequences. 

Similarly, Giselle (Amy Adams in what should have been an Oscar-winning role) lives in an animated fairy tale world where she's about to marry her Prince Charming (James Marsden), when she's transported to the real world of New York City. While she brings Disney magic with her as she starts an impromptu musical number in Central Park and beckons animals to clean her apartment through the power of song, she's also faced with a glimpse of real life, where things are sometimes difficult and complicated and sad. But it's through these challenges that she learns that not having a guarantee that everything will turn out perfectly actually makes her life richer.

If you're old enough to have watched "Return to Oz" while growing up in the 1980s, there's a pretty good chance that you bear at least a few emotional scars from the experience. You know how "Wicked" gives us glimpses of the dark underbelly of Oz, what with all the animal persecution and the bread and circuses approach to keeping the people of the Emerald City in line? "Return to Oz" makes its version of Oz look like a warm and fuzzy place. 

The film takes place in the aftermath of Dorothy Gale's (Fairuza Balk) adventures in Oz, when she is returned to early 20th-century Kansas and her Uncle Hank and Auntie Em promptly send her off to a psychiatric institution because she keeps talking about the magical land of Oz. Yes, really. And if you think that has to be the most upsetting part of the story, we deeply regret to inform you that it gets darker — by several orders of magnitude. 

After Dorothy somehow finds her way back to Oz, she discovers that they've replaced one despot for another, and the kingdom is now ruled by the malevolent Nome King. Between the frequently disturbing narrative and the character design that feels like Muppets on acid, "Return to Oz" stands out as one of the most nightmare-inducing kids' movies ever made, even if it is ultimately hopeful. But hey, you're not a kid anymore — surely you're brave enough to give it a go?

When it comes to all-time cinematic villainesses who have been traumatizing children for generations, the horned fairy Maleficent from "Sleeping Beauty" and the green-skinned Witched Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz" have to be near the top. So it's interesting that in both "Wicked" and "Maleficent," we get the chance to see their side of the story, making us realize that perhaps the evil figure looming large in our childhood imagination is just misunderstood. 

Angelina Jolie plays Maleficent as a trusting young fairy not unwilling to interact with the human realm, even striking up a friendship with the young Stefan (the future father of young Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty"). But her world comes crashing down when she is betrayed by humankind, brutalized as her wings are physically torn from her body. Furious at what has been done to her, she curses the newborn daughter of Stefan, and it's only when she develops a maternal affection for the young Aurora (Elle Fanning) as she watches her grow that she tries to undo what she's done. 

Jolie was made to play Maleficent, and she brings such empathy to the role that it's hard not to be on her side, making "Maleficent" one of the best Disney live-action adaptations.

Much like "Wicked," "Wonka" offers up an origin story for one of popular culture's most enigmatic characters: In this case, the chocolatier Willy Wonka, who has made a career out of using his eccentricities as a shield to prevent anyone from knowing whether or not they should take him seriously. It also shares a vibrant, over-the-top visual palette with "Wicked" — the images of Wonka's chocolate shop feel as though they could exist within the same universe as the University of Shiz and the Oz Dust Ballroom. 

In this prequel, we are treated to an exploration of Willy Wonka's (the always interesting Timothée Chalamet) early years, as he's just beginning to develop the chocolate empire that would make him famous around the world. Complete with whimsical original songs and eccentric production design, "Wonka" not only offers up a new take on a beloved character, but creates an entire world to go along with him. There are some elements you can poke fun at, like Hugh Grant's clear discomfort in his Oompa Loompa role, but it's hard to be too tough on a movie that wears its heart on its sleeve as much as "Wonka" does.

Although "Frozen" is a Disney animated film and "Wicked" is a live-action musical adaptation of a stage production, the two films actually have a ton in common. They are both centered around young women (Elsa in "Frozen" and Elphaba in "Wicked") who possess incredible reserves of magical power but are encouraged to suppress those powers, hiding their light under a bushel until finally setting themselves free of restraint via a show-stopping musical number. 

In "Frozen," we have "Let It Go," where Elsa stops being ashamed of her abilities to control ice and creates a frosty spectacle. In "Wicked," Elphaba rejects the Wizard's offer to make her his second-in-command, sticking to her values and embracing the qualities that make her unique with the ultimate earworm, "Defying Gravity." Idina Menzel ties the two films together as well: She plays Elsa in "Frozen," originated the role of Elphaba on Broadway, and makes a cameo appearance in "Wicked." And much like "Wicked," "Frozen quickly become a phenomenon, launching sequels, endless merchandising, and a solid five years where "Let It Go" was inescapable.

Anyone who has seen both "Wicked" and "Ella Enchanted" has to be in agreement that as much as magic can sometimes help matters, it can also easily spin out of control and cause just as much trouble. 

In "Ella Enchanted," based on a popular children's book, a young girl is "blessed" by a well-intentioned fairy with the gift of obedience. A nice — if vaguely misogynistic — birthday present, right? Unfortunately for Ella (Anne Hathaway), the blessing is interpreted incredibly literally. As in, it is physically impossible for her not to follow any order given to her. If someone told her to pick up a knife and stab her own puppy, she would have to do it. Not the easiest way to go through life, as you can imagine.

Although "Ella Enchanted" adheres to most of the tropes of the fairy tale genre, it often does so with a slightly satirical wink. It knows exactly when to stick with the classics and when to hang a lampshade on them, making this a charming watch for fantasy enthusiasts.

There's a darkness present in both "Wicked" and "Labyrinth," despite their fantasy settings, that make them feel as though they could operate on the same plane of existence, that the Goblin King could easily be ruling over some twisted corner of Oz. The dark fantasy film stars David Bowie as Gareth, the Goblin King, who has taken a fancy to the young Sarah (Jennifer Connolly). When she impulsively wishes her baby brother away, he appears to grant her wish, taking the child deep into the labyrinth, where Sarah will have to summon every ounce of her courage to get him back. 

With an unsettling seductive lead performance from Bowie, tremendously developed world-building, and more Jim Henson creations than you can shake a stick at, "Labyrinth" accomplishes the same thing that made "The Wizard of Oz" and, in turn, "Wicked" so enduringly popular — it has the power to transport audiences to an entirely different world. Because of this, it has a reputation as one of the best dark fantasy movies ever made.

"The Wiz," an alternate take on "The Wizard of Oz" featuring a new soundtrack and an all-Black cast, got a bad rap when it first came out. But looking back, it's impossible not to see the film as a constellation of Black talent from the late 1970s and be grateful that someone was able to assemble such a cast, even if they're working in service of a flawed production. Whenever you've got Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, and Mabel King working on the same project, it's difficult to be too upset with the result. 

"The Wiz" exchanges Kansas for Harlem, where Dorothy Gale (Diana Ross) is a teacher and is swept away to Oz in the midst of a snowstorm. It follows the basic plotline of "The Wizard of Oz" but with a little more musical panache and flair. Although "The Wiz" was a box office disappointment, it ended up being nominated for four Academy Awards (including one for the late Quincy Jones, who wrote the score for the film) and has since undergone a critical reevaluation that looks back on its eccentricities a little more kindly.

OK, so hear us out. Yes, on the surface, "Wicked" has very little in common with "Cabaret," aside from the fact that they're both based on stage musicals. But if you look deeper, you'll see how similar the two are in terms of their themes. Throughout the first half of "Wicked," we see the slow and insidious development of anti-animal laws and prejudices creep into the land of Oz. The rights of animals — who formerly held prominent positions in society, like the goat university professor Dr. Dillamund (Peter Dinklage — are restricted to the point that many of them give up, even losing the power of speech. The way that their ability to simply exist in society is a clear reflection of how Jewish people were treated during the early years of the Third Reich. 

In "Cabaret," the main characters are doing everything in their power to ignore the growing facism in Weimer Germany — outside the doors of the Kit Kat Club, where Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) performs some of the best movie musical numbers of all time, Nazis may be multiplying at an alarming rate, but inside is pure entertainment, escapism bordering on nihilism. And really, what is the Oz Dust Ballroom if not a fairy tale version of the Kit Kat Club?