Wicked has some seriously dark and disturbing scenes.
The original book, which was adapted into a Broadway muscial and now a blockbuster film, was released back in 1995 and titled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
This story reimagined The Wizard of Oz's story from the perspective of the green-skinned villain and featured some horrifying storylines that included rape, bestiality, child murder, racism, sexism and transphobia.
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Although the 2024 Wicked film was given a rating of PG, meaning parental guidance, the original source material is far from it. Some unassuming parents may think the book is appropriate for young children but with such controversial topics, its best to avoid at all costs.
Wicked is a fantasy book set in an alternate universe and author Gregory Maguire makes sure the racism and misogyny toward the residents of Oz is clear at the very start of the book. Women, the Vinkus people and animals are segregated and comments made about Elphaba, the book's protagonist, have clear discriminatory undertones.
In the musical and the movie, some characters kiss and there are cheeky implied references to doing the deed, but in the book there are graphic descriptions of sex, orgies, bestiality and more. At one point, Boq and his pals attend the Philosophy Club where creatures of all shapes and sizes come together to engage in BDSM, which later involves a jaw-dropping situation between humans and a tiger, while a mother and daughter are described as having relations with a dragon.
Just to make matters worse, Elphaba's conception story is also deeply disturbing as it is revealed that her biological father raped her mother. Melena explains that she does not remember conceiving her daughter because she was drugged and raped - this is revealed to be the reason why Elphaba's skin is green.
As the book comes to a close, the Clock of the Time Dragon informs Elphaba about the traumatic event and the witch is shown exactly what happened. It is also revealed that the stranger is actually The Wizard.
Due to the horrifying incident, Melena has thoughts of murdering Elphaba when she is still just a child. During a conversation with her Nanny, Melena discusses drowning Elphaba and suggests a number of ways in which they could do so throughout the book.
Although Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is very dark and deeply inappropriate for young readers, parents need not worry about the 2024 adaptation. The film, starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum, is certainly marketed toward a younger audience.
Dolls modelled on the main characters, stationary sets, LEGO kits and dress-up costumes have all been released as merchandise during the lead up to the film's release [22 November]. The plot is much more positive than the original story and Wicked was slapped with a PG rating.
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