Having been bowled over by the original 1939 The Wizard of Oz in 3D at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood and being very impressed with the 2013 Oz: The Great and Powerful in 3D on Blu-ray, it was a treat to take another 3D trip to what is now called Munchkinland through the special RealD glasses for new mega-musical Wicked Part 1.
(images below blurred due to the 3D effect on theater screen without glasses)
Other than the Avatar series, fewer films are prepared and released in 3D anymore, which made this one even more intriguing, especially knowing it was in the skillful hands of the director I interviewed Jan. 20, 2010 about his first two movies in the format Step Up 3D and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never in 3D, Jon M. Chu (my video interview with Chu further below).
There are numerous shots in Wicked where the 3D is particularly pronounced right from the beginning, such as the flying monkeys…
A fantastical giant green train to the Emerald City…
And of course Elphaba when she takes to flying off on her broom on her way to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West (fun fact: her name Elphaba was made up as a phonetic pronunciation of the initials of the author/creator of the Oz books, L. Frank Baum)…
But the added depth and separation is clear and effective in every shot throughout the 2-hour 40-minute movie (as well as Disney’s fun and dynamic 3D trailer that preceded Wicked in the AMC theater presentation I saw)…
Wicked is an epic musical — just the first half of the 2 1/2-hour Broadway smash that debuted two decades ago in 2003 — filled with huge set pieces, extravagant costumes and choreography, elaborate dance numbers, grand vocal performances, and dazzling visual effects, all of which are enhanced in 3D.
It all may be a little too much of everything for some viewers, may have created some elements that don’t blend too smoothly or credibly with the original movie, and may not have the kind of instantly catchy fun songs with memorable lyrics that we’re used to in other musicals and Disney animated movie musicals. But it also has terrific acting from all involved, especially Ariana Grande as the naively oxymoronic self-absorbed do-gooder who takes particular joy in uttering the whimsical made-up words of the people of Oz, such as rejoicify and horrendible, and Michelle Yeoh, who is likeably and admirably commanding in her role as the headmistress and sorcery mentor at Shiz University, until she is not.
This experience has now inspired me to pull out my Blu-ray copies of Disney’s 1985 Return to Oz and of the 1978 Motown Productions and Quincy Jones cinematic adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Wiz, and see if the automatic digital 3D conversion in my player will enhance those iterations to bring new dimension to the no-hands/no-feet Wheelers and the original Tik-Tok, and make me feel like I’m right there with Michael Jackson (with his Peanut Butter Cup wrapper nose) and Diana Ross as we ease on down the road.
Meantime, here’s that five-minute interview I did with Jon M. Chu in which you can see and feel his knowledge and enthusiasm for 3D and dance 14 years ago that he has honed now to give us Wicked in 3D…
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