18 Years Before The Movie, ‘Wicked’ Was A Major Theme Park Attraction

Ever since the 2024 release of Wicked: Part One, the piece has gone from musical theater favorite to pop culture juggernaut, raking in impressive box office numbers, while also creating a massive fan base. Interest in Wicked has never been higher, with Wicked: For Good expected to be one of 2025’s most successful films. As such, Universal, the production company behind both the stage musical and the films, has responded accordingly with a slew of Wicked-based merchandise and experiences in their theme parks, such as character meet and greets and overlays. However, long before the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) defied gravity on the big screen, Universal had already brought the witches of Oz to their Japan theme park. Located in the now-defunct Land of Oz section, Wicked was a cornerstone attraction that reunited the show’s original creative team and proved that the elaborate piece could work beyond the Broadway stage.

‘Wicked’ was Staged in Universal’s Japan Theme Park Decades Before the Movie

When Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003, it took the famed theater district by storm. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it quickly became an audience favorite and made household names out of stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Talks of a movie adaptation began not long after the show opened, but in the decades before Jon M. Chu’s elaborate films took shape, Universal opened various productions of Wicked. A multi-year U.S. National Tour kicked off in 2005, which led to a sit-down production in Chicago shortly after, and a London staging in 2006 that saw Menzel return to the role of Elphaba following an injury on Broadway that ended her run a day earlier than planned. But during this period, Universal did something unheard of at the time and opened a version of the show inside its Japan theme park.

During the early years of the park, the Land of Oz was a rather humble take on L. Frank Baum’s beloved realm. Featuring meet and greets with characters like Dorothy, the section has long since closed to make way for Super Nintendo World, but the star attraction of this small section was Wicked. Based on the Broadway staging, the production was shaved down from its two-and-a-half-hour runtime to just 30 minutes, but managed to incorporate many of the first act’s most iconic songs, including “Popular,” “One Short Day,” and “Defying Gravity.” It even included a shortened version of “For Good.” Though it meant eliminating most of the supporting characters, like Boq (Ethan Slater in the film) and even Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), the show was still able to focus on the beauty of Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, and even adapted many of the Broadway show’s sets in scaled-down versions. Indeed, it was incredibly unique and also played a pivotal role in Wicked’s long-term future.

Universal’s ‘Wicked’ Show Played an Important Part in the Show’s History

As if staging an abridged version of one of Broadway’s most popular musicals inside the park wasn’t groundbreaking enough, the Universal version of Wicked played an important role in the show’s history. The show was always meant to be more than just a theme park production, but a test for how the musical would fare in areas further removed from Broadway. According to Playbill.com, the production was something of a tryout for Japanese audiences. Original creators, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, returned to reconfigure the script for Universal’s production. Not only is it a rarity to have high-end writers re-work their project for a theme park, but it was also the best thing for the production. The heart and quality of Wicked remained strong despite all the cuts that had to be made, and the storyline was cleverly restructured to fit its new format under their leadership. The production was so successful that just a year after the theme park version debuted, producers were confident enough to open a full-scale version of the show in Tokyo, which then toured to various cities around the country. What makes the production so special is that it was the first fully staged foreign language production of the musical, and was soon followed by productions in Germany, Mexico, and Singapore, just to name a few. Indeed, Wicked was now more than a Broadway show; it was an international smash hit. Interestingly, the Universal version remained in the park until 2011, when the Land of Oz section closed. But now that it’s a full-fledged film franchise, there is no better time to revive this theme park attraction!

Universal Needs a Greater ‘Wicked’ Presence In Its Theme Parks

Image via Univesal Pictures

Wicked has come a long way since the Universal Japan production. The first film was a massive success, and Wicked: For Good is expected to be one of 2025’s biggest hits. In true theme park synergy, Universal has responded with Wicked events around the globe, including the Wicked Experience at Universal Orlando, meet and greets with Elphaba and Glinda, and a full-fledged Emerald City overlay in the park where it all began. However, all these experiences were meant to be temporary, and some have already come to an end, ahead of the sequel’s release. When we consider the elaborate ambition of the 2006 stage adaptation, it’s hard to ignore the fact of just how much more can be done with the property now that there are films to bolster its theme park premise. As the New York Times reported, Universal executives have been teasing the possibility of Wicked attractions since the first film’s release, with Universal’s theme park chief, Mark Woodbury, listing Wicked along with major Universal franchises for theme park expansion. When one considers the incredible feats that have been pulled off with Florida’s Epic Universe theme park, it seems like the perfect time to expand its original modest Land of Oz concept with a Wicked attraction that not only honors the triumph of the first theme park attraction but surpasses it.

Wicked has come a long way since it first premiered on Broadway, going from stage show to multi-million-dollar film franchise, and even a theme park show along the way. The small but mighty Universal Japan version of the show may not be as well remembered as other productions, but it played a pivotal role in making Wicked an international phenomenon and laid the groundwork for all Universal can do with the property in its parks. While the company is keeping further details under lock and key for the time being, we hope that the franchise will soon defy gravity within the company’s parks again.

Wicked: For Good flies into theaters this November. Stay tuned to Collider for more details!

Wicked: For Good

Release Date

November 21, 2025

Writers

Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire

Producers

Marc Platt