The British Board of Film Classification has issued a warning on the blockbuster Wicked for discrimination against a “green-skinned woman” and persecution of “talking animals.”
The new musical film, adapted from the popular stage show, is a prequel to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz that focuses on the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
The plot of Wicked follows the friendship between Elphaba, a misunderstood young green-skinned girl played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, a popular rich girl played by Ariana Grande.
But despite the famous green witch at the center of the story, the UK’s film classification body has issued a warning on the much-loved musical for “discrimination”.
The warning issued to viewers by the BBFC reads: “A green-skinned woman is mocked, bullied and humiliated because of her skin colour.”
The British Board of Film Classification has issued a warning on the blockbuster Wicked for discrimination against a “green-skinned woman” and persecution of “talking animals.”
The fantasy land of Oz is also filled with fictional creatures such as munchkins, flying monkeys, and talking goats.
The new musical film, adapted from the popular stage show, is a prequel to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz that focuses on the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
The fantasy land of Oz is also filled with fictional creatures such as munchkins, flying monkeys, and talking goats.
This did not go unnoticed by the film industry’s classification body, which felt the need to warn the public: “Talking animals are persecuted in a fantasy society.”
The BBFC, chaired by TV presenter Natasha Kalpinsky, gave the film a PG label, meaning parental supervision is advised.
It comes as Wicked, which has an estimated budget of £120m, has been accused of “awakening” the magical land of Oz.
The original 1939 film used short people to play the role of Munchkins, but in the 2024 version, the workers from the Land of Oz who live at the beginning of the Yellow Brick Road look very different.
In the spectacular new film, the actors playing the Munchkins are led by Grande’s boyfriend Ethan Slater, who cuts a healthy figure like the curly-haired Boq.
During the film’s world promotional tour, the director of the new film explained why he took a completely different approach to the look of popular characters in the film’s latest incarnation.
The plot of Wicked follows the friendship between Elphaba, a misunderstood young green-skinned girl played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, a popular rich girl played by Ariana Grande.
Despite the famous green witch at the center of the story, the UK’s film classification body has issued a warning on the much-loved musical for “discrimination”.
The BBFC, chaired by TV presenter Natasha Kalpinsky, gave the film a PG label, meaning parental supervision is advised.
Chu said, “We wanted (Boq) to come from a culture, and so we were trying to reinvent what a Munchkin is.” In our eyes, Munchkin was undersized,” the 45-year-old filmmaker told GQ magazine.
He continued, “We built the look of Munchkinland around him, in a weird way, as this kind of red-haired, light-skinned character.”
And the auburn locks of Boq and his fellow Oz natives haven’t gone unnoticed by fans. Someone wrote on
Others noted how different the setting is where the Munchkins live, writing, “I still can’t believe the movie Wicked gentrified the Munchkinlands.”
According to the British Board of Film Classification’s recently published annual report, it received the highest number of complaints in four years, driven by young people complaining that they were not allowed to see the films they wanted to see.
The report reveals that it received 148 complaints in total about its ‘classification decisions’ in 2023.
This was more than the 84 in 2022, 109 in 2021 and 93 in 2020, but less than the 149 in 2019.
The most criticized issue was the film organization’s decision to grant the American horror thriller Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on a video game, a 15-year classification.