10 Movies To Watch if You Love 'Wicked' (2025)

After hitting Broadway, the musical Wicked became a beloved phenomenon, and now, it's finally been adapted into a film. The musical tells the story of misfit witch Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who stands out due to her green skin and forms an unlikely friendship with the popular, bubbly witch Glinda (Ariana Grande) after meeting at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. The movie was directed by Jon M. Chu and was also based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.

The film is the first of two, with the second due to arrive in theaters in late 2025. Fans of Wicked will find plenty to enjoy in similar films, from dark twists on familiar stories to origin stories exploring how famous characters came to be, as well as journeys to faraway magical realms. And, of course, some of the best movies also take place in the magical world of Oz, including more stories about the land's history and its most important characters.

10 'Cinderella' (2021)

Directed by Kay Cannon

In the jukebox musical Cinderella, the titular ambitious orphan (Camila Cabello) lives with her stepmother and stepsisters and dreams of owning a dress shop. She gets some help at making her dreams come true from her fairy godmother, Fab G (Billy Porter). Meanwhile, Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine), pursued by every girl in town, spots and falls for Cinderella. The movie was based on the fairy tale of the same name.

Cinderella is a reimagining of the classic fairy tale, similar to how Wicked recontextualizes the events of The Wizard of Oz. While some elements of the original story remain intact, the plot goes in a different direction. Cabello makes for a charming Cinderella, while Porter is a standout as a very refreshing take on the Fairy Godmother. Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba on Broadway, also appears in a memorable role as Cinderella’s stepmother.

Cinderella

PG

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

Romance

Release Date

September 3, 2021

Cast

Camila Cabello , Billy Porter , Nicholas Galitzine , Idina Menzel , Pierce Brosnan , Minnie Driver , Tallulah Greive , Maddie Baillio

Runtime

113 Minutes

Writers

Kay Cannon , James Corden , Charles Perrault

9 'Frozen' (2013)

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Reclusive princess Elsa (Idina Menzel) accidentally plunges the kingdom of Arendelle into eternal winter with her powerful icy touch. Thus, her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell), sets out to find her—with the help of mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer companion, and a magical talking snowman (Josh Gad)—to undo the damage. Frozen was inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen and was followed up with Frozen 2 in 2019.

Frozen and Wicked both deal with female relationships and how they can become strained—much of Wicked’s plot has to do with the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, while Frozen centers around sisters Elsa and Anna. It’s a moving story about the power of love, especially between siblings rather than romantic partners. It also features another great performance from Menzel, including her powerhouse vocals, which helped make “Let It Go” an iconic song.

Frozen

PG

Musical

Fantasy

Family

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 20, 2013

Cast

Kristen Bell , Idina Menzel , Jonathan Groff , Josh Gad , Santino Fontana , Alan Tudyk

Writers

Jennifer Lee , Chris Buck , Shane Morris , Hans Christian Andersen

Runtime

108 minutes

8 'Enchanted' (2007)

Directed by Kevin Lima

See Also

Dune (2021) | Rotten TomatoesDune streaming guide: Where to watch Dune onlineHow to watch 'Dune: Part One' online right now on Netflix, Max and more10 Best Fantasy Movies on Prime Video to Watch Right Now

After Giselle (Amy Adams) falls in love with the charming Prince Edward (James Marsden) in the fairy tale land of Andalasia, his evil stepmother (Susan Sarandon) banishes her to New York City. Edward follows in an attempt to rescue her, but as Giselle navigates life in the city and a world without magic, she meets Robert, a divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) who helps her adjust to the real world and the two fall in love.

Enchanted is a clever film that takes the very familiar stories and character archetypes of fairy tales and puts them in modern-day New York, serving as part spot-on parody and part lovely homage. While it differs from Wicked in that it's set in the real world, the plot is still very much in line with the fantastical stories that inspired it. It also features a fun fish-out-of-water element—like Elphaba, Giselle is an outsider, albeit in a very different way.

Enchanted

PG

Animation

Romance

Comedy

Fantasy

Musical

Family

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 21, 2007

Cast

Patrick Dempsey , Amy Adams , Timothy Spall , Susan Sarandon , Idina Menzel , James Marsden

Runtime

107 minutes

Writers

Bill Kelly

7 'Beauty and the Beast' (2017)

Directed by Bill Condon

In Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, a handsome but cruel prince is turned into a beast (Dan Stevens) and his staff is turned into various inanimate objects until he can find a woman who can love him for who he is. The Beast keeps the beautiful and intelligent young Belle (Emma Watson) captive in his castle, and gradually, she comes to see past the beast’s appearance and his flaws and falls in love with him.

The classic story of Beauty and the Beast has been retold countless times, and while Disney’s animated version remains the most beloved, its live-action remake is just as compelling. The beast, like Elphaba, is judged because of his appearance, but unlike Elphaba, he’s cursed to live that way as a result of his actions until he’s able to learn a crucial lesson. Beauty and the Beast is a moving love story about looking past appearances.

Beauty and the Beast

PG

Romance

Fantasy

Musical

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 17, 2017

Cast

Emma Watson , Ian McKellen , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Dan Stevens , Emma Thompson , Stanley Tucci , Ewan McGregor , Kevin Kline , Luke Evans , Josh Gad

Writers

Stephen Chbosky , Evan Spiliotopoulos

Runtime

129 minutes

6 'Labyrinth' (1986)

Directed by Jim Henson

After 16-year-old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) becomes frustrated after being asked to babysit her baby brother, she wishes for him to be taken away. Her wish is granted by Jareth, the Goblin King (David Bowie), and she is given 13 hours to make her way through his dangerous labyrinth to get to his castle, or the baby will stay with him forever. The movie was written by Terry Jones, also known for his comedy work with Monty Python.

Similar to Wicked—and most notably, The Wizard of Oz before it—Labyrinth largely takes place in another world, but it’s one much bleaker than the bright, colorful Land of Oz. The movie is also similar to The Wizard of Oz in the way the main characters are helped by friends they meet along the way, as well as in its themes, especially that of not taking one’s home or loved ones for granted. Although a cult classic now, Labyrinth was a box office bomb at the time; luckily, it has aged beautifully.

Labyrinth

PG

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Musical

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

See Also

How to Watch All Dune Movies and TV Shows in Order

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 27, 1986

Cast

David Bowie , Jennifer Connelly , Toby Froud , Shelley Thompson , Christopher Malcolm , Natalie Finland

Writers

Dennis Lee , Jim Henson , Terry Jones

Runtime

101 minutes

5 'Wonka' (2023)

Directed by Paul King

In the musical Wonka, set before the events of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, young chocolatier Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) dreams of opening a chocolate shop. As he tries to start his business at the Galéries Gourmet, he faces a number of obstacles, most notably a cartel of rival candy companies working together to fix prices, sell subpar candy, and more. It was based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

Just as Wicked depicts Elphaba and Glinda before they become the famous witches in The Wizard of Oz, Wonka depicts Willy Wonka before he becomes the eccentric yet loveable candy maker. Wonka is about both the highs and lows of working to make one’s dream a reality and the power of the childlike wonder of imagination, with exciting musical numbers and bold, colorful sets.

Wonka

PG

Fantasy

Adventure

children

Family

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

December 15, 2023

Cast

Timothée Chalamet , Hugh Grant , Olivia Colman , Keegan Michael Key , Rowan Atkinson , Sally Hawkins

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

Simon Farnaby , Paul King , Roald Dahl

4 'Into the Woods' (2014)

Directed by Rob Marshall

The musical Into the Woods sees a childless couple (Emily Blunt and James Corden) set out to end a curse put on them by a witch (Meryl Streep). To do so, they must obtain magical items from classic fairy tales and cross paths with their protagonists, including Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), each on a quest to fulfill a wish. The movie was based on the musical of the same name, with music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim.

Like Wicked, Into the Woodsreimagines fairy tales with a twist with a darker, more mature interpretation of the stories and characters, and it’s interesting how the story connects them. Sondheim is an icon of modern musical theater, and Into the Woods is among his most beloved musicals. While the film adaptation differs from the stage version in some major ways, it’s still spiritually faithful to the source material and includes some great humor, plus standout performances by Blunt and an Oscar-nominated Streep.

Into the Woods

PG

Comedy

Fantasy

Musical

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

December 24, 2014

Cast

Anna Kendrick , Emily Blunt , Johnny Depp , Chris Pine , Meryl Streep , Christine Baranski

Runtime

124

Writers

James Lapine , Stephen Sondheim

3 'The Wiz' (1978)

Directed by Sidney Lumet

After going to save her dog during a storm in The Wiz, Dorothy (Diana Ross) is transported to the urban land of Oz. When she accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy must seek out the Wiz (Richard Pryor), who can send her home. Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), the Tin Man (Nipsey Russell) and the Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross), all of whom have requests for the Wiz.

The Wiz is a modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz with the same plot, only this version is focused on the Black experience in America, still with the original’s central themes. It features a star-studded cast, but it’s a polarizing movie. Despite negative critical reception—in part because of comparisons to the original stage version—The Wiz has become something of a cult classic, especially for fans of the singers in the cast.

The Wiz

G

Music

Fantasy

Adventure

Release Date

October 24, 1978

Cast

Diana Ross , Michael Jackson , Nipsey Russell , Ted Ross , Theresa Merritt , Lena Horne , Richard Pryor , Mabel King , Thelma Carpenter , Stanley Greene , Quincy Jones , Iman , Clyde J. Barrett , Harry Madsen , Mabel Robinson

Runtime

134 Minutes

Writers

Joel Schumacher

2 'Oz the Great and Powerful' (2013)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how the Wizard of Oz came to be. When sketchy Kansa magician and con man Oscar Diggs (James Franco) ends up in Oz, similar to the way Dorothy arrived there, its citizens mistakenly believe he was sent to save them from evil. He meets three Oz witches—Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams)—who doubt he is who the people of Oz want him to be.

Like Wicked, Oz the Great and Powerful is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, except it focuses on the backstory of the wizard himself. The two films also offer a deeper look at the world of Oz and hint at the events that would follow. Similar to the original film, Oz the Great and Powerful also deals with the theme of identity, plus it boasts an impressive star-studded cast, with Williams and Weisz especially understanding their assignments and fitting Riami's campy world to a tee.

Oz the Great and Powerful

PG

Adventure

Fantasy

Release Date

March 8, 2013

Cast

James Franco , Mila Kunis , Rachel Weisz , Michelle Williams , Zach Braff , Bill Cobbs , Joey King , Tony Cox , Stephen R. Hart , Abigail Spencer , Bruce Campbell , Ted Raimi , Tim Holmes , Toni Wynne , Rob Crites , William Dick , Gene Jones , John Lord Booth III , Suzanne Keilly

Runtime

130 Minutes

Writers

David Lindsay-Abaire , Mitchell Kapner , L. Frank Baum

1 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)

Directed by Victor Fleming

After a tornado strikes Dorothy Gale’s (Judy Garland) family’s farm in The Wizard of Oz, she finds herself in the magical and very colorful land of Oz, along with her little dog Toto. As she follows the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard to help send her home, she meets Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) who wants a brain, a Tin Man (Jack Haley) longing for a heart, and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) desperate for courage.

Without The Wizard of Oz, we wouldn’t have Wicked. The movie is a beloved classic and has had a lasting mark on pop culture, from iconic songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to Garland’s spectacular success in more movie musicals. It’s a lovely film that blurs the lines between dreams and reality, with themes of friendship, the idea that everything we need is within us already, and, of course, that there is no place like home.

The Wizard of Oz

PG

Musical

Fantasy

Family

Adventure

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

August 25, 1939

Cast

Margaret Hamilton , Jack Haley , Judy Garland , Bert Lahr , Ray Bolger

Runtime

102 minutes

Writers

Florence Ryerson , Noel Langley , Edgar Allan Woolf

NEXT: The 10 Best Characters From 'Wicked,' Ranked

✕ Remove Ads