The British Board of Film Classification has slapped a trigger warning on blockbuster Wicked for discrimination against a ‘green-skinned woman’ and persecuted ‘talking animals’.
The new movie musical, 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 woman with green skin played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, a popular rich girl played by Ariana Grande.
But despite the famous green witch at the heart of the story, the UK’s film classification body, has slapped a trigger warning on the much loved musical for ‘discrimination’.
The warning issued to viewers by the BBFC states: ‘A green-skinned woman is mocked, bullied and humiliated because of her skin colour.’
The British Board of Film Classification has slapped a trigger warning on blockbuster Wicked for discrimination against a ‘green-skinned woman’ and persecuted ‘talking animals’
The fantasy land of Oz is also full of fictional creatures such as the munchkins, flying monkeys and goats with the ability to speak.
The new movie musical, 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 full of fictional creatures such as the munchkins, flying monkeys and goats with the ability to speak.
This did not go unnoticed by the classification body for the movie industry, who felt the need to warn audiences: ‘Talking animals are persecuted in a fantastical society.’
The BBFC, which TV presenter Natasha Kalpinsky is president of, gave the movie a PG label, meaning Parental Guidance is advised.
It comes as Wicked, which has an estimated £120m budget, has been accused of turning the magical land of Oz ‘woke’.
The original 1939 film used people of short stature to fill the role of Munchkins, but in the 2024 version the Land of Oz workers who live by the start of the Yellow Brick Road look very different.
In the new movie spectacular the actors playing the Munchkins are led by Grande’s boyfriend Ethan Slater, who cuts a wholesome figure as curly-haired Boq.
During the film’s worldwide promotional tour, the new film’s director has explained why he took an entirely different approach to how the popular characters look in the latest incarnation of the film.
The plot of Wicked follows the friendship between Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman with green skin played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, a popular rich girl played by Ariana Grande
Despite the famous green witch at the heart of the story, the UK’s film classification body, has slapped a trigger warning on the much-loved musical for ‘discrimination’
The BBFC, which TV presenter Natasha Kalpinsky is president of, gave the movie a PG label, meaning Parental Guidance 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 not a size,’ the 45-year-old filmmaker told GQ magazine.
He continued: ‘We built the Munchkinland look around him, in a weird way—like this red-haired, fair-skinned type of character.’
And the auburn locks of Boq and his fellow Oz natives haven’t gone unnoticed by fans. One wrote on X this week: ‘Anyone else intrigued on why nearly everyone in Munchkinland is a redhead…?’
Others noted just how different the setting where the Munchkins live is, writing: ‘Still can’t believe the Wicked movie gentrified Munchkinland.’
According to the British Board of Film Classification’s newly published annual report, it received its highest number of complaints in four years, driven by youngsters complaining they were not being allowed into 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, the 109 from 2021 and the 93 in 2020, but less than 149 in 2019.
The most complained about issue was the film body’s decision to give US horror thriller Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on a video game, a 15 age-rating.
