Bold claim: Wicked: For Good expands Oz in dazzling, physics-defying ways that make you rethink what a fantasy world can be. Nathan Crowley, back as production designer from the first film, pushes the look further by weaving living forests and a gravity-defying castle into the story’s fabric, threading new corners of Oz with fresh, cinematic detail.
Crowley’s approach starts with Elphaba’s sanctuary. The design team creates a dense canopy that she can vanish into, then literally intertwines tree trunks and branches to form a nest-like hideaway. The process was hands-on and organic: instead of relying on molds and casts, a handful of nature sculptors built the space from real wood and greenery, with the greens department shaping and sculpting over six to eight weeks. This tactile, living quality helps the forest feel alive and believable on screen.
Next up is Kiamo Ko, a castle that challenges gravity. Following the emotional high of Defying Gravity in the first film, Crowley envisioned a floating fortress built with ancient magic. The architectural concept uses inverted arches and carefully spaced top and bottom arches, leaving a visible gap that gives the illusion of the castle hovering. The idea rests on the lore of the Grimmerie, the spellbook guiding Oz—so the castle’s buoyancy reads as an ancient, spellbound achievement rather than a modern trick.
Glinda’s apartment marks a stylistic shift from the Wizard’s towering, imposing spaces to something warmer and more romantic. Crowley drew inspiration from Hollywood’s golden-age Art Deco, aligning with Cedric Gibbons’s era and the Oz aesthetic, while ensuring the space reflects Glinda’s personality. The set design needed to flow with musical storytelling, especially during the song “The Girl in the Bubble,” where camera movement travels through mirrors and reflections. This required close collaboration with director Jon M. Chu and cinematographer Alice Brooks to stage a mirrored, dreamlike journey between Elphaba’s present self and the reflections of her past.
To make the mirror-centered sequence work, Crowley implemented near-perfect symmetry: two stairs, two mirrors, equal doors. This deliberate balance reinforces the narrative theme of self-discovery and duality. And the director’s team used clever “tricks”—such as hinged walls that shift to reveal camera paths behind mirrors—so the audience experiences seamless transitions rather than mechanical cuts.
The result is a more expansive, visually cohesive Oz that feels both mythic and accessible. By treating environments as living, craft-driven spaces and by juxtaposing architectural gravity with magical possibility, Crowley helps Wicked: For Good invite viewers to explore Oz beyond Shiz University, while keeping the tone inviting for newcomers and longtime fans alike.
Do you think these design choices successfully deepen the Oz world, or would you prefer a more conventional stage-to-screen adaptation approach? Share your thoughts on how set design can influence storytelling in fantasy films.
