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Jon M. Chu‘s box office phenomenon, Wicked, is a mesmerizing picture to witness unfold on the silver screen. Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the Universal Pictures film is being hailed as one of the best modern musical-to-film adaptions and has seen a phenomenal box-office performance in its first two weeks. Part of its success can be credited to the director’s ambitious vision to utilize as many practical effects as possible. And so, for the opening number “No One Mourns the Wicked,” twelve football fields of flowers were planted!
MGM’s The Wizard of Oz didn’t have the advantage of today’s CGI technology, leading the creators to brilliantly implement miniature sets, wind machines, and paintings to create the grand scale of Emerald City. According to Variety, The Dark Knight production designer Nathan Crowley and Chu sought to honor the 1939 classic by shooting almost everything on camera. Sparing no expense to the $150 million budget, 9 million tulips were planted to nostalgically immerse viewers through the wonders of Munchkinland.
The ‘Wicked’ Team Planted 9 Million Tulips
The poppy field plays a crucial role in preventing Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her friends from reaching the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. Nathan Crowley, six-time Oscar nominee, knew the importance of flowers within Wicked lore, especially when it came to representing Munchkinland during the movie’s opening scene. Speaking to Architectural Digest, the production designer initially identified the Munchkins as farmers, so their farming influences had to be reflected in their hometown. Crowley then proposed to plant 9 million tulips in Eastern England. Sweet Oz!
Jon M. Chu, who previously helmed Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, has always prioritized visual spectacle and emotional connection rather than relying on CGI. Wicked‘s larger-than-life production was shot in 17 stages and 4 backlots, but Crowley had to find a big enough location and the right farmer to make his practical methodology feasible. Having grown 500 acres of corn for Interstellar, the English production designer clearly knew how to approach farmer Mark Eves of Belmont Nurseries in Norfolk. Eves offered his services to plant and grow the 9 million flowers. “I said to Adam [Richards], my location manager… ‘We’re going to grow tulips, and we have to learn about tulip farming’,” Crowley told Variety.
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Audiences are definitely entertained as they set sail on a gravity defying triple bill.
In 2022, Crowley and his team met Mark and Susanne Eves to plan out the tulip colors, states the BBC. He convinced the studio, who were apprehensive to try the farming business, that he could successfully pull off his vision and was granted the green thumb. Crowley learned a great deal about tulip harvesting, as you need to chop the heads off after they grow and wait till the bulbs get bigger until the next season. The crew also needed to find a perfect time to shoot the “No One Mourns the Wicked” scene when they realized the tulips grew at different speeds. Eventually, nine million, rainbow-colored tulips, spanning an area equivalent to 12 football fields, formed the backdrop for Wicked‘s Munchkinland in Norfolk, England.
Belmont Nurseries Will Open the Norfolk Tulip Farm From ‘Wicked’
Nathan Crowley took the harvested tulip bulbs for practical decorations on the homes within Munchkinland, per Architectural Digest. However, in post-production, a mixture of CGI had to be used to expand the tulip field for when the Munchkins kids are seen running towards the village. This grueling and expensive farming process may appear extravagant for a sequence with limited screen time, but it was worth it to Jon M. Chu, who wanted the Emerald City to feel real, telling Variety, “We built the Emerald City…You could walk through the Emerald City, go into the bakery shop, and look at what kind of sweets they had. You could go into the salon and sit in a chair.” And, of course, we’ve yet to see how these vast, colorful fields will be used in Wicked Part Two, which will be released in November 2025.
The fields will soon become a real-world attraction, allowing fans to experience a slice of Oz in person. Starting next April 2025, Belmont Farms will publicly open the Norfolk tulip farm to raise money for the Norfolk Hospice Tapping House charity, according to the BBC. This exciting news, extending beyond the fictional world of Wicked, shows the impact of director Jon M. Chu and production designer Nathan Crowley’s creative choice to recreate the whimsical essence of Oz with expansive practical effects.
Wicked is currently playing in theaters. Click below for showtimes near you:
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Cast
- Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd
- Runtime
- 160 Minutes
- Writers
- Gregory Maguire , Winnie Holzman , Dana Fox , L. Frank Baum
- Studio
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