Well I agree Wicked has an ableism problem baked into it, I would argue the movie did a lot to try and elevate it. For example, they show from the start that Nessa's resentment of the situation seems to be more rooted in everyone acting like she needs to be taken care of rather then the disability itself,  with the way both her and Elphaba immediately tell their father not to help her when they reach the school. Then when Elphaba has her magic temper tantrum after Dear Old Shiz, it's not because things aren't going her way, it's explicitly because the headmistress is forcibly pushing Nessa's wheelchair despite Nessa's protests. Finally, well the Ozdust Ballroom does still include the same lines, it re contextualizes them. When Nessa says Boq only asked her because he felt sorry for her, Boq immediately says no in a way that makes it clear the idea had never even occurred to him, and his lie about it being because she's beautiful is based in the fact he sees he has no chance with Galinda rather than trying to make Nessa feel better. Finally their dance. In the musical Boq says "Let's Dance" but what actually happens is the actor pushes Nessa's wheelchair all the way upstage to get her out of the way well the rest of the ensemble dances, where as in the movie Boq takes her hands so they can go out onto the dance floor together, and we focus on them as they do an adapted version of the choreography to allow Nessa to actually participate.

Like I said, these are all subtle things, and they do not fix the problem entirely, but I do think they're steps in the right direction. The focus on Nessa's agency is so important, and likely (hopefully) added so it can be the focus of Wicked Witch of the East rather then it being about how horrible wheelchairs are. And if nothing else, I love that they deliberately show her not wanting people pushing her wheelchair, as opposed to the musical where... everyone is constantly pushing her wheelchair.

11:09 I never got the impression that she’s miserable because of her disability — I got the impression that she was unhappy because everyone always babied her because of her disability. She and Elphaba are both frustrated because she is so much more than her wheelchair, and especially the dad can’t see that. Sort of like how Toph’s parents/trainer treated her.

“How do you trust someone whose name is a play on Horrible”
Green lanterns when Sinestro turned evil. 😮

As someone who never saw the stage musical, I thought Madame Morrible took credit for Elphaba's magical outburst because she didn't want anyone to think someone else could be more powerful than herself.

Ariana Grande won a special backstage visit with the cast when she was 10 years old.  She told Kristin Chenoweth that she was going to play the part when she grew up.

The lack of animosity between Boq and Fierro was actually pretty cool. Like, in Dancing Through Life Fierro seems actually pretty excited to see the dude.

It should be noted that Grande specifically wasn’t a stunt cast. The director was opposed to casting her because they didn’t want it to just be a stunt cast, but she just did the best in all the auditions (Probably because it’s a role she’s been angling for since 2003).

“9 Million Tulips”

YOU HAVE MY EXTREMELY DUTCH ATTENTION, SIR!

I'll hold off a full opinion until I see what they do in part 2. But I agree with a lot of people who see the ableism as addressed better in the film. Superficially it looks similar- someone takes Nessa and Elphaba gets upset. But in the stage show, she's typically not wanting to be separated, following her father's orders to take care of Nessa. In the movie, Elphaba is often telling others (their dad included) to stop infantalizing Nessa and that she doesn't need help unless she asks (good courtesy for wheelchair users). Her magical outburst is driven by someone ignoring that and taking Nessa's wheelchair without Nessa's consent.

I'm still so torn on Goldblum as the wizard cause, yeah, he's just always playing himself, but on the other hand, it lends a layer of insincerity to the character.

I appreciate that they didn't add in any new songs especially for the film. Fortunately, Ariana Grande stuck to her guns when they wanted her to rework "Popular" into a hip hop rendition, and performed the original arrangement.

You went with "Bearysitter" when "Au-Bear" was RIGHT THERE!

I'm gonna play devil's advocate for the casting choices. For one, Nessarose's actresses (young and grown up versions) are played by disabled actresses and Nessa's storyline in the movie is mostly about her wanting a more independent life.

Madame Morrible is Michelle Yeoh's first singing role and she was probably cast because she and Jon M Chu worked together in Crazy Rich Asians. Her version of Morrible is a lot more sinister and sly than the stage version, which works for a film adaptation. (I hope she takes more singing lessons for Part 2.)

Finally, Jeff Goldblum's little improvs add to the Wizard's past of being a charlatan (such as the tap dancing and the coin behind the ear trick). I cannot wait for him to sing "Wonderful" because I know he's gonna kill that. "A Sentimental Man" reminded me a lot of "Pure Imagination" but with a vaudeville aesthetic.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Watch the film again; Nessa’s arc is now characterized by her father’s overprotection and need for things to be done FOR her, rather than her doing them for herself, of which her desire for independence is clearly outlined. There really isn’t any of that “poor me I’m in a wheelchair” characterization in there and interviews with Marissa Bode point towards even more elimination of the ableist narrative in Part 2.

As others have said, Nessa already feels a lot better in the movie because she's more focused on/upset by her lack of agency around others who coddle her, and doesn't pity herself in the slightest. As a wheelchair user myself it was sooooo relatable to see <3 </3 Marissa Bode, being the first actual wheelchair user to play Nessa, has said that she worked with the team to do away with the ableist elements of her character (the STORY being ableist towards her is very different from other CHARACTERS being ableist towards her), and I know we have to see what part 2 will do, but I trust her just based on what we've seen so far <3

They did make another balloon. There's a part in Baum's book where Dorothy and the Wizard spend several days sewing together the giant balloon and finding a large enough basket.

Fun fact about the tulips, they were reused on the roofs in Munchkinland during the "No One Mourns the Wicked" scene. Also the choreographer, Christopher Scott, deserves his flowers. The "Dancing through Life" scene was mesmerizing, and I could definitely see some inspiration from Gene Kelly in Fiyero's choreography there

Personally I felt like the ableism in Nessa’s plotline was largely restricted to in universe discrimination in this one. I felt like she was a lot more sympathetic and nuanced in this version and I suspect that will result in a pretty big change to her story in part 2

"I've never had to think before about how many tulips is too many tulips"
-A dutch man in 1634

I almost choked on my tea at "Madame Motrustworthy"

Also, the movie cuts the line "It couldn't happen here in Oz"