As 'Wicked' prepares to cast its spell over the box office, we look at how portrayals of witches on screen have evolved to become symbols of female empowerment and an embracement of otherness.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo weren’t the only celebrities who wanted to defy gravity.

Long since they were burned at the stake, witches have become ingrained in pop culture partially thanks to their portrayals in film and television. 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz,” taking after ...

As 'Wicked' prepares to cast its spell over the box office, we look at how portrayals of witches on screen have evolved to become symbols of female empowerment and an embracement of otherness.

And Hamilton's witch was the clear departure point for Gregory Maguire's 1995 book "Wicked," basis for the play and the upcoming "Wicked" movies. Maguire named her Elphaba — LFB — after "Oz's ...

Elphaba's sister Nessarose is dubbed the 'Wicked Witch of the East' by the Munchkins. Picture: Universal Pictures via YouTube When Elphaba arrives in Munchkinland seeking refuge, Nessarose refuses ...

The movie follows the musical and book's plot where Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, didn't start out wicked. She was ostracized in Oz for her green skin tone from an early age.

The upcoming 'Wicked' movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo is based upon Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, itself an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ...

The book is a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Elphaba, the name of the Wicked Witch of the West, is derived from the original creator’s initials.

“As a result of her Otherness,” Burger concludes. “the Wicked Witch can — and, in fact, must — be destroyed.” By 1939, however, her Otherness was symbolized by her odd skin color.