I bet you didn't expect the first musical preview of Ariana Grande's "Popular" to come from a doll.
John M. Chu’s Wicked adaptation, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, hits theaters on November 22, 2024, but the promotional flying monkey is already soaring strong.
Anticipation for 'Wicked' movie hits new highs
At this point, you never know just where or when a new Wicked promotion or tidbit is going to pop up. And it’s making 2000s theater kids feral. Just five days ago, the Universal film unleashed a new teaser in the middle of the Olympics on NBC.
But what about the dang music?! For a musical as musical-y as Wicked, the trailers so far have revealed precious little about what the soundtrack actually, you know, sounds like.
Then there’s the fact that the soundtrack release date hasn’t been announced yet. The Wick-heads are hungry!
First listens arrive via Wicked Mattel dolls
Well, those clamoring to hear a bit more Wicked tuneage were provided a few breadcrumbs via an unlikely source: singing doll ads!
First look at Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba dolls for ‘Wicked.’
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 31, 2024
Available soon through Mattel. pic.twitter.com/tGnu6xkqWV
First, there’s the Singing Elphaba doll, made in Erivo’s pretty close likeness, which croons her ode to ignoring physics, “Defying Gravity.”
New clip of Cynthia Erivo singing “Defying Gravity” from ‘WICKED’ https://t.co/rpy9GQrak5
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) July 31, 2024
Very nice, but we’d already heard a snippet of that in the trailers. What else ya got, Mattel?
That’s more like it. The Singing Glinda doll ad reveals a glimpse of Ariana Grande’s rendition of “Popular,” which hasn’t gotten much time in the open yet.
Obviously, it’s now open season for Wicked fans to judge how she did via this 20-second snippet that sounds like it’s being played over a rotary phone.
@offscreenwithjillian Brand new snippet of Ariana Grande’s version of Popular for the Wicked movie?
♬ original sound - Kevin O’Leary
Naturally, there’s general excitement over the actual dolls themselves.
@theozvlog STOP THE PRESSES! We have our first look at the @Wicked Movie @mattel dolls! #wickedmovie #mattel #theozvlog #dollcollector #cynthiaerivo #arianagrande @Cynthia Erivo @arianagrande @Universal Pictures
♬ original sound - The Oz Vlog
@jorel.mc Wicked Movie: Elphaba & Glinda dolls FIRST LOOK?? Ohhhh i am so so so ready for this movie!! These dolls are promising!? #wicked #wickedmovie #jorel #elphaba #glinda #wickedwitchofthewest #galinda #doll #dolls #wickedwitch
♬ original sound - ✨Jor-El✨
Hopefully, next, we’ll get a snippet of “Dear Old Shiz” from, like, a toothbrush. The Wicked hype is coming for us all, people.
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