{"id":489841,"date":"2026-03-22T20:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/489841\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T20:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:48:15","slug":"why-the-animals-lost-the-ability-to-speak-in-wicked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/489841\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Animals Lost the Ability to Speak in Wicked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elphaba\u2019s rebellion in Wicked<\/a> has a lot to do with the Animals being oppressed, and losing their ability to speak is a part of that \u2014 but viewers may be left wondering why it happens. Wicked and Wicked: For Good<\/a> never outright explain the why the Animals lose their speech, despite it being a prominent part of Doctor Dillamond\u2019s and Chistery\u2019s narratives. Indeed, seeing Doctor Dillamond going from lecturing to making \u201cbaa\u201d sounds is one of the most harrowing moments from Wicked<\/a>. However, viewers aren\u2019t made privy to the mechanics behind it.<\/p>\n

This leaves many wondering if the Animals are being silenced by a spell. And given Madame Morrible\u2019s intentions, it\u2019s certainly a fair guess. However, the Animals\u2019 circumstances are more complicated than that. The ambiguity serves a purpose, forcing viewers to read into their loss. It\u2019s clear that this element of Wicked is meant to convey a deeper meaning, sending a powerful message about those who are victims of othering and oppression. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Wicked and Wicked: For Good.<\/p>\n

Animals Losing Speech Stems From Madame Morrible & the Wizard\u2019s Plans \u2013 but Is It a Spell?<\/p>\n

\"MadameImage via Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

The Animals losing their ability to speak stems directly from the Wizard and Madame Morrible\u2019s plan to suppress their freedom and scapegoat them. However, it\u2019s unclear if magic is being used to make it happen. The scene where Doctor Dillamond loses his speech makes it look this way. And it\u2019s not outlandish to suggest that Madame Morrible would use her magic so cruelly. After all, she and the Wizard have Elphaba use the Grimmerie to alter the bodies Chistery and the other flying monkeys. If they could physically silence the animals with magic, they undoubtedly would.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s possible without Elphaba and the Grimmerie is the real question, though \u2014 and it\u2019s the reason blaming the Animals\u2019 silence on a spell from Madame Morrible is dubious. However, at the end of the day, it doesn\u2019t really matter if there\u2019s magic behind the Animals\u2019 struggle or not. The deeper meaning of this Wicked development is more important, and it stems from Madame Morrible and the Wizard\u2019s actions still.<\/p>\n

The Deeper Meaning Behind the Animals Losing the Ability to Speak in Wicked<\/p>\n

\"DoctorImage via Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

Whether or not there\u2019s magic involved, the Animals are being silenced by the people who want to control them \u2014 and that\u2019s the point Wicked is trying to get across. The Animals losing their speech serves as a physical depiction of how suppression is used. The Animals increasingly lose their voices, and thus, the ability to defend themselves. This makes it easier for Oz\u2019s leaders to gain and maintain power over them. It also allows the citizens of Oz to dehumanize and ignore them more easily. Gregory Maguire\u2019s books make it clear that the discrimination, oppression, and resulting trauma is the reason the Animals can\u2019t talk. And this is all present in Wicked\u2018s musical and movie adaptations, if more subtle.<\/p>\n

This becomes a cycle, too, conveying another message: that the way people are treated has the power to transform them. Because the Animals are treated as beings without intelligent thought and speech, they begin to present this way, aligning with how people perceive them. It\u2019s a cycle that\u2019s only broken when they regain their voices \u2014 and that only happens when others treat them as though they\u2019re worthy of listening to and treating kindly. <\/p>\n

Wicked: For Good\u2019s Ending Reaffirms Why the Animals Lost Their Speech<\/p>\n

\"ChisteryImage via Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

The end of Wicked: For Good<\/a> reaffirms the idea that the Animals\u2019 loss of speech is the result of their circumstances and treatment, as they gradually regain their ability to talk under Glinda\u2019s more inclusive and welcoming regime. If the Animals had been silenced by a spell, their speech would likely make an instantaneous return once Madame Morrible was removed from power. Instead, Chistery seems to still be finding his voice again at the end of the movie, with encouragement from Elphaba and Glinda making it possible. Doctor Dillamond is also seen returning to the classroom, which leads us to believe he\u2019s back to speaking. It\u2019s a hopeful result after all the Animals go through, and it underscores how systemic silencing can be overcome. <\/p>\n

What do you think? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the\u00a0ComicBook Forum<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elphaba\u2019s rebellion in Wicked has a lot to do with the Animals being oppressed, and losing their ability…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,88885,56,54,55,35678,99650],"class_list":["post-489841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-regular-feature","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wicked","tag-wicked-for-good"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}