Wicked’s Oscar Nom for Best Score Has Me Fuming: Here’s Why

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As we approach the Academy Awards season for 2025, the nominations have already been finalized. However, with some questionable choices, apparent oversights, and downright puzzling decisions in this year’s lineup, it seems that the disappointment among viewers is unlikely to fade anytime soon.

However, just because we can’t change the choices that have been made, doesn’t mean we can’t voice our opinions about them. Despite my deep affection for Wicked, there’s one of its nominations that I feel compelled to discuss with you all, the audience. It’s not due to malice, but rather a strong commitment to fairness and justice. To be honest, there might be a hint of frustration involved as well, but it stems from those same core values.

Wicked’s Best Score Nomination For The 2025 Oscars Feels Wrong

Allow me to express my respect to the acclaimed composers John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, but I find it hard to agree that this work deserved a nomination for Best Original Score. A momentary pause as I anticipate the reactions from enthusiasts, especially considering the passionate response of fans when discussing Wicked. Naturally, there will be some of you who might disagree with me.

After you’ve vented your feelings, I appreciate it because it opened up an opportunity for me to voice my own indignation. I’d like to argue the points that follow while acknowledging the impressive works of Messrs. Powell and Schwartz, notably their contributions to the acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon trilogy and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Now that formalities are behind us, let’s delve into why I believe this decision is ill-advised.

Wicked Proves Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two Score Should Have Landed A Nomination

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided not to include Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part Two in this year’s awards, because they felt that there wasn’t enough new music to distinguish it from the first half of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel. They believed that the second half didn’t have a unique musical score compared to the original part.

The fundamental reasons behind why that’s an issue can be easily understood by referring to the AMPAS guidelines on “Special Rules For Music Awards,” specifically Section 2C. According to this section, a unique qualification for a Best Original Score nomination applies equally to both ‘Wicked’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’.

When it comes to sequels or franchises across various mediums, at least 80% of the new score should be freshly created music, devoid of any familiar themes taken from past scores within the same series.

The sequel to “Dune: Part Two” poses a challenge due to the recognition of Hans Zimmer’s award-winning score in the 2022 Academy Awards. It seems that similar recognition could be given to long-running Broadway hits like “Wicked,” as they too are part of successful franchises from various media.

To put it simply, while I’m not overly knowledgeable about the musical “Wicked”, I can’t give an accurate count of the amount of new music added to the movie. However, this lack of expertise on my part brings us to another potential issue in the context of this libretto litigation.

Wicked’s Musical Math Doesn’t Seem To Add Up

We can approach the estimation in two different ways, performing some rough calculations to determine how much of Wicked’s musical content qualifies as “newly composed music” according to the given criteria. However, before proceeding, it is important to make an assumption for our analysis. Assuming that the rule requiring “newly composed music” not utilizing “pre-existing themes borrowed from previous scores” means that John Powell’s compositions do not incorporate any elements of Stephen Schwartz’s contributions, let us analyze the musical package accordingly.

As a movie reviewer, I find myself pondering over the balance between the length of the film’s score album and its total runtime. The score, spanning 78 minutes, represents nearly half of the 160-minute movie duration. Regrettably, this ratio falls short of the “more than 80%” mark, suggesting a somewhat extended musical experience. However, it’s essential to note that Wicked, despite being a musical, doesn’t feature music from start to finish. Instead, it offers a harmonious blend of story and song, ensuring an engaging viewing experience for its audience.

The focus shifts to the second point of examination: assessing the score’s length against the accumulated duration of Wicked’s musical compositions. For this comparison, we’ll use a rounded number of 79 minutes for the score, and approximately 56 minutes for Wicked: The Soundtrack.

Indeed, we’re including “The Ozdust Duet” bonus track in our calculation. Assuming every piece of music within these Universal Pictures adds up to the 135 minutes between these two albums, that means about 80% of it would equal approximately 108 minutes. This leaves Wicked falling short once more. The frustration lies in the fact that if the producers had delayed by a year, securing a Best Score nomination might have been more achievable.

A Score Nomination For Wicked For Good Could Have Been An Easier Push

Interestingly, unlike many other musical adaptations, “Wicked” doesn’t include any original songs. Instead, these new melodies are strategically placed in “Wicked for Good”, as confirmed by Stephen Schwartz in an interview with The Messenger (via Playbill).

Regarding the November 2025 sequel, it seems likely that earning a Best Score nomination might have been more straightforward if we just let the upcoming songs take their course. With numerous fresh tunes on standby, there’s a high probability of generating an impressive variety of melodic offshoots from these future musical gems.

If Cynthia Erivo’s dream of showing footage from Wicked 2 comes true, we’ll have a clearer understanding of what lies ahead. Yet, I think it will be more challenging for John Powell and Stephen Schwartz to secure another nomination due to the strict rules of the Academy. Since the score for Wicked For Good needs to be compared not just to the original musical but also to the music from Wicked itself, overcoming this hurdle could prove to be an even steeper climb.

I’m not trying to spoil anyone’s enjoyment of Wicked’s movie adaptation, as I was as impressed as many others. However, since we are following the rules, there should be a bit more openness about how nominations are decided.

Regardless, we’ll discover whether this commotion leads to anything on March 2nd, as the 97th Academy Awards are broadcasted on ABC. If by chance Conan O’Brien and his team stumble upon this discussion while brainstorming jokes for the show, then I can confidently say that all my efforts have been well-spent here.

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2025-02-06 06:09