The Wicked: For Good trailer has finally dropped, and I can safely say (in my humble opinion) it lives up to the hype. As a closeted musical theatre fan, the highly anticipated sequel has been on my radar since the first instalment, and with a grittier aesthetic, stunning set design and top-notch vocals, For Good looks set to impress once again – but not all fans seem to agree.
If you've seen the original Wicked film, you'll know that CGI animals play a huge part in the plot, and while I'm typically not a fan of CG visuals, I managed to set my personal gripes aside. However, some fans can't seem to find the same passivity when it comes to one iconic character design. Let's talk about the cowardly lion.
The Wicked: For Good trailer gives us a better glimpse of the beloved Wizard of Oz crew, who sport a slightly different character design from the 1939 original. While some stylistic choices are more permissible than others, the cutesy design of the cowardly lion had some Oz purists peeved. (I guess some folks are just nostalgic for Bert Lahr's uncanny hybrid human-big-cat costume.)
"Why did they make the lion look like a failed taxidermy?" one fan on X commented, while others questioned whether the design was AI. "Lion looks worse than Sonic did", another impassioned critic wrote, while another fan claimed the lion "Looks like he doesn’t want to be there."
The backlash to For Good's CGI character design proves there will always be criticism when reworking a cinematic classic. Our first glimpse of the cowardly lion may not have resonated with all audiences, but hopefully, critics can put their biases aside until the film's release in November.
In the meantime, take a look at the editing fail in the new Wicked: For Good poster that had fans up in arms. For more CGI design, take a look at the best CGI movie moments of all time.
