Wicked: The Experience at Universal Orlando

A look inside Wicked: The Experience, an immersive exhibit at Universal Studios all about the popular films:

Those of you who know me through this blog probably know a little bit about me – I love Disney, I love to write, and I’m a runner. Those of you who know me well (or have read all of my posts!) probably know a few extra things too. One of the things I don’t end up talking about as much is the fact that I love musical theater, and used to perform regularly in community theater productions.

I grew up on Long Island, and was very lucky to be able to go see Broadway shows a few times a year. When I was in high school, Wicked came to Broadway. I was 16 and extremely fortunate to see the original Broadway cast, with Kristin Chenowith and Idina Menzel.

And I fell in love with the musical! I loved the clever lyrics, and fun music, but most of all of the story. There are many great themes, and I also appreciated the throwbacks to Wizard of Oz and telling the story from Elphaba’s perspective (this was back when the “villain origin story” plot was still relatively new and not overdone).

Fast forward to today! In February I visited Universal Studios, and of course one of my must-dos there was to visit the new Wicked Experience. It’s based on the movie, but I loved that too! It was exciting to see Universal doing something to celebrated Wicked.

Now that the new movie is coming out in less than a month, I figured it would be a good time to share a walkthrough and some of my thoughts on this experience!

The basics of Wicked: The Experience

Location: Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida (near the front of the park)
Admission: included with your park ticket
Attraction type: Walkthrough displays with photo opps, merch, and food
Best ages: All ages (anyone interested in Wicked/musicals!)
Opening date: November 16, 2024

When you arrive, the yellow brick road will welcome you into the building. In honor of our two main characters, Glinda and Elphaba, one half of the building is pink and one half is green.

Once inside, there are several rooms you can walk through which take you through various locations from the films. You’ll find replica props, costumes, and set pieces, plus a few fun photo ops and interactive experiences.

The last room is full of great Wicked merchandise available for purchase.

I personally love the costumes! The first time you’ll see is a replica of Glinda’s pink bubble dress from the very beginning of the first movie.

Glinda has quite the wardrobe, of course, so you’ll see plenty of pink dresses here! Her “popular” dress also makes an appearance.

My favorite Glinda dress is the one that she wears to the Ozdust Ballroom:

Glinda’s Shiz uniform may not be as bright pink, but it’s still very Glinda:

There are are a number of Elphaba costumes on display too, including her Shiz uniform and dressing gown. But of course the most exciting one is Elphaba’s Defying Gravity costume!

They have some artwork and photos on the walls between displays, much of which shows scenes from the movie. It was cool to see the replica props/costumes, and then also have a photo of where they were in the film.

And it’s not just about Elphaba and Glinda! We have costume replicas from other characters too. One of my favorites to see is Nessarose, particularly because they also included her silver slippers.

There’s also the Wizard, Madam Morrible, and Fiyero (for some reason I don’t seem to have a photo of his costume!)

You also have a few different locations represented throughout the attraction. A large “Shiz University” sign is followed by a map of the school’s grounds.

Glinda’s dorm room is a fun set up! She has plenty of luggage, but you’ll also spot the black hat she gives to Elphaba on the bed. And over there on the nightstand? There happens to be a bottle of green elixir.

There is a neat setup near the “Emerald City” section, where the wizard gets his moment. The screen above is playing clips from the movie and sharing some behind the scenes info.

This one is supposed to be Glinda’s “bubble carriage,” that she arrives in during the first song. I’m not sure the effect comes off as well as it could have, but it’s still a cute one.

The Elphaba photo spot is very cool! It’s from the “Defying Gravity” scene, and you can grab hold of her broomstick with that great background behind you.

Surprisingly, I did not buy anything! I was very tempted to get a sweatshirt because it was cold that day. I really liked the color and design of a Glinda shirt that said “I was born to be awesome, not perfect.” When I tried it on, though, I wasn’t too sure about the sleeves…

Could I have pulled this off? I don’t know. I was not confident about it!

We tried the Breakfiz croissant, because who doesn’t love a good breakfast sandwich? It’s described as “Black Forest ham with cheddar cheese and a poppy seed croissant.”

And it’s a solid option! The sandwich was warm and fresh, and the croissant was great. I liked the poppyseeds to make it a little different. And there’s a cute little Shiz University toothpick stuck in the top.

We had to try some drinks too, of course!

Jenn and I (also known as Jecky when we are together) decided to complement each other well by choosing the pink drink and the green drink. She had the “Sparkling Emerald” while I went with the “Shimmering Spritz.”

They are definitely beautiful, “instagram-worthy” drinks. They tasted pretty good, too! Not very strong, so a good breakfast drink to go with your breakfast sandwich. The green one had limoncello, so it was more of a citrus flavor. The pink was blueberry, which is one of my favorites! They may not have been amazing, but they were good and I appreciate a theme.

Most of the news released so far seems to be focused on the merchandise. According to Universal, “This ozmopolitan new collection celebrates the Land of Oz and fan-favorite characters from the epic conclusion and features everything from home goods and plush to bag charms, accessories and apparel.”

We also got a few sneak peeks at new food items, so I think there will be a few more fun surprises in store!

Are you fan of Wicked? Would you be interested in visiting Wicked: The Experience?