When Universal Pictures split its musical adaptation of "Wicked" into two films, the move was derided by some critics as a cynical -- if spectacularly successful -- money grab.
But with "Wicked: For Good" out in theaters around the world this week, its stars and filmmakers say the decision has freed them up to expand the "Wizard of Oz" prequel far beyond the Broadway musical on which it is based, AFP said.
The result includes an expanded new take on one of the most famous moments in movie history, with the arrival in Oz of a young girl from Kansas called Dorothy.
And the additional running time also allows for two brand new songs -- one of which, "The Girl in the Bubble," sees Ariana Grande's popular, pink-clad heroine Glinda confront her unlikely dark past.
"It happens in the wings of the Broadway show. You see the before and after moments," Grande said at a recent press conference.
But in the second film, we see "beneath the bubbly, shiny, perfect exterior" and "spend some more time with that darkness," she added.
"Wicked: For Good" picks up several years after the first "Wicked," with Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba now living as a rebel in exile, unfairly smeared by all as an evil witch.
Glinda meanwhile has become the poster girl of the Wizard's regime -- a position that brings her privilege and popularity, but also awakens guilt and shame, stemming from her childhood.
"She's gotten everything she's always dreamt of, and yet has never been more alone," explained Grande.
The pop singer already received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for the first "Wicked." Universal is expected to pour resources into seeing she wins the statuette this time around, and she is already the bookmakers' favorite.
Erivo is also a strong best actress hopeful, according to awards prediction site Gold Derby, and has a new song, "There's No Place Like Home."
Beyond making space for new Oscars-eligible original songs, the two-movie structure allowed the filmmakers to explore the overlap between the stories of "Wicked" and "The Wizard of Oz."
"Wicked: For Good" takes place largely concurrently with the events of the classic 1939 movie, and L. Frank Baum's novel, as Dorothy and her little dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from Kansas to Oz.
In the Broadway musical, Dorothy is only seen once as a fleeting silhouette.
The film shows her several times, from skipping down the yellow brick road to being kidnapped by flying monkeys.
Her face is never clearly shown, to emphasize that Dorothy is merely a useful but clueless pawn in the political machinations of Oz.
"We had more time" to explore the intersection of the two stories "in the second film, which, for a lot of audiences, is a lot of fun," said producer Marc Platt.
"When the girl from Kansas finally arrives, how do the two stories collide?"
With the first film having grossed over $750 million worldwide, Universal is clearly betting that many, many fans will set off to see the wizard one more time.
