One of the best things about the version of Oz portrayed in the Wicked movies is the wonderful talking animals. But how real could they actually be?

Wicked: For Good is finally here, so it’s time to return to that magical land of Oz to celebrate one of the most beloved (and commercially successful) musicals of our era. And we don’t JUST mean Wicked, but also MGM’s original, beloved Wizard of Oz. OK, who are we kidding, we’re mostly here to talk about Wicked and Elphaba again.

Last time we went to Oz, it was to discuss why everyone’s favorite (don’t call her) wicked witch, Elphaba, had green skin, and what kind of scientific possibilities and reasoning there might be for that unique color in the real world. But this time, we’re discussing the talking animals of Oz! Ever wonder how close we might be to a dryly-witted talking goat like Dr. Dillamond? Or whether animals might be capable of speech in general?

The answers might surprise you, as they did us. But also, we hadn’t quite considered how our lives would change if animals could express themselves the same way humans can. Wouldn’t your lifestyle be a little different if animals could speak to you? How have these talking animals been portrayed elsewhere in pop culture, anyway? And while we’re at it, we’ll share behind the scenes details about how a moment in Wicked brought out the best in some real animals out there.

Check out the latest episode of Does it Fly? to learn more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK_ppck3cDQ

SUGGESTED VIEWING

By now, we assume that you have seen the first Wicked movie, because it made all the money and thus we assume everyone on the planet has. However, it would be helpful to understand this episode if you did. We had not yet seen Wicked: For Good at the time we recorded this episode.

But just as we did in our previous Wicked episode, we’d like to suggest MGM’s original The Wizard of Oz (1939), Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz (1978), and the surprisingly disturbing Return to Oz (1985). Get on your brooms and go!

FURTHER READING

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do! 

Speech vs. Communication

As anyone who has a pet knows, animals DO communicate, both with each other and with humans. So it helps to delineate the differences between speech and communication.

You say larynx, I say syrinx…

Birds do sing, but they have an entirely different vocal mechanism than humans do. It’s a remarkable organ, and you can learn about it here.

Vocal learning

Essentially, how many sounds can an animal (including humans) learn and retain? Once again, birds have a remarkable “vocabulary” in this regard, but there are other advantages to vocal learners.

Movie Science Advisors

For more on Tamara’s explanation about the role of science advisors in film, from someone who was there!

Singing Before Speech

Dr. Erich Jarvis has come to some fascinating conclusions about the origins of human speech and its roots in…song?

Hollywood, Health & Society

We wouldn’t have even known this amazing organization exists if it weren’t for Tamara!

The “Animal Unit”

The article that Tamara cites regarding behind-the-scenes details about creating such realistic talking animals in Wicked and Wicked: For Good can be found here.

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

The companion piece to this episode of Does it Fly? was about why Elphaba has green skin. Watch it here!

Want some more fantasy-flavored family friendly viewing? Check out our episode on How to Train Your Dragon right here!

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