Wicked: parents' guide
Best for ages 10 and up. Rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material.
A dazzling, long musical (two hours and 40 minutes) for families with kids who can handle some intense scenes. It tells how green-skinned Elphaba, rejected from birth, befriends popular Galinda at a school in Oz and uncovers a plot to silence the land's talking Animals. Expect bullying, a beloved goat professor dragged from his classroom, and a frightening finale with flying monkeys, a jump scare and armed guards in pursuit. An opening scene implies Elphaba's mother has an affair, and the mother later dies in childbirth. Language is clean. Age 10 reflects the scary climax, the implied affair and the darker themes.
What's in it
Violence
MildFantasy action: soldiers with swords chase the heroines, a burning hot air balloon crashes, characters smash through tower windows, and kids throw rocks at Elphaba. Guards take falls during the chase; reviews differ on whether any die, and nothing graphic is shown.
Language
NoneNo profanity. Insults stay mild, such as 'twit,' 'get stuffed' and 'artichoke,' along with made-up exclamations like 'sweet Oz' and 'oh my golly.'
Sex and nudity
ModerateIn the opening, Elphaba's mother kisses her husband goodbye, then welcomes a traveling salesman, flirts and drinks with him, and an affair is implied but not shown. Later, students swoon over a prince, with one kiss and plenty of romantic tension.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
MildElphaba's mother drinks a mysterious green elixir with her lover and is later fed 'milk flowers' that bring on a fatal early labor. Nurses and a maid take quick swigs from bottles, and magical pollen puts a room to sleep.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateThe finale is the scariest part: monkeys writhe in pain as they sprout wings, then attack in a jump scare, and the Wizard's giant flaming head looms. Elphaba's mother dies giving birth to her sister, and her father rejects her. Caged Animals may upset kids.
Sensitive topics
- Bullying
- Death of a parent
- Racism
Worth talking about
Oz turns against Elphaba once the people in charge label her wicked. Talk about how leaders can use fear of a group to gain power, and how Elphaba and Galinda each respond.
On our lists
Similar picks around 10+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, the-numbers.com, childrenandmedia.org.au. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.