Sincerely,
Heidi Jo Gilbert
Defying Gravity Storyboards from Heidi Jo Gilbert on Vimeo.
If you want to read more, here's an interview I did about it back in February.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Dear Stephen Schwartz,
I know you can relate to the plight of loving a story, loving a medium, and trying to convince someone in power to see your vision! You did it with Marc Platt when you convinced him to make it a stage musical. I’m just approaching you with the same sincerity. Is it possible to talk you out of doing a live action movie adaptation? Would you consider doing a traditionally animated adaptation? In my heart I think the musical needs the medium, and I think the medium needs your musical. I just love them both so much and hopefully that shows through in the story reel.
Sincerely,
Heidi Jo Gilbert
If you want to read more, here's an interview I did about it back in February.
Sincerely,
Heidi Jo Gilbert
If you want to read more, here's an interview I did about it back in February.
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145 comments:
Very cool!
I have yet to see Wicked though I keep seeing awesome fanart for it.
This would be so amazing animated!
Great shots! It flowed really well! :D
WoohooOooO!
This would be super fantastic as an animated feature. I wish I had thought of it!
Looks awesome though
heidi . you are awesome!
dear stephen (and Heidi),
I full-heartedly agree...let them!!!
this is incredible, heidi!
I made my husband and his business partner watch it.
and then we even forwarded it onto more friends!
you are amazing!
Heidi, I am not even into Wicked, but I would LOVE to see this made. I've watched it several times now.
(Val's friend Sara.)
Thanks everyone!
Alisa! Ha ha you're awesome! Thank you!
Hi Sara! I've heard of you but not sure if we've ever actually met! Thanks so much for the kind words!
Sigh! I hope we get to make it someday. Or at least work on it. :)
this makes me so happy! I watched Wicked the other day (in a naughty way...on youtube) But I honestly think it would make a really fantastic animation!
I also now want to see your animatic animated :D
This actually gave me chills. Great work!
Wow wow wow!!! This is actually INCREDIBLE! This would be absolutely amazing as an animated film! Oh please let this happen! Absolutely fantastic work - it flows so well, I was utterly engrossed in the story. Completely love it.
This is fantastic! I assume you did this in Photoshop? What dimensions did you use>
This is wonderful! Wicked still makes me tear up, especially at this song! (I saw it in NYC when I was 14 with my dad - Idina performed and everything! Truly magical!!)
I hope they consider making this, although I last heard Universal had the rights? :(
Good luck! :D
wow....if you make this please let me be a part of it :) I did Wicked as my senior project and I love this musical so so much.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Just discovered your blog and I am in LOVE! Wicked is a favorite and I would love to see it done as an animated feature - looks like it would be in excellent hands!
Fantastic!!
Extremely well done!! I cannot imagine why they would not consider this project!
Wicked is such an awful play. Do the book. It is so much better. I really do not realize how people can appreciate Wicked the musical. They took out everything that made the book so incredible, and they replace it all with meaningless bullshit.
late to the party, apparently, but I just stumbled across this on youtube and wanted to tell you i got chills! so awesome.
Amazing, amazing work, Heidi. Unless you hear from lawyers, I'd keep working on the scene. Just beautiful stuff.
Heidi,
I really regret that I didn't get to see this before Youtube took it down, but it's really exciting to see a kindred spirit in the world of animating musicals (or wanting to). :)
I'm nowhere near Disney, either geographically or professionally, so when I say I would love to get in touch with you, it comes exclusively from a creative and not necessarily profitable standpoint. I can't find any contact information on your blog, but would be totally thrilled if you would shoot me an e-mail (this name at gmail dot com). I'd love to pick your brain, and perhaps see if there's anything I can offer artistically to such a project that might interest you.
My website can be found at http://www.seedoubleyou.net as well.
Can you please repost your reel so I can see it? Thanks!
Loved it! Amazing! It gave me chills like I haven't had since that first time I heard this song. Fingers crossed for you!!!
This is WONDERFUL.
Yay, saw it this time! That is absolutely amazing and you did a great job. Your timing is perfect.
You have no idea how excited you have made me. At first I wanted a Live Action version, but after seeing just that little bit, I want a Disney version. This should be Disney's next big project, it would be huge, I'm talking Lion King HUGE!
That was awesome! Leave it to NBC Universal to spoil the fun.
the NBC corporate gestapo has taken it down. Fie on them!
I really hope this ends up happening, I LOVE Wicked!!! =D Well done, Heidi!
LOVE your WICKED ideas! It's similar to what I've imagined for the film! Please contact me - I might have an "in"... luvwicked@yahoo.com
Thanks so much for sharing your talent!!!
Holy crumbs. You are officially my hero for doing this.
WOW!!! Truely awesome!! I want more!!
Oh wow. This is great. I haven't seen 'Wicked' but this looks incredible. If you do get this greenlit, please please PLEASE don't make it another crummy computer-animated 3D flick. Your line art is brilliant enough to not be distorted and overshadowed by computer effects. Keep traditional animation alive!
So awesome, I had chills!
Can you please re-upload this amazing video?? I can still view it on the blog but you might want to write the ************************************************************************s at NBC because they had it removed from Youtube due to a copyright claim. Love the work so far
When they make this, I just hope it's not TOO much of a kid's movie. Elphaba will HAVE to be the flawed hero she is in the musical. She's just too complex to put in the standard Disney mold. I would aim for PG.
When they make this, I just hope it's not TOO much of a kid's movie. Elphaba will HAVE to be the flawed hero she is in the musical. She's just too complex to put in the standard Disney mold. I would aim for PG.
Yeah, I got some goosebumps there, too. Sadly, I think there's a live-action version of the (vastly inferior, IMHO) book in the works, so that might torpedo chances of a musical. Here's hoping we can have both!
When I saw the musical live this song, and the moment she starts flying is the most emotinal moment in the whole play. Your anamation brought me tears agin. It was so moving. I can't want to see this up on the big screen! :D
I would love it if the movie integrated elements of the book instead of focusing just on the play. Of course the book would have to be watered down a lot to be an appropriate animation for children. I still enjoyed the clip very much!
Beautiful. It gave me goosebumps. What a wonderful way to introduce musicals to children.
YEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!! I want to have babies with these storyboards!
This film HAS to be animated.
omg, i never thought that defying gravity would work on screen (its so theatrical!) but there you go. That was amazing. Here's hoping that maybe this happens, not entirely impossible with Universal's new animation studio, and also the fact they immediately pulled this from youtube. Amazing work, Ms Gilbert!
A friend of mine linked to this on Facebook - I think it's brilliant!! Well done :) I love the way you've imagined it. I agree, the possibilities of animation would result in a far superior end-product - there is the danger that it would end up being lame as a live-action film....
Responding to "GirlfriendLessons":
Ah, yes, the USAian assumption that if it's animated it must be for children.
This is the same sort of "reasoning" that gets comic shops busted for selling "adult" (clearly marked and with an enforced sales policy) material - because if it's a comic, they must mean to sell it to kids.
Comic books are not just for kids - and neither is animation.
That said, anything animated in this country is not gonna do well if it's not kid-friendly ... because of that self-fulfilling expectation.
*Sigh*
Oh my god. I am so happy right now. This needs to happen.
...I'll be in my bunk.
I could NOT stop grinning throughout the entire clip. Thank you for making my night wonderful, and I really hope that NBC Universal takes this into consideration (even if they DID take it off youtube...*sigh*).
This was fantastic, Heidi Jo. Absolutely beautiful!
Tamar's sister here-- I love it!! my boys (ages 2 and 4) must have watched it about 30 times this morning. good luck!
This was so beautiful!!! it's actually given me chills! What I would give to work on this kinda project :D it would be the job of a lifetime for me!!!! I hope you don't mind but I would love to post the video on my own blog and recommend that everyone comes and checks out your blog to. as i am a fellow animation student. Hope all is going well and keep up the good work
Ellie
This right here. is AMAZING! what i would give to work on this as a fellow aniamtion student and musical geek. gonna so reblog this and tell all my mates to come and check this out!!!
GOOD LUCK!!!
love Ellie <3 xx
I was in awe when I first saw Wicked. I feel the same way when watching your vision of the musical. This would be an amazing animated feature! Amazing work.
I absolutely loved this. Wicked would make an excellent animated musical and you should have some creative role in it. I personally hope it's a stop motion musical, but I would see a well done movie version, even if it was drawn (decently) in crayon. Excellent.
I have to look and see more of your work. That was an excellent animatic and your sequence would be great in a movie Wicked. Great eye for cinematography.
OMG, that was super fabulous!!!!! You should be the story board writer if it comes out on silver screen
I might just have to say... that was pretty much amazing! Wow. I didn't really think of a Disney/Wicked combo, but man that is awesome. FTW!
Heidi! You are so talented! I LOVED watching your art in action... Congratulations! :)
o, i want to watch this SOOO MUCH!
the book was so fabulous, and where we live seeing the show is impossible - what an amazing job you've done here! all my hopes fly to you!
I'd definitely prefer an animated version of the musical and a live action film of the novel. (Why not both!?) That way, the voices we're familiar with can actually be used.
Wow. That was all kinds of fantastic. I hope this can happen.
Here via a link from EW.
Did anyone else forget to breath about halfway through, then find themselves out of breath when it was over?
That left me breathless, literally.
Hi, You are officially my hero now. I thought about how AMAZING this show would be as an animated film, like, 2 years ago, plotting out this EXACT sequence in my head almost EXACTLY like you've done it here. I cannot begin to express how excited I am that someone in a position to potentially do something about it is thinking the same way as I am. This AWESOME and it MUST HAPPEN.
Thank you. :)
Gave me chills.
Yes please! I hope Stephen Schwartz takes this to heart!
http://thismovieguy.blogspot.com
You've made me cry. I can't believe you made this. I've always wanted to, but never got around. And you made this more beautiful than I ever could.
You are my hero. I had just been telling my friends how every time I listen to music from Wicked, I'm inspired to draw an animatic. I was in the brainstorming stages of one for "The Wizard and I" when I found this link. This is SO amazingly staged - and I'm totally with you, Wicked would be BRILLIANT animated. We can hope and pray. :) Thank you for sharing this!
I get goosebumps from watching it.
This has to be an animated film!
Any chance that you'll do a story reel for "Popular"?
I think this is exactly what traditional animation needs. It will be a box office smash and restore producers' confidence in traditional hand drawn animation! I also couldn't agree more with you Heidi, this show would be great as a Disney-style animated film.
I hope the suits at Disney are watching the web right now. Cause this is EVERYWHERE!
Amazing! I hope with all my might that Stephen acknowledges your idea! I never wanted a Wicked movie because the stage production is just so wonderful that I didn't want it tainted, but I LOVE the way you've approached it and it would open up a world of possibility for the storyline and staging! Amazing amazing amazing! I want I want I want!
Oh. My. God. I am in tears. Thank you so much for doing this. I just...I can't...wow.
That was epic! I got chill exactly like when i saw it on Broadway the only difference was that i wasn't pinned to my seat by the wall of sound that is my computer speakers. Could you send me the video? It is completely worth watching reapetedly. Send to centralperkinnewyork@hotmail.com
Awesome, hopefully they take you up on it.
After seeing your storyboards: this is the only way I could see Wicked working on screen. I would LOVE to see this. That was amazing. :D
You're very talented! Thank you for sharing it with us.
I've seen Wicked 5 times & your storyboard for Defying Gravity gave me the same excited chills that the show does... Man, I hope this happens...!
I swear to just and loving God, this is what I will envision every time I hear the song now.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
(Although given some of the more adult themes in Wicked, so it might not be suitable for children... ah, heck. It'll harken back to the older, scarier, more violent Disney films that built character!)
This is brilliant! BRAVO! It's the perfect way to get a Wicked movie and keep Idina and Kristen's voices where they belong!
That just outdid everything I saw in "Tangled." I really need to found out more about "Wicked." If the rest of the movie is that good, this could be the real return to animated musicals that we're waiting for.
Like others have said, I could only envision this as a live action film. But now... that was an amazing piece of work that has me excited for an animated version instead. Cool beans!
I love, love, LOVE Wicked, and this was absolutely amazing!! Thank you :)
Wow. Just, wow. This is what we should see when Wicked comes out. I couldn't even stop and talk to my baby- I had to watch all the way through. I saw this on the AV Club, here's hoping that all the right people see it!
The first time I saw the musical I had seats on the aisle, second row. I had to remember to close my jaw after "No good deed". I have not had that level of awe since.
Until I saw YOUR Elphaba leap off the balcony and onto her broom.
Fantastic isn't a strong enough word for what you did here. Bravo. Has anyone told Gregory Maguire about this?
Goosebumps!
Very interesting adaptation
Wow! I... I... Wow!
This was amazing!!
Keep doing this and not the book (book was way too wordy! I say this even though I work in a bookstore!)
Holy cow what an awesome job! Thank you, Heidi Jo, for sharing your talents! We can only hope that someone hears your plight and delivers on this amazing idea.
Holy frickin' damn. That's spectacular.
Awesome! And I definitely agree: animated over live action would be great for this.
Wow. Wow! That's all I can say! Love Love Love the idea!!!!
This is thrilling! I love Wicked and Disney animation, and the idea of bringing the two together fills me with giddy glee. I hope this video gets to Mr. Schwartz, and I hope he's as moved by your vision as I was.
Great suggestion. I love your view of it.
That was really nice. I saw the show three times and loved it each time. I may have listened to this score more than any other musical and that's saying something... (for me). Honestly I'm not sure they can't do this both in live action and in animation. It's not like that hasn't been done before and I think both mediums would serve the property well.
I only just discovered this and it is INSANELY AMAZING! Just had to share how awesome I thought it was. These are the kind of boards that just make me want to animate them. Freaking amazing work.
I never much liked the musical, but your storyboard changed my mind completely. My heart leapt when she grabs the broom and breaks out into the solo.
I love classic Disney animation and I would LOVE to see this.
Hi Heidi,
As a professional voiceover actor, I of course believe animation to be one of the ultimate, and most effective storytelling mediums. That said, I simply wanted to say: YOU ARE MY NEW HERO. That was an amazing clip! I've been sending the link to everyone I know, and they all agree!
Wow. Just, that is so awesome and I would take my nieces and nephew to see it.
LOVE IT!
That was just amazing. I loved it. You're brilliant. Bravo. That's all I can say.
Except that I'd love to see the whole story like this. That would be wonderful.
Heidi,
I love your idea and your HEART!
Maybe there can be a compromise and we can have both an animated and live-action WICKED movie.
The animatic RULES!
David Miller
Sorry, Heidi, but I call bullshit on this idea.
Disney is better when they do their own original animated musicals; doing Wicked might be a disaster. I''d much rather see a live action version of the musical with Idina Menzell reprising her role as Elphaba-if possible-or an animated version made by a Japanese studio (Studio Ghibli, Madhouse, or some other Japanese studio) and written in the same adult manner as the original musical and novel. Disney would just kiddify it and make it mediocre.
That was incredible. I really hope this gets picked up. You're amazingly talented.
Oh my god, I would love to see this. I've seen the stage musical four times, and the animation, even as bare-bones as it is, captured the same heart-stopping feeling of seeing that song live. I'm almost afraid that, whatever they do end up doing for the film, it'll be a letdown after this got my hopes up!
WOW! I'm not even a fan of "Wicked" (loved the book, unimpressed with the play), but that was WONDERFUL! Great staging and blocking, great sense of movement and character. This needs to happen! Great work, and thanks for sharing, no matter what happens!
Totally made me choke up. Better put my dude face back on. You should be very proud of yourself, because this looks amazing.
How is this not a thing yet?! I will pass the word around, it should be done.
Great job on the storyboards.
I just keep watching this over and over again! I want to see it so bad I can taste it!
As a fan of the musical, I've got to say, that was phenomenal. I think you are right, this musical needs this medium, and vice versa, and you've got a GREAT vision for it! I wish you luck!!!
This is amazing! I hope Stephen Schwartz and the suits at Disney and whoever else needs to be involved have seen this and ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING HOW AMAZING I WOULD BE.
honestly. goosebumps. and Iam ALL FOR anything that gives the opportunity to have Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth back in the (THEIR) roles for the movie (as they should be! I simply fear that they have waited to long for a live action version that could include them!)
THIS NEEDS TO BE MADE! so great. awesome work! thinking of story-boarding any of the other songs by any chance?
I love specific songs from Wicked but I'm not a huge fan of it's stage production. However after watching this animation to Defying Gravity (which gave me chills, btw) I am quite certain I would LOVE it in animation form! It is just so perfectly meshed! The rest of the story would fit this so well, too! Wow!
Beautifully done. Thanks for posting this. The scene with the clock is just perfect.
The scene with the clock in the background is just perfect. Thanks for sharing :)
I was thinking the other day: Why not try something like Avatar? Idina Menzel herself suggested. We could have the original cast back to play their roles again! The animation idea is amazing, but I think it just takes away that connection to reality Wicked gave us! I'd love to see Wicked as the fisrt to try Cameron's new way to make movies, and at the same time, being the 1st musical movie ever to be like that!
You've got me sold on an animated feature!!! Very Wicked-worthy, as long as it's done with the original Wicked creators and actors!!
I don't know the novel, I am familiar with the score, I have never seen the show, and I just watched your video. You win. Nothing has ever made me want to see this story told as much as your video has. Best of luck.
I hope Stephen Schwartz tunes in to your blog. This could be an amazing animated film.
Soooo good!
Just watched this on Vimeo. Dear lord you're amazing. You captured what really is a true aspect of this scene.
Yeeees!!! I've been dreaming of an animated adaptation of Wicked ever since I saw the musical! These boards are so amazing! You captured the climactic moment perfectly! :D
This is epicly amazing! I get chills and goosebumps throughout.
On the Vimeo link someone shared an email address for Stephen Schwartz's office. Perhaps we ought to start an email campaign? It couldn't hurt - maybe the powers that be will listen to a grass-roots movement.
I've watched this about 5 times alone, and made 4 other people watch it. I, like a lot of other people on here, am not a huge fan of Wicked- but I would LOVE to see a movie version if it were animated. The world would be very well represented in an animated feature and I think, more importantly, would have some serious staying power. Not to mention the multi-billion dollar merchandising they would be able to do if the characters were animated. I think Elphaba and Galinda Dolls would be HUGE sellers.
Interesting story: "Wicked" was in fact pitched as an animated film at Disney around 1996. The execs passed on it. (I know the two Disney artists who pitched it.) I think it probably would have been a better Disney animated film than "Atlantis" or "Home On the Range" or "Brother Bear" , what do you think ? Too bad , thinking about what might have been ... and dear old Dis even had Stephen Schwartz working for them in those days. (Pocahontas , Hunchback of Notre Dame).
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Really well done. Tiny question thought, there was a tiny portion of your video that had music that wasn't from Wicked. Did it perhaps belong to the song Savages from Disney's Pocahontas? It's been driving me crazy trying to figure out where the little snippet is from.
I've been skeptical about the film version, mostly because I've been afraid that it would be nearly impossible to capture the emotion and grandeur of this scene. You did it though!
I wouldn't have even thought of it as an animated feature. Thanks for this. I hope the studios seriously consider it.
This is really powerful. You have a gift for storytelling. Any chance I can contact you about a book I'm writing?
I have watched this five times now, and it gets better and more goosebump-inducing every time. I'm actually not a huge fan of Wicked, but I *am* a huge fan of traditional animation, and this is conceptually stellar. Keep making awesome things.
Hello! I just discovered your AMAZING WICKED storyboards while google searching news on the WICKED movie! At first I thought it was official!
I actually have thought for years that WICKED would really be an amazing animated feature! I have posted several concept art works for an animated version of the WICKED movie on my DeviantArt account (cor104.deviantart.com) They are kinda old and my art has improved since then but I'd love to get your opinion on them!
My dream...my goal in life is to work in animation in some way. I'd love to get some advice from you!
Anyway, sorry about the rant! I love you work!
Thank you for your time!
-Cory
Holy smokes, that gave me goosebumps!
At the core, animation is the art of movement, and you deliver in spades!
THIS IS AMAZING!!! Gave me the chills!!! Great great work! I wish you much success!
I hate Wicked. I would love this.
Holy moley!
I love the music for Wicked, so it was an amazing thing for me to see the uplifting score of "Defying Gravity" with such a dynamic sequence added to it.
Although the only thing I would have changed was to have her fly AT the camera in the last few notes and have the screen go black, that would have been just a personal choice.
I really hope someone in an animation department sees this and realises how amazing it could be to make the theatrical musical into an animated musical.
Fantastic work.
When I first read your post, I was like 'animated? nooo!!!' but Oh my WORD, I am still filled with chills and glee over that amazing storyboard. I must watch it again! I REALLY hope Mr. Schwartz gets this!! Awesome job!
This is so cool! I wasn't too sure about an animated Wicked, but you have changed my mind.
OMG!!! Just found this, and yo should do another one, like ALAYM or Wizard and I! SO amazing, it gave me chills, and I really hope to see this someday on a movie, or yeah!
Your storyboard was more powerful than when I saw it on Broadway. I came here expecting a laugh, and was instead almost brought to tears. I *want* this to be animated now. Brava!
The best part? The Broadway originators could voice their parts without anyone complaining about them being too old. Everybody wins!
I hope your dream comes true.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE actually make sure this goes through to Stephen Schwartz. PLEASE. THAT ALMOST MADE ME CRY
I was sobbing. Ohmygod.
so how did it go? I've been reading rumors lately that Disney would finally make an animated adaptation of Wicked. How true is this?
This is one of those things that just needs to happen. A live action adaptation would be okay, but in order to capture the true majesty of the story and the setting I am in agreement with you, Heidi--it needs to be traditionally animated.
This is beautiful work!
ooooh I loved this so much I hop it is animated it would be great animated!!!! Great great great artwork Loved it~
I don't even know what to say, I am left speechless by the imagery you presented with that song. It gave me chills!
I really do wish and hope that your idea to turn that musical into an animated feature is considered (even more so if it is specifically a 2-D animated feature).
I have one question, at about 0:54 in your animatic, is the soundtrack you use there briefly from Pocahontas? Because it sounds very similar.
All in all, fantastic job.
Aaaaaaactually might be crying a little bit. This is gorgeous.
Wonderful! I have goosebumps
I simply love your style for the Wicked storyboard. Fantastic!
This is absolutely fabulous! It NEEDS to be an animated for sure. It can't possibly do the musical justice any way else! You have my support 110%!
I would ADORE seeing an animated Wicked! Great work! Its lovely.
This just made me cry the happiest tears of joy! Beautifully done!
this is a terrific idea! I JUST LOVE IT!!!!!! i havent seen wicked but i can garentee disney taking on wicked with idina menzel and kristen chenoweth is going to make a lot of money lol :D
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