A brand-new clip from Wicked: For Good just dropped, introducing Scarlett Spears as young Glinda — the mini version of Ariana Grande’s character! Ariana praised her performance with a sweet note, while director Jon M. Chu revealed the scene was added back during reshoots to give fans deeper insight into Glinda’s story. The sequel follows after part one’s success and will arrive alongside NBC’s upcoming special Wicked: One Wonderful Night, featuring Ariana, Cynthia Erivo, and more performing songs from the film.

In the emerald haze of anticipation swirling around the Land of Oz, a tiny bubble of magic has burst forth, captivating hearts and hinting at layers of lore yet to unfold. The release of a fresh teaser clip for Wicked: For Good isn’t just a glimpse into the glittering sequel—it’s a portal to Glinda’s guarded past, embodied by the pint-sized powerhouse Scarlett Spears. At just eight years old, Spears steps into the iconic pink slippers as young Galinda Upland, offering audiences their first peek at the bubbly sorceress before the world-weary wisdom of adulthood. And if the clip’s ethereal charm has you enchanted, wait until you hear Ariana Grande’s gushing ode to her miniature counterpart—a message so tender it feels like a spell of its own.

The footage, unveiled like a hidden gem from the Emerald City vaults, unfolds in a sun-kissed nursery bathed in soft pastels. There she is: little Glinda, perched on a velvet stool, her golden curls cascading like waterfalls of sunlight. With wide-eyed wonder, she clutches a shimmering wand, practicing her first incantations amid floating orbs and whispering winds. The scene, a poignant flashback, reveals a child already dreaming of flight and fancy, her laughter tinkling like crystal chimes as she conjures harmless sparks that dance across the room. It’s pure, unadulterated joy—the raw spark of the girl who would one day become the Good Witch of the North. Cut to Ariana’s full-grown Glinda in the present, her expression a mosaic of nostalgia and pride, as if gazing into a mirror that reflects not just her face, but her soul.

Ariana didn’t hold back in her praise, flooding Instagram with a carousel of behind-the-scenes snapshots and a caption that read like a love letter from Oz: “My tiny girl in the bubble, played by the wonderful and talented @miss.scarlett.brielle 🫧 thank you for your beautiful work and for allowing the world to understand our Galinda more deeply than ever before.” The words landed like a soft landing after a levitation spell, stirring fans into a frenzy of heart emojis and teary confessions. “Ariana’s voice as Glinda is magic, but this? This is sorcery,” one devotee posted, while another quipped, “If this doesn’t make you ugly-cry in a bubble gown, check your pulse.” Spears, a rising starlet with credits in indie shorts and theater workshops, responded with a bashful video of herself twirling in a replica gown, whispering, “Thank you, Ariana—you’re my wizard.” The duo’s exchange? It’s the kind of cross-generational sorority that turns a film clip into folklore.

But the real wizardry lies in the story behind the scene. Director Jon M. Chu, the visionary helmsman steering this two-part epic, confessed in a candid chat that young Glinda’s moment was a resurrection from the script’s graveyard. “We had that scene in the script and I knew we should have kept it, but we didn’t shoot it at the time because we had a lot of other pressures,” Chu revealed, his tone laced with the relief of a creator reclaiming his vision. During reshoots in March 2025—those frantic, feverish days when the first film’s triumph demanded perfection for its successor—the sequence was dusted off and brought to life. “It was like finding a lost melody in the score,” Chu mused. “This glimpse into Glinda’s origins adds such emotional weight to Ariana’s performance in the sequel. Fans deserve to see the roots of her resilience, the innocence that blooms into that unbreakable sparkle.”

For those who’ve surrendered to the siren song of Wicked: Part One—the 2024 juggernaut that shattered box-office records with $1.2 billion worldwide and a shelf full of Oscar nods—this addition feels like destiny’s own rewrite. The original film, a lush reimagining of the Broadway behemoth, chronicled the unlikely friendship between the green-skinned outcast Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, in a tour de force of vocal fire) and the pampered princess Glinda (Grande, channeling cotton-candy charisma with operatic precision). Their journey from Shiz University rivals to Oz’s most iconic duo was a tapestry of empowerment, laced with showstoppers like “Defying Gravity” that left theaters trembling. But For Good, arriving November 21, 2025, plunges deeper into the maelstrom: Elphaba’s exile as the Wicked Witch, Glinda’s rise as a symbol of sanitized goodness, and the cyclone of Dorothy’s arrival threatening to upend it all.

Young Glinda’s insertion isn’t mere fan service; it’s a narrative anchor. In the sequel, as Glinda navigates the Wizard’s manipulative machinations (courtesy of Jeff Goldblum’s sly, scenery-chewing turn) and grapples with the moral quicksand of power, flashbacks to her childhood illuminate the fractures beneath her flawless facade. Why does she cling to popularity like a lifeline? How does a girl who once bubbled with unbridled dreams reconcile with a world that demands she dim her light for the greater good? Spears’ portrayal, with its wide-eyed vulnerability and precocious poise, provides those answers in whispers and winks, enriching Grande’s layered portrayal. “Scarlett captured that essence—the unfiltered glee that Glinda buries under layers of expectation,” Chu enthused. “It’s a bridge between the girls we were and the witches we become.”

As if the multiplex weren’t already a powder keg of pink and green hype, NBC is fanning the flames with Wicked: One Wonderful Night, a two-hour extravaganza beaming into living rooms on November 6. Filmed live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the special is a glittering gala where the cast converges to croon and confess. Ariana and Cynthia lead the charge, their voices intertwining in medleys from the films—expect a soaring “For Good” duet that might just levitate your couch. Joined by Michelle Yeoh’s imperious Madame Morrible, Goldblum’s twinkly Wizard, Ethan Slater’s earnest Boq, Marissa Bode’s fierce Nessarose, and Bowen Yang’s snarky Pfannee, the lineup promises pandemonium in the best way. A 37-piece orchestra, helmed by Broadway vet Stephen Oremus, will swell the score, while composer Stephen Schwartz himself drops in for anecdotes on the two new songs penned for the sequel: “No Place Like Home,” a haunting ballad of belonging, and “The Girl in the Bubble,” a playful yet piercing nod to Glinda’s gilded cage.

The special isn’t all show tunes and spotlights; it’s a treasure trove of teases. Exclusive clips from For Good will debut, including snippets of those fresh tracks and glimpses of high-flying production numbers that push practical effects to wizardly extremes—think tulip fields in Munchkinland and a Yellow Brick Road paved with peril. Jon M. Chu will chat transformations, from Erivo’s gravity-defying harnesses to Grande’s gravity-defying gowns, while surprise guests (whispers point to Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel) add Easter eggs for die-hards. “It’s one night to rejoicify,” Ariana posted, her rehearsal snaps in a billowing ballgown sparking a social storm. Streaming the next day on Peacock, it’s the ultimate prequel to the sequel, bridging the stage-to-screen legacy with live-wire energy.

What elevates this whirlwind from mere marketing to cultural sorcery is the sisterhood at its core. Ariana and Cynthia’s bond, forged in sweat and scales during Part One‘s marathon shoots, radiates through every frame. Their off-screen rapport—late-night vocal warm-ups, mutual pep talks amid reshoots—mirrors Elphaba and Glinda’s arc: two women defying gravity together. Spears, the newest thread in this tapestry, embodies that continuity, her youthful exuberance a reminder that magic isn’t hoarded; it’s handed down. As For Good hurtles toward theaters, hot on the heels of Part One‘s TV broadcast premiere, fans are poised on the edge of Emerald City, wands at the ready.

This clip, this tribute, this tidal wave of tie-ins—it’s all a spellbinding summons to remember: in Oz, as in life, the truest power lies in vulnerability unveiled. Young Glinda’s bubble may burst, but from its shards rises a witch worth rooting for. Ariana’s words to Scarlett? They’re not just praise; they’re prophecy. The world will understand Galinda more deeply—her joys, her jitters, her journey from girl to icon. And as the credits loom on One Wonderful Night, one thing’s certain: the winds of change are whipping up a storm of sequels, specials, and soul-stirring songs. Defy the ordinary. Rejoicify your November. Oz awaits—and it’s bubblier than ever.