Tim Burton's Alice Is Packed with Stars

Director Tim Burton began filming his latest project Alice in Wonderland in September. The film will apparently be a mix of both live action and animated characters. While the titular character will be played by a previously unknown Australian actress, nineteen year old Mia Wasikowa, the rest of the cast for the feature looks to be packed with stars, both prior Burton collaborators and those who have never worked with him before.

Most recently, Crispin Glover was revealed to be slated to play the Knave of Hearts. He costarred with Johnny Depp (who will play the Mad Hatter in his seventh collaboration with Tim Burton) in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Dead Man, and previously worked with animation in Beowulf. Burton's longtime fiancée Helena Bonham Carter will star as a combination of the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen (the two characters from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" were also combined for the 1950's Disney animated adaptation of the novel) in her sixth Burton film. Anne Hathaway of "Rachel Getting Married" will play the Red Queen's sister, the White Queen. Matt Lucas of "Little Britain" will portray Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and Welsh actor Michael Sheen will be the voice of the White Rabbit (or the Cheshire Cat, according to other rumors). Alan Rickman, who worked with Burton, Depp, and Carter in Burton's most recent film "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," will portray the Caterpillar. Not too surprisingly, prior Burton colleague Christopher Lee ("Sleepy Hollow") will be in the film for a yet unrevealed role. Also featured will be sixteen year old Eleanor Tomlinson as Alice's enemy and possibly Jemma Powell as Alice's older sister. It appears that Tom Pigott-Smith, Geraldine James, and Frances de la Tour may also have roles in the picture.

Need I mention that Danny Elfman, who has scored all of the films Burton has directed except for 1994's Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd last year, will be providing the soundtrack for Alice? The screenplay is written by Linda Woolverton, who also worked on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "Mulan." It seems the plot will mostly focus on the Queen's fixation on chopping off the Knave's head when she becomes determined that he has stolen her tarts. Alice and the Hatter are to defend the Knave, but Alice earns her own sentence for her efforts in his defense, and the Hatter is rather useless as he is hindered by his fear of losing his own head.

The tentative release date is March 19, 2010. Many criticize Burton for his consistent reuse of actors and the like, but it seems almost like a big family - a film family, if there ever were such a thing. Because the actors do so well and they seem to play off of each other quite nicely, who are we to criticize? What with all of the fantastic actors listed, the talented Elfman working his music into the film, and Burton's quirky mind interpreting the story, it appears that moviegoers will feel just as if they've fallen into the rabbit hole themselves when they go to see this film.