Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Lewis Carroll's famed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, are debatably two of the greatest fairy tales of all time, although they aren't necessarily for kids.

It seems a bit ironic, then, that the majority of people today (with the exception of literature buffs, perhaps) know the stories through the 1951 Disney animated version, musical numbers and all.

Now we have the Disney-produced (but Tim Burton-directed) version that mixes live action and computer animation, and notoriously, in the eyes of some critics, takes liberties with the original story. This should not come as much of a shock, however, considering that the Disney versions of classic tales such as "The Little Mermaid," "Snow White," "Aladdin," and "Cinderella" were all considerably altered to make them more family-friendly.

In a sense, then, that makes this version of Alice all the more shocking, because while some of the details may have changed, the tone of the movie, at least, is appropriate to Carroll's book.

Plot Summary

While most of us are familiar with the general Alice story, here's the latest take on it: Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) is the daughter of wealthy Charles Kingsleigh (Martin Csokas), whose dream is to find lucrative shipping routes throughout the world, a daunting task at the time (that time being the 19th century).

A young Alice, presumably the Alice character made famous in the first book, tells her father of recurring nightmares about falling down a rabbit hole into Wonderland (which we later learn is really called "Underland"). After hearing of her adventures, Charles declares Alice "mad," but follows it with, "...I'll tell you a secret: all the best people are."

Years later, Alice is a grown woman, and a number of high-society folk have gathered for an arranged engagement party, where it's expected that she will accept the marriage proposal of Hamish (Leo Bill), a business partner of her father's (and clearly one of high social standing). However, it is at this location that she encounters the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), wearing his characteristic waistcoat and pocket watch; distracted and unwilling to submit to the proposal, she follows him down a hole, as in the original story.

Back in Underland, Alice is forced to figure out her place there, and eventually to save the kingdom from the evil forces of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Along the way, we meet such famous characters as the Blue Caterpillar/Absolem (Alan Rickman); the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry); Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas); and perhaps most notoriously, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp).

Your Thoughts?

Already, audience and critical reactions have been mixed about Burton's version of Wonderland, but certainly, this seems meant for a different audience than those who fell in love with the 1951 cartoon.

In a way, the visual design of "Underland" seems to fit perfectly with Jefferson Airplane's version of Lewis Carroll's work, as described so well in "White Rabbit":

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all

However, readers of the book, too, may be disappointed, as the movie seems to try and squeeze too many details and references into 108 minutes. Many of those disheartened by the film have said that its plot, in comparison to its visuals and sound, is weak. That is somewhat true, unfortunately; it follows a rather generic fairy-tale idea, and the ending seems much more Hollywood-ized than the book's ending, a fate that seems to befall many movie adaptations of fairy tales these days (with a few notable exceptions).

This isn't to say that it's not entertaining, however; there are some great performances by Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter, and as mentioned earlier, the visual and sound effects are fantastic. While this may not be Tim Burton's best work, I still think it's fair to say that this film was thrilling to watch in theaters.

Nowadays, with Blu-Ray Discs, LCD TVs with movie-size screens, and home theater sound systems, you can practically have a cinema in your family room without ever having to shell out $10-15 per movie for the real thing. Nonetheless, Alice is still one of those motion pictures best experienced on the big screen; even if the story falls short, you almost have to admit that the visuals and sound are worth the price.

As you've probably heard, you can see this movie either in normal format or in 3-D; I've only seen the latter, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it. Yet again, others have felt that the 3-D effects took something away from the picture. My one complaint about this format is that it was occasionally nauseating, especially when it gave you the feeling of being upside-down. Of course, for viewers who are regulars at Six Flags, this shouldn't be a problem.

Will there be any Oscars awarded to Alice next year? For visual effects and sound, as Samuel Goldwyn once said, "I can give you a definite maybe." For screenwriting, unfortunately it's doubtful. As for acting, while there are memorable performances, this doesn't seem like the sort of movie that gets acting nominations; I could be wrong, however.

The Cult of Tim Burton

In spite of what critics say, Tim Burton's cult following will most likely eat this one up. Like Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Stone, and David Lynch, Burton's quirky characters and memorable stories have earned him quite the fan club.

Mind you, I'm not saying I didn't like Alice in Wonderland; it just seems to have fallen short of the trailers, as so many movies do.

So, if you're not too concerned about the plot, or staying true to the book in every detail, then just enjoy Alice in Wonderland for what it is. And if you become a fan, then you might as well get the logo on your lunchbox, while you're at it.