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Film Title: Alice in Wonderland

 Best for ages: 6 and up.

Movie Website:  Click Here

Year Released: 2010

Rated: PG (US)

The Review

     Disney’s 1951 film Alice in Wonderland was adapted from the fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  The 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll), has seen its share of in-limbo film deals since Disney’s cartoon version hit the screen in 1951. There have been many made-for-television versions of the film, but despite the many well-known directors attached to Wonderland projects, the productions did not get off the ground. Horror director Wes Craven was attached to direct Alice, based on the video game of the same title, many years ago, and for a while many thought this film was going to be made, but it never fully got off the ground.  In 2007, Disney began to develop a live action version of the film. When director Tim Burton agreed to direct the movie, and Johnny Depp agreed to play the role of the Mad Hatter, the film finally went into production

   This version of Alice in Wonderland is not a remake of the classic story but is more of a sequel.  In the film, Alice is all grown up and has completely forgotten her first trip down the rabbit hole when she was young. Now older, and after her father's recently passing, Alice is on her way to a party at the estate of Lord Ascot, her father’s business partner. What she does not know is that the party is actually for her and that she is expected to marry Lord Ascot’s son. After she notices a rabbit trying to get her attention, she excuses herself and runs after him. Once again, she falls down the rabbit hole and enters Wonderland.  At first, all the creatures in what they refer to as Underland are not sure if this is the Alice they know from the past. The Red Queen of Hearts (Helena Bonham Carter) has taken over the land with her pet Jabberwocky and enslaved anyone captured by her army. However, a prophecy tells of Alice's return to Wonderland to slay the Jabberwocky and restore power to the the White Queen (Ann Hathaway.) With the help of the Mad Hatter (Johhny Depp) the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry) and the other creatures of Wonderland, Alice must rise to the challenge and free Wonderland from the hands of the Red Queen.

   I was told by a lot of people that this film was not worth the time spent in the theater to see it. However, after viewing the Blu-ray disc, I kind of wish I had gotten to see it in 3-D. I found the film to be very good, and really enjoyed all the fantasy aspects that Tim Burton and his team put together to bring the story to life. The storyline is simple, with a plot that we have all seen in other good vs. evil films, but the creation and use of all the wonderful characters in this film really help it come together. There is not much in terms of character development in the story, however we know all of these characters from the previous Alice in Wonderland stories and films and they really don’t need much of an introduction.

The film has a big cast. Most of the actors just lend their likeliness and voices to many of the creatures in the film, but some of the big names actors in the film have on screen performances in memorable roles. Johnny Depp shines as the Mad Hatter and is nothing short of brilliant.  Mia Wasikowska is good in the role of the nineteen-year-old Alice, and, despite what others say, I think her British accent is fine. Helena Bonham Carter is nothing short of perfect as the Red Queen, and it is great to see Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, Ilosovic Stayne. The rest of the cast includes Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Matt Lucas as both Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Alan Rickman portrays Absolem, the Caterpillar, and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat and Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit.

   There are a lot of features packed into the Blu-ray combo pack, which includes both a DVD and Digital copy of the film. On the Blu-ray disc are featurettes about each of the characters in the film and on the film's production, including everything from the score's  creation to the effects, stunts, visuals and set design.

   The film is rated PG and a lot of the violence is very animated, much like a Looney Toons cartoon. While there is some animated violence, especially in the fight scene with the Jabberwocky, Disney does a good job in masking anything that easily could have given this film a PG-13 rating. The Queen of Hearts has all the heads of her victims floating around in a moat around her castle, but they are shown at a distance for most of the film except for one scene in which a tiny Alice has to cross the moat where they look more like floating rocks than anything else. Absolem, the Caterpillar smokes his pipe a lot and has the habit of calling Alice a “stupid girl” a lot. Other than that, there are basic little battle scenes and sword fights, but nothing that is to out of control. While I cannot recommend that you show a young child the entire film, I feel it is safe for children over five  if the child can handle some animated violence.

   Alice in Wonderland is a fantasy film that is a lot of fun and lets you escape into a world full of strange characters and lose yourself in their wacky world for two hours. Tim Burton always has had a wacky imagination, and once again he proves that he can bring his audience into a world like no other. This is a disc that I highly recommend.

BUY THIS MOVIE.