Tim Burton's new version of Alice in Wonderland released in March 2010 is a visually-stunning, entertaining version of the classic tale of the girl who fell down a rabbit hole and entered Wonderland. This version of Alice is most appropriately labeled a sequel to Lewis Carroll's classic novels, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.
This fun, fantastic adaptation of Alice in Wonderland can be recommended for most of the family. It is appropriate for school-aged children all the way to senior citizens. Parents with younger children may want to be aware of some violent and gruesome scenes and that the colorful caterpillar, Absolem, smokes.
Alice in Wonderland is Another Burton Depp Film
The 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland marks the seventh collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton from the more recent Sweeney Todd, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride to earlier films with Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands. As with their other collaborations the Burton-Deep version of Alice in Wonderland takes on Burton's slightly twisted, macabre and darker interpretation of life and the world.
Those who like the Burton Depp films will appreciate and enjoy their latest collaboration updating the Lewis Carroll classic. Critics of Tim Burton and/or Johnny Depp are likely to also criticize or not appreciate their latest effort.
Updating Alice in Wonderland for 2010
Alice in Wonderland (2010) was updated by screenwriter Linda Woolverton for Tim Burton's new Disney version. Woolverton had previously worked on screenplays for Disney, writing Beauty and the Beast and co-writing The Lion King. Her version contains numerous, new memorable Alice in Wonderland quotes. An updated book version of the Live Action version of Disney's Alice in Wonderland was written by T.T. Sutherland and is available under the apt title of Disney's Alice in Wonderland. This beautifully crafted book reads like a true sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.
Innovative, movie director Tim Burton also updated Alice in Wonderland with new technology. He combined live action, computer generated images (CGI) and 3D animation to create Underland. According to a March 7, 2010 MTV article "'Alice In Wonderland' Shatters Box-Office Records" the film earned more than $116 million in its opening weekend. The release of a 3-D Disney Alice in Wonderland film shattered previous box office records for 3-D films set by Avatar, demonstrating that there is an audience for this new style of film.
The Basic Plot of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
Without revealing too many details or spoilers, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is about a nineteen-year-old Alice returning to Wonderland, the fantastical world she visited when she was nine and has continued to dream about ever since. Once in Underland (the correct term for this surreal place) Alice discovers she is fated to help restore the White Queen to power by defeating her tyrannical sister, the Red Queen and her object of terror, the Jabberwocky.
Alice in Wonderland's Star-Studded Cast
The actors seem to delight in breathing life into these classical characters. Helena Bonham Carter has created an unforgettable evil character with the Red Queen screeching "Off with her head." Her sinister, henchman Stayne or the Knave of Hearts is craftily played by Crispin Glover. A very blond Anne Hathaway portrays the White Queen, the benevolent, alchemist. Alan Rickman plays the droll, smoking caterpillar, Absolem, who is absolute. Stephen Fry is outstanding as the smug, complacent Cheshire Cat. Ingenue Alice in the film is played by new-comer Mia Wasikoska.
The Cast of Alice in Wonderland includes:
- Alice - Mia Wasikowska
- The Mad Hatter - Johnny Depp
- The White Rabbit - Michael Sheen
- The Red Queen - Helena Bonham Carter
- The White Queen - Anne Hathaway
- The Caterpillar - Alan Rickman
- The Cheshire Cat - Stephen Fry
- The Knave of Hearts - Crispin Glover
- The Jabberwocky - Christopher Lee
- The Tweedles: Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum - Matt Lucas
- The Bloodhound, Bayard - Timothy Spall
Who else but Johnny Depp could bring the Mad Hatter to life? His version of the Mad Hatter has inspired fans to make Mad Hatter Costume and Mad Hatter Hat long before the movie premiered.
Some Violence, Smoking and Gruesome Scenes for Children
Alice in Wonderland received a PG rating for fantasy action and violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar. The film contains realistic sword fighting and intense, scary chase scenes with roaring, screeching creatures. The scenes are heightened by Danny Elfman's moody score. There are references to decapitation, "Off with her head!", eating babies (tadpoles), one staged beheading and one eventual beheading. There are several gouged eyes, a tongue that gets sliced off and a moat filled with floating decapitated heads, but in general there is not a lot of blood with the gore.
For concerned parents, the Internet Movie Database has done an excellent job in compiling information on the different scenes in Alice in Wonderland in their parental guide by the categories of Sex and Nudity, Violence and Gore, Profanity, Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking, and Frightening/Intense Scenes.
Alice is a Positive Influence for Today's Girls
This version of Alice is a coming-of-age film, with 19-year-old Alice having to decide what to do with her life. The spunky but courteous Alice at the beginning of the film is hesitant to make a decision about her life that might upset her family. After visiting Underland and evolving into the White Queen's champion, the Alice at the end of the film exudes confidence in making her own decisions and planning her own fate. This grown-up Alice is a positive role model for today's young girls as the Joan of Arc-like heroine of the film.
Tim Burton's 3-D version of Alice in Wonderland is a fun and fantastical trip back to Underland. Noting the cautions about the violence, smoking and gruesome scenes that may be too scary for the youngest family members, Burton's adaptation of the classic children tale is a film that family members from 8 to 80 and beyond will enjoy.
Kirsti A. Dyer - Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, health educator, professor, author and lecturer.
