Director Tim Burton takes us further down the rabbit hole than we have ever been with his new adventure of Alice in Wonderland based on characters from the books by Lewis Carroll.
It was well worth the wait. The combination of 3D, animation and live action is a tasty treat for your eyes to behold. You will be filled with wonderment at the Red Queen’s bulbous head, her devout tin soldier army, terrified bullfrog servants and live monkey furniture. This is a familiar world we have been to full of old friends and new surprises.
“They gave me a script and they said 3D,” says Tim Burton. “And even before I read it I thought that’s intriguing, and what I liked about Linda Woolverton’s script was she made it a story, gave it a shape for a movie that’s not necessarily the book.”
Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, is older now and although plagued with the same dream over and over again she doesn’t remember ever being to a place called Wonderland. She is nineteen years old and overwhelmed with the pressures of what society expects of her. She has started to rebel in her own way by refusing to dress in a corset and stockings that a lady should wear or act according to the manners of how a lady should. When confronted with a embarrassingly public wedding proposal by a man she doesn’t want to be with she chooses to run away from the situation to follow a strangely familiar looking white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and carrying a wristwatch which seems to be telling her it is Her time. She follows the rabbit through a hedge and down the rabbit hole and the tale begins as the original story did with her drinking potions that make her small and cake that makes her big. Secret admirers watching from behind the door of what is now known as Underland are quickly confused at why she doesn’t remember any of this from the last time. The movie quickly moves through a whirlwind of re-introductions as we meet Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Blue Caterpillar, the mystifying and always purring Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit and some new creatures we have never seen before.
“What I liked about this take on the story is Alice is at an age where you’re between a kid and an adult, when you’re crossing over as a person. A lot of young people with old souls aren’t so popular in their own culture and their own time. Alice is somebody who doesn’t quite fit into that Victorian structure and society. She’s more internal,” says Burton.
Alice is quickly questioned by everyone if she could possibly be the same Alice as before. The Underland creatures and the White Queen have been waiting for her to return to be their champion. She is suppose to be their hero that fights the dreaded Jabberwocky whose death will annihilate the reign of the dreaded Red Queen who is more interested in beheading her patrons rather than ruling them. This was a very refreshing version of Alice that when later dressed in a suit of gleaming silver armour becomes a character likened to Joan of Arc who leads the people to justice and saves them against all odds. She is a girl who wants to be different. She is strong and although confused by her surroundings in the beginning she quickly becomes the adventurer that knows no bounds near the end. It is an exhilarating to be with her on her journey of discovery and this movie provides a fantastic role model for all ages in finding the strength from deep within when faced with the impossible. Mia Wasikowska does a fabulous job playing the strong willed Alice that will inspire and warm the hearts of many for years to come.
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter is impeccable. This character has been done so many times in movies and theatre that it is always a difficult role to take on because it has been so typecast. The scene of the tea party alone is incredibly done as it is a roller coaster ride of happiness, madness, fear and optimism. The Mad Hatter used to work for the White Queen and is waiting for the rule of the Red Queen to be over. In the interim he has gone from being a kind of court jester to someone that has gone round the bend. He alone shows us his great sorrow, joy, confusion, regret and hope for a better day. He has been waiting for years at the same tea party for Alice to return and save them. Alice becomes his sanity anchor that keeps him grounded and gives him a purpose in life from that of making grand hats. Their friendship is incredibly touching and the way they become bound to one another to find their strengths is incredibly endearing. The Mad Hatter is not a one sided portrayal in this tale, he is a hero that provides capricious comic relief and tugs at your heart strings with his loss of reality. Depp has done a brilliant job of this character and made him the most lovable, believably mad Mad Hatter I have ever seen. I tip my hat to him. This is an Oscar winning performance that you don’t want to miss.
“The combination of being able to play the Mad Hatter and take what Lewis Carroll has done and what Tim’s vision is, and then throw your own stuff in there… it’s a dream come true. It was a real challenge to find something different, to define the Mad Hatter in terms of cinema of the things Tim and I talked about early on, is the idea that he would be so pure, in the sense that you see, instantly, what he’s feeling — so much so that his clothes, his skin, his hair, everything, reflects his emotion. So when he’s beaming, you get this kind of bright effect and everything comes to life, like a flower blooming, very, very quickly. He’s like a mood ring. His emotions are very close to the surface,” says Depp.
Other notable mentions go to Helena Bonham Carter who is the Red Queen for playing a character who’s confused on what is better, to be feared or to be loved. A character that can be easily hated that you can still have sympathy for is a hard role to play. She seems to be very hurt that her parents always gave their attention to her younger sister. She lashes out because she always felt unloved and it becomes painfully clear that her only way to get back at them is to take it out on everyone around her for having what is considered a normal sized head instead of her larger one. This has led to her obsession with beheadings as she hopes it will be her sister’s soon or possibly the symbolism of getting rid of her own that has caused her such emotional turmoil. Either way, she plays her part incredibly well as an arrogant, royal pain in the kingdom.
She doesn’t really rule through any kind of justice or fairness, but through terror,” says Bonham Carter. “I chop off people’s heads. That’s my solution to everything.”
The White Queen played by Anne Hathaway whose portrayal of almost every Disney character princess you have ever seen is amusing but possibly a little too stereotyped as it’s hard to take her completely seriously. I know they are all suppose to be a bit over the top but I think she should have been a bit more grounding like the Elvin Queen, Lady Galadriel, played by Cate Blanchett from Lord of the Rings rather than a queen who refused to become strong like Alice and has been waiting for someone else to come and fight her own battles. Even a slight change of her hand gestures and mannerisms would have made her a character more captivating and commendable.
The voice of the Blue Caterpillar by Alan Rickman was the perfect choice. His deep, baritone voice commanded your attention to his sage advice. Ever since I saw him play Col. Christopher Brandon in Sense and Sensibility he has been one of my favourite, character actors as he always steals the scene with his distinct voice and undeniable charm. After years of seeing him play Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies it is very fitting to see him as a captivating Disney character.
The Cheshire Cat was another one of my favourite characters as the animation is so well done that it brings the character to life and makes him delightful to watch. In the original tales he seems menacing and a tad bit scary but in this tale he is beguiling and adorable. You don’t quite know what he’s up to and if you should trust him but you can’t help but like him anyway. Just like a real cat, he does what he wants and still captures your heart.
Tim Burton and Disney are a dynamic duel and the combination of both their unique visions creates a stunning pictorial piece of art you don’t want to miss. Hopefully they will keep up the partnership to bring us some more magic that we can add to our lives as we can never have enough of it. Maybe with Alice off on more adventures and the movie undoubtedly on its way to winning many awards we will see some more movies in the future with Tim Burton and Disney working together again. I know that I personally always think of at least six impossible things before breakfast. Do you?
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