Alice in Wonderland

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover and Anne Hathaway
Releasing in cinemas: 4 March 2010
Rated: PG

Burton blasts Alice into the 21st Century

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland should more aptly be called ‘Return to Wonderland’; as it's a sequel rather than a straight adaption of Lewis Carroll’s famous children's story. The same happened with Return to Oz (1985) using the original characters but in a new plot. Not that Alice suffers in the process, even if much of the inverted Victorian wisdom and clever nonsense of Lewis Carroll’s text is replaced by a sometimes gothic visual magic, fully attributed to Burton, the flamboyant director of Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride and Big Fish. Only today's advanced film technology makes possible the stunning images.

This is not quite Carroll’s view of Alice, although the characters have passing acquaintance with Sir John Tenniel’s drawings and the film brings the strange dream world to life vividly for another generation, many of whom may not be familiar with the book. That can’t be all bad, and indeed it’s an entertaining and stimulating movie for children and adults. In the age of Harry Potter, audiences could be less interested in a literal film of the story and sadly consider it outdated.

Linda Woolverton’s (The Lion King) screenplay is partly inspired by the nonsense poem 'The Jabberwocky' in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Alice (Mia Wasikowska) now nineteen, again tumbles down the rabbit hole, revisiting 'under-land' after escaping from an engagement to a painful suitor at a lavish party. Wonderland is now controlled by the fearsome Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her sidekick the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), holding power under threat of the Jabberwocky - a monstrous creature. The White Queen (Anne Hathaway) representing the powers of good, but must be rescued by Alice, The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (both Matt Lucas), assorted friends and a vorpal sword by slaying the Jabberwocky on a frabjous day.

Acting awards go to Helena Bonham Carter (Terminator Salvation) and Johnny Depp (Public Enemies); with both giving crackerjack performances, especially ‘off with their heads’ Carter. By comparison Mia Wasikowska’s (Amelia) version of Alice lacks an edge of wonder, although she’s now a feminine empowerment message. Anne Hathaway (Valentine's Day) doesn’t do much to excite as the White Queen. Supporting actors voicing creatures - Alan Rickman (Blue Caterpillar), Barbara Windsor (Dormouse), Michael Sheen (White Rabbit) and Christopher Lee (Jabberwocky) - are happily effective.

The backgrounds are typically imaginative, while the best set-pieces are the Mad Hatter's tea party and the Red Queen’s court. The Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry) is a masterstroke that would amuse Carroll himself. In the end it’s Tim Burton’s film, directed with clarity of purpose to bring the fairy tale to startling life. Complex computer generated characters seamlessly integrate with the live, all in tamed 3D which doesn’t distract yet gives fine depth perception.

Disney's touch is there too. You’ll notice the Red Queen’s castle has similarity to the famous Disney castle, albeit with a dark note of stone heads forming stepping stones in the moat. A few scenes do verge on the nightmarish, while apocalyptic backgrounds and toothy monsters might be scary for very young children. In the rather cumbersome new prologue and finale we learn Alice is the daughter of a Charles 'Kingsleigh', a successful trader. This may be a oblique reference to Charles Kingsley, author of another children's book ‘The Water Babies’, and a contemporary of Charles Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll). It would have been more effective for her to be called Alice Liddell to whom the story of Wonderland was told by shy mathematics lecturer Dodgson on the river one fine summer's day. The real Alice Liddell was featured in Dreamchild (1985).

Lewis Carroll charmed millions of children with his Wonderland, the tale growing more impressive as you grow older. Australian artist Charles Blackman only heard the story as an adult, yet went on to famously paint his imaginings of it. Tim Burton offers his own vision of Alice and, like Blackman’s, it has a dark side. Carroll purists might have reservations but for today’s audiences Burton's trippy Alice in Wonderland hits the right buttons.

John Bale