Alice In Wonderland

In Oakland, California next to Lake Merrit lies a park for children called Children’s Fairyland. Opened in 1950 this delightful playland created life-size sets where children could become a part of their beloved nursery rhymes and stories. My favorite attraction was Alice In Wonderland’s rabbit hole. I remember the thrill of leaving the security of my parents and climbing down into a tunnel. Inside were little windows and behind the glass were tableaus depicting scenes from Alice’s story. When you reached the end of the tunnel passing various sized locked doors along the way, you are let out into a maze of playing card soldiers with the Red Queen and White Queen hovering overhead. At Children’s Fairyland, you were a part of the story.

Over the years I’ve seen many versions of Alice’s tale, but none of them satisfied me as much as the exhilarating experience of climbing down that rabbit hole. I was hoping that for once, that Tim Burton’s 3-D experience might meet the challenge. With 3-D I was hoping to recapture that authenticity. I was ready to be immersed in Wonderland.

Although I loved the visual aspect of Alice In Wonderland, I did not enjoy the film overall. I had trouble with the story line and some of the characterization choices. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen was pitch-perfect. If the rest of the cast was up her her standard I would have been fine. But my biggest problem with the film was its lack of humor. Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter was actually sad, and an insurrectionist to boot. And I still can’t figure out what Anne Hathaway was doing with her hands.

My favorite part of the film was the costumes. The movie begins with Alice in Victorian England rebelling against the use of stockings and corsets. This ends up be a good decision for her. For once down the rabbit hole, her loose fitting chemise proves to be very adaptable as she shrinks and grows to various sizes. The creativity of the costumes is remarkable and in my opinion, the best part of the film.

I found Mia Wasikowska impeccable as Alice. Her adventurous spirit serves her well and her penchant for independent thought and ingenuity allows her to flourish in strange new worlds. Marrying her off to a rigid unimaginative Lord would have been a crime. This young lady is destined for bigger things. The book ending parts of the story showing Alice before and after her adventure were very well done. It paid homage to the original Lewis Carroll stories and provided a contrast for Wonderland, or rather Underland. I only wish that the characters were as bright and as colorful as their setting. The political undertones made the world too dark. It was like visiting someone’s house and getting caught up in a family feud. I was still glad to visit, but eager to go home.

Rating: First Run A tribute to the imagination