Alice in Wonderland (A or 4/4 stars)
Disney's 1951 classic animated interpretation of Lewis Carroll's tale 'Alice in Wonderland' (directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske & Wildred Jackson) is one of my very favorite animated films of all-time. We first meet our titular heroine, Alice, as she is lounging away her lazy day, reading with her sister in the forest. All seems normal until all of a sudden, she sees a fully-dressed, befuddled White Rabbit racing by her; he is extremely late "for a very important date".
Without much thought, down the rabbit hole Alice goes after him, deep into Wonderland's colorful, magical realm, where she can grow larger - or smaller - and oddball creatures such as the whimsical Mad Hatter, the enigmatic Caterpillar {who puffs on a hookah}, the goofy March Hare, & the quite literally transparent Cheshire Cat assemble around enormous tables at cacophonous tea parties.
Other notable inhabitants of Wonderland include The Talking Flowers and Tweedle-Dum & Tweedle-Dee. Unfortunately for all of them, the kingdom is ruled by the thoroughly tyrannical Queen of Hearts - who has a thing for the offing of heads for any man, woman or creature who rubs her the wrong way. Much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz ... will Alice stay forever in this faraway fantasy world?
This movie is pretty special to me, as it evokes so many early memories from my childhood. This is a charming movie for kids, and yet, there are dark elements that permeate the proceedings; I like that. i.e., various characters are sometimes rude & often unfriendly to Alice; baby oysters disappear; the tantrums of the evil Queen are pretty terrifying, etc. 'Alice in Wonderland' looks incredible, with imaginative drawings in stunningly vibrant Technicolor.
The characters are voiced by a plethora of British & American celebrities including Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway, Verna Felton {great, as the mad queen}, Marni Nixon, Pat O'Malley & many more. I also love Oliver Wallace's Academy Award-nominated music, which includes amazing songs like: "I'm Later", "All in the Golden Afternoon", "The Walrus & the Carpenter", "A Very Merry Un-birthday", & "Who's Been Painting My Roses Red?" among others.
Interestingly enough, this film was met by disapproval from fans of Lewis Carroll & Brits who felt that this version was too different and/or Americanized from the source material. But poo-pooh to them. This movie runs a perfectly timed 75 minutes in length. I loved each & every one of Alice's bizarre encounters & experiences. This movie tells a fantastic tale of adventure & discovery and, it's just a wonderful entertainment for audiences of any age. I remember it fondly.
Without much thought, down the rabbit hole Alice goes after him, deep into Wonderland's colorful, magical realm, where she can grow larger - or smaller - and oddball creatures such as the whimsical Mad Hatter, the enigmatic Caterpillar {who puffs on a hookah}, the goofy March Hare, & the quite literally transparent Cheshire Cat assemble around enormous tables at cacophonous tea parties.
Other notable inhabitants of Wonderland include The Talking Flowers and Tweedle-Dum & Tweedle-Dee. Unfortunately for all of them, the kingdom is ruled by the thoroughly tyrannical Queen of Hearts - who has a thing for the offing of heads for any man, woman or creature who rubs her the wrong way. Much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz ... will Alice stay forever in this faraway fantasy world?
This movie is pretty special to me, as it evokes so many early memories from my childhood. This is a charming movie for kids, and yet, there are dark elements that permeate the proceedings; I like that. i.e., various characters are sometimes rude & often unfriendly to Alice; baby oysters disappear; the tantrums of the evil Queen are pretty terrifying, etc. 'Alice in Wonderland' looks incredible, with imaginative drawings in stunningly vibrant Technicolor.
The characters are voiced by a plethora of British & American celebrities including Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway, Verna Felton {great, as the mad queen}, Marni Nixon, Pat O'Malley & many more. I also love Oliver Wallace's Academy Award-nominated music, which includes amazing songs like: "I'm Later", "All in the Golden Afternoon", "The Walrus & the Carpenter", "A Very Merry Un-birthday", & "Who's Been Painting My Roses Red?" among others.
Interestingly enough, this film was met by disapproval from fans of Lewis Carroll & Brits who felt that this version was too different and/or Americanized from the source material. But poo-pooh to them. This movie runs a perfectly timed 75 minutes in length. I loved each & every one of Alice's bizarre encounters & experiences. This movie tells a fantastic tale of adventure & discovery and, it's just a wonderful entertainment for audiences of any age. I remember it fondly.