Alice in Wonderland [Blu-Ray/DVD]

Director: Tim Burton

Overview

Director Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) team up to deliver this visually dazzling take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale. Nineteen-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is attending party at a lavish country estate when she sees a white rabbit with a pocket watch dart into the bushes. Curious, she follows the rabbit to an enormous tree, and tumbles down a hole that takes her to Underland, a strange world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures in search of someone to save them from the dreaded Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), who has assumed control of the kingdom by decapitating anyone who dares disagree with her. According to a scroll detailing a historical timeline of Underland -- including events that have not yet taken place -- it is Alice who will set the kingdom free by defeating the Jabberwocky, a powerful dragon-like creature under the control of the Red Queen. But is this Alice the same Alice who appears in the scroll? While some of the creatures of Underland have their doubts, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and his friends are certain she's the same girl who previously visited them years ago. When the Red Queen kidnaps the Mad Hatter, Alice attempts to free her friend and locate the one weapon with the power to slay the Jabberwocky, thereby restoring the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) to the throne, and bringing peace back to Underland.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2011
UPC:	0786936814415
Original Release:	2010
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	937

Special Features

Wonderland characters; Making Wonderland

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Johnny Depp	The Mad Hatter
Mia Wasikowska	Alice
Helena Bonham Carter	Red Queen
Anne Hathaway	White Queen
Matt Lucas	TweedleDee/TweedleDum,Tweedledee
Jemma Powell	Margaret Kingsleigh
Tim Pigott-Smith	Lord Ascot
Crispin Glover	Stayne
Michael Sheen	White Rabbit
Stephen Fry	Cheshire Cat
Alan Rickman	Blue Caterpillar
Barbara Windsor	Dormouse
Paul Whitehouse	March Hare
Timothy Spall	Bayard
Marton Csokas	Charles Kingsleigh
John Surman	Colleague #1
Peter Mattinson	Colleage #2
Lindsay Duncan	Helen Kingsleigh
Geraldine James	Lady Ascot
Leo Bill	Hamish
Frances De La Tour	Aunt Imogene
John Hopkins	Lowell
Eleanor Gecks	Faith Chattaway
Eleanor Tomlinson	Fiona Chattaway
Rebecca Crookshank	Strange Woman Kisser
Michael Gough	Dodo Brid
Imelda Staunton	Tall Flower Faces
Christopher Lee	Jabberwocky
Mairie Ella Challen	6-Year-Old Alice
Holly Hawkins	Woman With Large Nose
Lucy Davenport	Woman With Big Ears
Joel Swetow	Man With Large Belly
Jessica Oyelowo	Woman With Large Poitrine
Ethan Cohn	Man With Large Chin
Harry Taylor	Ship Captain
Jim Carter	Executioner
Chris Grabher	Hightop Hat Juggler
Caroline Royce	Party Dancer
Bonnie Parker	Party Dancer
Simone Sault	Party Dancer
Leigh Daniels	Party Dancer
Carl Walker	Party Dancer
Matt Dempsey	Party Dancer
Chris Grierson	Party Dancer
Dale Mercer	Party Dancer
David Lale	Party Musician
John Bass	Party Musician
Nicholas Levy	Party Musician
Patrick Roberts	Party Musician
Phillip Granell	Party Musician
Stephen Giles	Party Musician
Hilary Morris	Maypole Dancer
Jacqueline Tribble	White Queen Loyalist
Cezary Pazura	Voices
Katarzyna Figura	Voices
Malgorzata Kozuchowska	Voices
Krzysztof Dracz	Voices
Joel Sweto	Man With Large Belly
Richard Alonzo	Man With Big Forehead
Jim Cummings	Additional Voices
Danny Elfman	Composer

Technical Credits

Linda Woolverton

Lewis Carroll

Tim Burton	Director
Linda Woolverton	Screenwriter
Richard D. Zanuck	Producer
Suzanne Todd	Producer,Producer
Joe Roth	Producer
Peter Tobyansen	Executive Producer
Chris Lebenzon	Executive Producer
Susie Figgis	Casting
Garrett Warren	Stunts
Michael Lantieri	Special Effects
Ken Ralston	Special Effects
Katterli Frauenfelder	Producer
Mary Richards	Producer
Lewis Carroll	Screenwriter
Benjamin Aguillon	Special Effects
Antony Bayman	Sound Effects
Steve Boeddeker	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Peter M. Tobyansen	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Imagination and insanity are the two key components of director Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, a fast-paced, visually striking take on Lewis Carroll's beloved children's story. Combining elements of both Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, to create something completely original yet oddly familiar, Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) create a story that can be considered as much a sequel to Alice's adventures as a re-imagining of them. By placing the film in a different context than Carroll's stories, however, Burton and Woolverton manage to make their Alice in Wonderland not only a surreal satire of the aristocracy, but also a testament to the power of independent and creative thinking, traits the brave young character inherited from her beloved father. As a young girl, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) was haunted by a recurring dream that made her fear she was losing her mind. Comforted by her father, a successful businessman, she grows into a smart young woman with a penchant for questioning the status quo. But was it really just a dream, or a memory of a past experience? Years later, she's being courted by Lord Hamish (Leo Bill) when she follows the White Rabbit (voice of Michael Sheen) to an enormous tree, and tumbles into a hole that takes her to Underland, a strange world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures in search of someone to save them from the dreaded Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), who has assumed control of the kingdom by decapitating anyone who dares disagree with her. According to a scroll detailing a historical timeline of Underland -- including events that have not yet taken place -- it is Alice who will set the kingdom free by defeating the Jabberwocky, a powerful dragon-like creature under the control of the Red Queen. But is this Alice the same Alice who appears in the scroll? While some of the creatures of Underland have their doubts, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and his friends are certain she's the same girl who previously visited them years ago. When the Red Queen kidnaps the Mad Hatter, Alice attempts to free her friend and locate the one weapon with the power to defeat the Jabberwocky, thereby restoring the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) to the throne and bringing peace back to Underland. At the onset of his career, Tim Burton gained a reputation for crafting contemporary, highly original fables featuring dazzling visuals, dark comedy, and compelling characters. The release of Batman in 1989, however, marked a pronounced shift toward pre-existing properties that continues even today. With the exceptions of Edward Scissorhands, Mars Attacks!, Corpse Bride, and perhaps Ed Wood, all of his films since that time have either been creative reworkings of familiar stories, or outright remakes. Today, the number of non-derivative stories populating Burton's filmography nearly equals the number of stories we've seen before. He seems to be at his best when straddling these two worlds, and with Woolverton he's found a writer whose strong storytelling skills perfectly compliment his visual artistry. Her ability to tie in aspects of Alice's real life with her experiences in Underland makes this variation of the story something much more than enjoyable eye candy or a playful exercise in cinematic nonsense. It lends the film an emotional core that the original story never really had, and touches on universal themes about growing up that viewers of all ages can connect with. As Alice, Wasikowska proves the perfect stand-in for the viewer; she's been to this world before, yet thanks to the changes that have taken place since her last visit, her recollections are somewhat fuzzy. At once courageous, curious, and caring, she brings a human sensibility to a place where chaos reigns. And while the human elements of the story provide a strong foundation, it's the characters of Underland that truly give the film its color. As the Mad Hatter, Depp may not have much of a brain, but his heart is most certainly in the right place. Bonham Carter plays the Red Queen for all she's worth, gleefully munching scenery as she berates her amphibious underlings for stealing her tarts, and constantly calling out for craniums; and Crispin Glover imbues the dreaded Knave of Hearts with his usual creepy charm. The creature design for the animal characters provides them with the perfect personalities to match the top-notch voice work of actors like Stephen Fry (Cheshire Cat) and Alan Rickman (Blue Caterpillar), giving their characters a sense of gravity that makes them every bit as real as the actors whose faces actually appear onscreen. Even if Burton has veered away from telling original stories, his visuals still possess the power to dazzle, and with Alice in Wonderland he succeeds in making the familiar feel fresh and exciting.