Search - Alice in Wonderland on DVD

Becky W. (kd2008) from SEATTLE, WA
Reviewed on 5/21/2010...

Cheesy but cute.the songs will get stuck in your head

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Laura T. from SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Reviewed on 3/10/2010...

Indeed, you can wreck a masterpiece. If you hold dear the book, the Disney version, or even the 1985 Alice (with Carol Channing!), steer clear of this movie.

Whereas the original storyline is deliciously impish, cheeky, convoluted, and whimsical -- this version is lackluster and flat, with two-dimensional characters and lackluster scenery, encapsulated in a blandly innocent approach. The amazing Gene Wilder and Whoopi Goldberg are its only saving grace.

All I can say is... imagine if Hallmark made a version of Alice in Wonderland.
Oh wait, it did.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Carla T. (tnrose61) from HORSESHOE BND, AR
Reviewed on 10/2/2009...

Outstanding cast performances. Very entertaining to follow Alice through her adventures in learning the "moral of the story". Would recommend to all ages.

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Do You Want to Join the Dance?

Jeff Farrow | 05/18/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Oh my whiskers! There are a lot of versions of ALICE IN WONDERLAND available. In order to compare this ALICE with others, I would have to watch the other ones, and that's not happening. One alternative version I can attest to & compare is the original Disney cartoon. That version rates the highest score of 5 Big Ones (Stars). So based on that, I compared this ALICE.



Let's look at the somewhat negative areas first.



I have nothing at all against Miranda Richardson, but she is sorely miscast as the Red Queen. I picture the Queen as plump, almost beefy with a basso profundo, bellowing voice; not the incessant srceeeeeching of Richardson's screaming delivery. It's not pleasant, but not too bad. 3 stars. The perfect actor to play the role would be someone like...well, like the brilliant British character actress Elizabeth Spriggs. Oh darn...she's already cast as The Duchess--and what an absolutely perfect Duchess she is. 5 stars for the Duchess--and 5 stars for the entire cooking scene with the wacko cook throwing things & the fabulous animated crying baby!



[NOTE: Sadly, Elizabeth Spriggs is now deceased.]



The scene with the White Knight falls flat & lasts too long. This occurs at a time when the film needs to build pace, rather than holding it back. Oh, boo...can't even give this scene 3 stars. Have to give it 2.



Finally, I have to agree with other reviewers who thought the actress playing Alice presenteted a pretty much one-dimensional rendition of the role. It may have been the actor's acting, or a case of poor direction (although other scenes don't point that way.) Again, not that bad. 3 stars.



Now to the plus side.



First of all, I have to give a tremendous bravo to the Jim Henson Creative Company that renders puppet, actors & animation into a seamless & wondrous whole. BIG FIVE STARS!



Martin Short steals the show as the Mad Hatter (the "Hatter" usually does.) Martin is perfection incarnate in this role & brings down the house with his song & dance routine, "Aunty's Got A Wooden Leg!" Five Big Ones.



Whoopie Goldberg's' Cheshire Cat is great--& another testament to the seamless special effects. Her voice is soooooooo mellow it sounds like she may have had a few hits from the Caterpillar's hookah, but then aren't all cats a little like that? 4 Stars.



I thought Gene Wilder was very affective as the sad-sack singing Mock Turtle. The staging of his scene was fantastic too, effectively borrowing techniques from early European theatre. It's the Turtle who teaches Alice how to loose her stage fright and learn to smile & sing. Wilder is adorable in his turtle costume 5 Stars.



The conclusion ties up some loose ends. At the beginning Alice is resisting being forced to perform in front of friends & relations. It's possible that this idea was the cause of Alice's mostly monotone characterization, so she could drop it at the end & reveal how she had benefited from her Trip. The assembled group, as in the Wizard of Oz, included the characters in Wonderland (now dressed in their Victorian best.) Alice sings, "Do you dance, do you want to join the dance?" Everybody applauds & starts singing with her.



I liked it.



Finis.









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