Insanity Realized

Alice In Wonderland
Original release: July 26/28, 1951 (UK/US)

It's unbelievable how many film adaptations there have been of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. But most of the time, if somebody starts talking about a girl called Alice who gets lost in a Wonderland, he or she is most likely speaking of either the original books or Disney's famous adaptation of them. Come on, who here has never heard of "the teacup ride"? (The ride itself, Mad Tea Party, has been a favorite at Disneyland Park ever since the entire park opened in 1955.)

It sounds blunt, but it's true: this movie is a mess. The scenes seem at first entirely random, and in many ways they are. Of course, you can't do too much else with Carroll's books, which barely have any plot on their own. Walt Disney's intention was to center the entertainment factor of the movie around its visuals and music, rather than a strict story. Actually, the studio found it difficult to pull off just right; the movie was officially proposed in different formats at least four times after 1945.

Nevertheless, there is in fact a plotline: Alice is bored with her lessons and wishes she could be in her own world of "nonsense." Upon accidentally entering such a world, she proceeds to chase after the White Rabbit for a surprisingly long time, continually revived by her curiosity. Over time she realizes that though nonsense can seem fun, it can also feel pointless; under certain conditions, it can even do serious damage to a person's spirits. She eventually decides that logical thinking does indeed have its place in the world. For a glimpse into the more serious points of the movie, watch the following clip; it's a surprisingly sorrowful, despairing musical number that Alice sings to herself after she's gotten hopelessly lost in the woods.



Well, it may be a mess, but it's an entertaining mess. It's impossible to sit through more than ten minutes of this movie without laughing out loud. I myself have a personal affinity for Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum: I played Dum in a stage adaptation of Carroll's works when I was in middle school. In any case, here's a clip of the infamous Cheshire Cat to tickle your funny bone and cheer you up after that last particularly melancholy clip.



Think his voice sounds familiar? That's Sterling Holloway! He voiced a great number of Disney characters in the early years, including the stork from Dumbo and the python Kaa from The Jungle Book.

The movie doesn't just have humor and fantastical visuals; it also has some surprisingly catchy tunes. Once you've seen this movie, you'll keep humming its tunes for a week afterward. I've had "Painting the Roses Red" playing in my head the entire afternoon, myself.

For an adaptation of such a tricky pair of books, this movie does a nice job and is really quite enchanting to watch. This Disney classic won't disappoint.

Mahewa's rating: 4.0/5