Tim Burton’s rendition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stays true to
the classic fairytale but offers more fantasy elements. What makes Burton’s
adaption different than others is that he and screenwriter Linda Woolverton
give it an added depth and a richer plot. Actress Mia Wasikowska fits the
role of the young heroine like a glove with the perfect combination of grace,
innocence, and curiosity. Alice still lives in England but is given the last
name “Kingsley” and her family has arranged for her to be married to a young
man named Hamish, to Alice’s dismay.The notion of the female protagonist in
fairytales rejecting ideas of arranged marriage is a positive and familiar one
but has never been part of any Alice in Wonderland version until now—and that’s
certainly not a bad thing.
The famous characters of wonderland are all the same but the story takes a different turn. Here, the
creatures mistake Alice for another person called Alice who they hope will slay the Queen of Hearts’
(or the “Red Queen” as she is known) evil dragon with a secret, powerful sword. Woolverton
introduces new characters. These include the Red Queen’s accomplice The Knave of Hearts (Crispin
Glover) and the Red Queen’s good-hearted sister, The White Queen (Anne Hathaway). What
the scene where Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Sound editors Paul Apeted and Bill Banyai also
put lively sounds to use with noises of leaves and tree branches blowing through the wind. Along the
same lines, lighting editor Ben Aguillon makes some parts of this classic tale seem like it comes
from a scene in an Edgar Allan Poe story, with the thick clouds and thorny trees in the forest.
It’s disappointing that the Red Queen, not particularly intimidating; she is designed like a little doll
with a round porcelain, white face and wild red hair seeming to depict her as being jokingly evil
rather than a truly fearful character. Furthermore, The Red Queen’s army of cards don’t look like
your traditional deck of cards. The “cards” are brown instead of white and don’t have any designs
like diamonds or spades. Johnny Depp is fantastic as The Mad Hatter, with his eccentric persona.
Costume designer Colleen Atwood creatively dresses The Mad Hatter looking completely in
character with his wild, curly red hair, bulging green eyes, and thick red eyebrows.Atwood also
dresses The White Queen very gracefully, completely in white, has white hair and lives in a white
kingdom with white steps and paths and even her servants are dressed in white. Overall, Burton’s
perspective is refreshing but still doesn’t hold up to the standards of the traditional story.
The famous characters of wonderland are all the same but the story takes a different turn. Here, the
creatures mistake Alice for another person called Alice who they hope will slay the Queen of Hearts’
(or the “Red Queen” as she is known) evil dragon with a secret, powerful sword. Woolverton
introduces new characters. These include the Red Queen’s accomplice The Knave of Hearts (Crispin
Glover) and the Red Queen’s good-hearted sister, The White Queen (Anne Hathaway). What
the scene where Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Sound editors Paul Apeted and Bill Banyai also
put lively sounds to use with noises of leaves and tree branches blowing through the wind. Along the
same lines, lighting editor Ben Aguillon makes some parts of this classic tale seem like it comes
from a scene in an Edgar Allan Poe story, with the thick clouds and thorny trees in the forest.
It’s disappointing that the Red Queen, not particularly intimidating; she is designed like a little doll
with a round porcelain, white face and wild red hair seeming to depict her as being jokingly evil
rather than a truly fearful character. Furthermore, The Red Queen’s army of cards don’t look like
your traditional deck of cards. The “cards” are brown instead of white and don’t have any designs
like diamonds or spades. Johnny Depp is fantastic as The Mad Hatter, with his eccentric persona.
Costume designer Colleen Atwood creatively dresses The Mad Hatter looking completely in
character with his wild, curly red hair, bulging green eyes, and thick red eyebrows.Atwood also
dresses The White Queen very gracefully, completely in white, has white hair and lives in a white
kingdom with white steps and paths and even her servants are dressed in white. Overall, Burton’s
perspective is refreshing but still doesn’t hold up to the standards of the traditional story.
