Alice In Wonderland: A story retold over, and over,....and over again!

         
       Today being the start of my birthday weekend, I decided to kick off with some of my favorite stories. And tonight's episode covers Alice In Wonderland. Published on November 16th, 1865, Lewis Carroll's ultimate classic is one of my family's favorites. We adore the movie. But when you think about it, you ask: Which movie?

        Once upon a time, a little girl named Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank. When suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. We all know how curious kids get, so Alice follows it down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland. In wonderland she meets all kinds of wack-a-dos. Ranging from smoking caterpillars to armies of playing cards. Will she find her way home out of all the madness?

         Alice In Wonderland has been made into a film adaptation over, and over, .....and over again. The first one was made in 1903. Since then, it has been adapted over, and over, .....and over again. But at least that makes it so we can choose our favorite version and see which ones are the most accurate to the book. Here are my top 3: 

         Not a well known one, the 1972 film of Alice In Wonderland has good acting, REALLY good makeup, and was pretty acurate. People have had a habit of throwing songs and dances into Alice In Wonderland, and this version was no exception. It's not surprising that there are songs, because Lewis Carroll wrote poems into the book. And what better material for songs? Here's the thing though: Fiona Fullerton, who played Alice in this film, was about 16 when the film was made. Isn't that a little old? Because Alice is supposed to be somewhere between 8-12 years old. Otherwise it's an unknown, underrated, and probably the most accurate version of Alice In Wonderland. 

           Next up, Hallmark's Alice In Wonderland, starring Tina Majorino. This adaptation was a tv movie made in 1999. I like who they cast for this film, such as Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle, and Martin Short as the Mad Hatter. But I notice a few problems here and there. I imagine the film was cheaply made, since the special effects were slightly wacky. However, I like how instead of actors in makeup, they threw puppets into the works. The puppet of the white rabbit was pretty decent. Is it true to the book? Pretty much, except for part of the story line: The film starts with Alice dreading to sing for her parent's guests. She runs off and hides, and that's when the white rabbit comes along.  In Wonderland she learns to find the confidence she needs while having the same adventures. She sings for the guests at the end, and does a pretty good job. The signaling to the start/end of her dream was kinda weird though. At the start/end of her dream, she sees a floating apple. With a lot of Alice In Wonderland films, they put parts of Through The Looking Glass in the movie. Such as the knights, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the Walrus and The Carpenter. But those parts don't interfere with the goodness of the film. From there, it's the same as the book. If you haven't seen this version, you may be able to find it somewhere on youtube. 

      And lastly, 1985's tv film of Alice In Wonderland, starring Natalie Gregory. (Who with a blonde wig looks like Carol Anne from Poltergeist.) What's different about this film is that they made two parts. One for Alice In Wonderland, and the second for Through The Looking Glass. One thing I wasn't extremely impressed with was the costumes. Unlike the 1972 version, the non-human characters still looked human. The unicorn in the Through The Looking Glass part of the film didn't really look like a unicorn. And I thought it was little weird how the black guy looked in his caterpillar costume. I AM NOT BEING RACIST HERE! But the good part about his scene was his musical number. It was catchy and fun to watch. Not to bash the makeup artists however, I'm sure they put in effort and did their best. Hopefully. It's ok that they didn't cast huge celebrities. I like Natalie Gregory's performance. Considering that she was also just the right age for Alice. So because they made two parts instead of trying to combine, and the pretty good acting, 1985's Alice In Wonderland is one of the best. 

        A word concerning Disney: Yes, I ADORE Disney's Alice In Wonderland. The 1951 and the 2010 films. But I am talking about accuracy. They both combined Alice's adventures. But it's usually based primarily on the first book. Please don't hate me for not including Disney as some of the best. Thank You!

         All in all, Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland is truly a remarkable story. Who knew you could write a best-selling book based on your hallucinations! Otherwise Alice In Wonderland is a classic bound to be retold over, and over, .....and over again!

          What's your favorite adaptation of  Alice In Wonderland? Be sure to like, comment, follow, share, and always come back for more enchanted tales of film.