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Monday, June 22, 2009

Burton's Alice in Wonderland?

I found out today that one of my favorite directors, Mr. Tim Burton himself, is recreating the well-known story of Alice in Wonderland. It is due out in 2010.



Johnny Depp is playing the Mad Hatter. He may turn out to be one of the best Mad Hatter's I've ever seen. In my opinion, Johnny puts a great twist on the characters he plays, making each one unique and enjoyable.



Helena Bonham Carter is the Red Queen, and I think she'll do a great job with the role. Such a good choice for the snarky Red Queen. Better watch out when painting the roses red. "Off with his head!"



Anne Hathaway will be the White Queen. She should do well with this role. I wonder if she and Alice will play chess… if I'm correctly remembering the 1985 TV verision of the movie.



Mia Wasikowska will play the part of Alice Kingsley. I'm not familiar with Mia, but Tim and the others must have seen something in her to put her in the lead role.



Matt Lucas takes on a dual role with Tweedledee and Tweedledum. They always were such odd little men in the Disney cartoon, and the one from 1985. (Yes, I actually remember watching this one many times.)

Alan Rickman, will be the Caterpillar and that should prove to be interesting since Alan has always played such wonderful roles. Christopher Lee is the Jabberwock [sic], Stephen Fry will be the Cheshire Cat, Michael Sheen is the White Rabbit.

Take a look at some panoramic concept art found online at USA Today. I have included smaller versions below, but to really appreciate the pieces you should see them in a larger size.






I somehow doubt that Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland will be like the muted, highly altered Disney rendition. If these images provide any hint of what's to come, then I think this new Alice in Wonderland will be rather colorful and exciting, although it might not be a "kids movie".

Before I start sounding as though I didn't like Disney's translation of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, I'll stop here and say that I did and still do like it. I just wish they would have stayed with the original story, although the Jaberwocky and other characters would have been a bit too scary for children.

That also reminds me of the Brothers Grimm. The fairy-tale Cinderella and many others did not originate from Disney. Most of them are much more gruesome or cruel. If you do any research into the Grimm Brothers' history of stories and folk/fairy-tales passed down through the years, you'll find they were slightly more true to life at the time. The stories didn't all end with a "happily ever after" and princesses being whisked away on a horse with their true love, or prince charming.

"The stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early 1800s serve up life as generations of central Europeans knew it—capricious and often cruel. The two brothers, patriots determined to preserve Germanic folktales, were only accidental entertainers. Once they saw how the tales bewitched young readers, the Grimms, and editors aplenty after them, started "fixing" things. Tales gradually got softer, sweeter, and primly moral."

This summer I am already looking forward to the latest installment of the Harry Potter series. I'm still wondering if "The Half Blood Prince" movie will cover the full book and year 6, or if it will be broken into two sections.

This news about Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland has me anticipating a great new interpretation of the story for next year, and something to look forward to.


Image sources - Disney and USA Today.

6 thoughtful comments:

Chris H said...

Now that will be a movie worth watching I'm sure! I love Johnny Depp, he is a superb actor.

Linzi said...

I loved the Alice in Wonderland that was on TV. I think I watched it every day for a few years.... loved it. This new one may be a little too scary for me!

The Johnsons said...

I really like Johnny Depp, but that is one creepy looking Mad Hatter. I didn't know there was a 1985 movie version. Is it any good?

Hol said...

Chris,
I love Johnny Depp too. Have you seen him in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"? It's a bit gory, but he does a great job in the role.

Hol said...

Linzi,
I watched the 1985 TV version quite a few times too. Did you ever see the second one? I think it was called "Through The Looking Glass".

That one was a little scary. I think it had a wolf and the Jaberwocky in it. Guess that would explain things.

Hol said...

Erin,
I agree, Johnny looks like a pretty creepy looking Mad Hatter.

The 1985 TV movie was good from what I remember. It had it's pros and cons, but I guess all made for TV movies do. You could possibly find it on Netflix or Blockbuster.

This URL might give some info to help you find it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088693/

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