Review of Alice in Wonderland [1951]

Movie #11 - Alice in Wonderland

I have never been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. It's weird...and a little boring. It's definitely not one of Disney's best. Lewis Carroll had an active imagination, which is obvious when reading his literature or watching his stories come to life on screen. Some say he was on acid while writing these stories. While watching the characters and plot in the movie, I would have to agree. However, just because he may have been on acid doesn't mean his characters aren't enjoyable and extremely interesting. He's like an earlier version of Dr. Seuss. He made up his own words, his own characters, and his own world. That takes talent - whacked out of his mind or not.

My favorite aspect of this version of Disney's Alice in Wonderland is the incorporation of the poem "The Jabberwocky." I don't know if anyone has ever noticed what the Cheshire Cat is singing, but he is reciting the words to the poem.
                                                                    `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
                                                                      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
                                                                      All mimsy were the borogoves,
                                                                      And the mome raths outgrabe.

It's also adorable when the little mome raths pop up and run away. So cute. Disney really brought "The Jabberwocky" poem to life, but without actually introducing The Jabberwock.

This is definitely a Disney movie because the female protagonist doesn't really question anything going on around her. She's aware of it, but Alice just kind of deals with it and thinks it's okay. I'm sorry - if I was catapulted into Wonderland, I would freak the crap out. Kind of like when Peter Parker first gets his spidey powers, and he panics beyond belief. Yeah, THAT is how you're supposed to react to these situations. All Disney female protagonists are not afraid of anything, and they charge head on against whatever is put in front of them. I guess we should view that as heroic and brave, but I view it as weird and unrealistic. That's one of the issues I have with Disney films - even though I am a GIGANTICLY loyal Disney fan. Yep, totally just made up a word - gigantically...it'll catch on...like "fetch" in Mean Girls.

So let's discuss the best characters in the entire film - The March Hare and The Mad-Hatter. They're interesting, and they're odd. They're perfect. Despite every single character in Wonderland being completely off their rocker, these two characters actually make a heck of a lot of sense if you listen to them.

They just throw you off from seeing their sanity because they act so insane. The March Hare is the only character in Wonderland to state a logical theory (see photo above). "If you don't think, you shouldn't talk." Precisely, Alice, so shut your trap. 

The Mad Hatter says a riddle - "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" To the untrained ear, this may sound like another piece of ridiculous nonsense spit out by the crazy hat guy...but I have thought a lot about this riddle, and I have come to a few conclusions:

1) If the writing desk is black, then the comparison would be their colors.

2) A raven is one of the smartest birds alive. A writing desk is used to write intelligent thoughts on paper.

3) They're both useless. One's a stupid bird and the other is a block of wood. Yeah, I ran out of ideas.

Overall, this movie is cute, and it has some catchy songs. I give Alice in Wonderland 3 out of 5 stars.