Alice in Wonderland- Not That Adventurous.

We all know the story of Alice in Wonderland whether you are 5 years old, 20 years old or 80 years old. We all know the story of the poor blond haired, blue dress wearing little girl following the white rabbit down the hole into Wonderland and the magical powers of "Drink Me" potions and "Eat Me" cupcakes.

It all started with a fantasy book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll in 1865. It was later picked up by Walt Disney and made into a movie. Lewis Carroll also wrote the squeal Through The Looking-Glass And What Alice Found There. There is a common confusion about these two stories. The world is familiar with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, however not as many are familiar with the sequel, but they do recognize some of the characters from it and confuse it with the first story.

I have an original copy of Walt Disney's printed version of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, simply titled Alice in Wonderland. It's the first story only with new illustrations from Walt Disney. This is where most people get the image of Alice in a blue dress with blond hair, a purple Cheshire cat and a green hookah smoking caterpillar. Because there was no color in Lewis Carroll's first run of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we have grown accustom to the purple Cheshire cat, the blue dress and anything and everything else Walt Disney decided to add color to.

Tim Burton decided to remake Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland film this year. We all love Tim Burton for his famous works of Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and the 2005 adaptation of the 1964 book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; however as well as the 3D graphics, music, and choice of actors/actresses were, my expectations of Tim Burton fell short.

After watching the movie in 3D last night, I walked out of the theater disappointed. The first thing I said to myself was, wow that was a poor adaptation and it didn't even stay true to the real story.

My next question was, which story was Tim Burton going for? He managed to pull together both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass and tie it into one movie. Which I'll admit he did pretty well, but for those Lewis Carroll and Literature lovers, it's too easy to criticize, and be disappointed with.

Mr. Burton pulls Alice following the white rabbit down the hole, along with the small door, the "drink me" potion and the "eat me" cupcake from the first story, but pulls the Jabberwocky and the twins, Tweedledee and Tweedledum from the second story. (I know that the twins are in the first Disney movie, however they are not in the book, this is also where Walt Disney added his own part into Lewis Carroll's story). In the first book, there is no White Queen, only the Queen of Hearts, which is commonly mistaken as the Red Queen which only appears in the sequel. Tim Burton threw out the Queen of Hearts and replaced her with the Red Queen. It must be pointed out that the QUEEN OF HEARTS is the one who says "off with her head!"- NOT the Red Queen. This was a huge mistake on Burton's part. Ouch! Off with his head!

After doing some research this morning and remembering what I could from both books I still hold my point that Tim Burton failed to stay true to the story of Alice in Wonderland. He took most of the action, adventure and characters from the second story as I pointed out before. He combined both stories, which I'll give him the credit of doing a decent job at this. The film was entertaining and kept me awake the whole time, however I was also in my seat grimacing the whole time going over and over in my head each story and as the movie progressed I kept categorizing each scene into either book. This was annoying.

I know most of you will say at this point, Meghan why cant you just sit there and enjoy the movie like the rest of us? Why do you have to be so critical of it and dissect every piece of the movie?

Well this is what you get with a highly-detailed, OCD, lover of accuracy. I cant sit through a movie, especially when it's something as beautiful and as well-known as Alice in Wonderland. Think about all the young children who watch this movie and will forever believe that there was a Jabberwocky and a White Queen in Alice in Wonderland.
How about when those kids get to college and read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass in a literature class and realize that their entire lives they were believing something that wasn't true. How let down would you be, if you found out that Bambi's mother never got shot, that the movie we all know and love was a poor adaptation to an original score hidden somewhere else? Or what if in the original Lion King, there was no timon and Pumba??! You would feel cheated, wouldn't you? Or for the older generation what if you found out that Teddy Roosevelt wasn't really a Rough Rider?! Pretty lousy huh?

For those of you who have seen Tim Burton's remake, what did you think of it?

Also, here a Lewis Carroll's Jabberwock Poem for your enjoyment:
Good luck reading it, and better luck understanding it.


'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.