July 21, 2009

What's Down the Rabbit Hole?





Tim Burton is about to "wow" us, again. This time, with his unique vision of Alice in Wonderland. We'll have to wait until March of 2010, but I have a feeling that it will be well worth the wait! I'm extra excited about it because I've always loved Alice, and I had even said many times early in Burton's career that his version of a Wonderland would be an incredible one.

The actress who was cast in the title role is somewhat unknown. And by that, I mean she hasn't really made it BIG, yet. The 20-year-old actress is Mia Wasikowska, and she is probably best known for her role as a patient named Sophie on the 1st season of HBO's In Treatment. That is a great show, by the way. If you like watching drama, I highly recommend it. I haven't seen any of Mia's Sophie episodes, though. I'll have to find and watch those, soon...







Mia Wasikowska is Alice.




Anyway, in Burton's version of Wonderland, Alice is now much older than in Lewis Carroll's original book. Here, she is a 17-year-old revisiting a Wonderland she has completely forgotten. Burton has said that he thinks other versions have suffered because they were basically "just one weird event after another". He says he's "trying to ground it a little bit" while also making a story that uses the Alice mythology and characters in a way that's "true to the spirit of what Alice is about."






The official movie title logo.
(Looks quite Burton-esque, huh?)




Another part of his retelling, is a Mad Hatter with a much bigger role in the story. "With him we are always trying to find a subtext and layer to it, so it's rooted in humanity to some degree - something deeper than just being nuts", Burton said. I'm sure that you must have heard by now that Johnny Depp will be the one inhabiting that character. His talent, combined with Burton's, almost assures an excellent film all by itself!







Johnny Depp is the
Mad Hatter.




Adding to the challenge of concocting such a different take on Alice, is the filming process. The film will be presented using a mix of animation, live-action and motion-capture. And according to Burton, it has proved to be a "mysterious puzzle that's frightening and exciting at the same time."






Anne Hathaway is the
White Queen.





Helena Bonham Carter is
the Red Queen. (Her head was
enlarged to 3x the normal size.)






Matt Lucas is both
Tweedledee & Tweedledum.




Now, the following images are just conceptual, but if the film comes anywhere close to these... we're gonna be treated to some great eye-candy!






Could this be when Alice first enters
Wonderland and encounters the
White Rabbit?






Alice, in a garden of live flowers, and
approaching what looks like a gateway
into a forest of giant mushrooms.





Some other cast members (whose character images have not yet been released) include Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat and Christopher Lee as the Jabberwock.

I tell ya, with a cast like that, this movie is going to be awesome! Or, at the very least, interesting. And quite colorful! I like color.


All images copyright Walt Disney Pictures

8 comments:

  1. I can verify that you have been saying for many years now that Tim Burton should do a version of Alice! I can't wait. But I'm not sure what I think of the animation stuff, like the enlargement of the Red Queen's (Queen of Hearts?) head. And I always hate Tweedledee & 'Dum. Don't like the way they look in this, either. But Alice looks great, so does Johnny as the Mad Hatter, and the White Queen looks awesome. I'm excited, but cautiously! :)

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  2. Oh.... my....God. I had not heard about this!! I am REALLY happy and excited to hear about it, and I will be awaiting this film with eager anticipation!! Thank you, Anthony!

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  3. I know, Tommy. There is the possibility that it could all go horribly wrong. And if it did, I think it would probably be due to the fact that they're trying to do too much special effects wizardry. We can only hope that they've spent as much time and effort on the story as they have on the visual bells & whistles...

    I actually do wish that it wasn't going to be in 3-D. Is that really necessary?

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  4. Heidi, I'm glad this excites you! It sure does, me. I'm just really crossing my fingers that they don't screw it up. But with Tim Burton at the helm, I don't think we have too much to worry about. With Planet of the Apes being the exception, I'd say he has a pretty good track record.

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  5. Can't wait ! Thanks for letting us know. (I didn't know......shhhhhhh)

    V

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  6. I know I would enjoy the visual delight...have always admire Tim Burton's visions! Anthony, wished we lived in the same city...I would love to watch this with you...we must dress up as one of the characters, Perhaps we'll be kicked out from the theater for making too much Woo-Hoo!! haha... Can't wait!!!

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  7. Veronica, don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you didn't know!

    I can hardly stand waiting for it, too! But we have to wait almost 8 months... :(

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  8. Lenore, how 'bout you dress as Alice, and I'll dress as the Mad Hatter? Better that than the two of us going as Tweedledee & Tweedledum! ;)

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