When mentioned in conversation with film fans, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is often met with an exasperated sigh. On its release 10 years ago the reactions were much the same. Praised for its visual effects and performances, Alice was otherwise damned by critics as a disappointment. Nonetheless the film paved the way for the numerous live-action remakes that Disney have churned out in recent years. These have largely been faithful re-imaginings of the classic animations, and while entertaining none of them have pushed the boundaries and stood out from the crowd quite like Burton's Alice. It is a film that is not just imaginative and fun, but a film that stands head and shoulders above any live action film that Disney have released since.
On the surface Alice might seem similar to a lot of Disney's output. It is a traditionally structured fantasy film, the ultimate message of which is to believe in yourself. By that description alone it could easily be mistaken for any number of Disney's fairytale adaptations. Except there are some key ingredients missing. Most notably a prince and his castle.
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| The film was praised by critics for its visual effects, but was otherwise labelled a disappointment. |
With the exception of Maleficent and its sequel, the stories told in live action are largely unchanged from the animated and outdated originals. In Cinderella and Aladdin Jasmine and Cinderella want their freedom more than anything, and yet their escape comes in the form of a romantic interest whom they immediately latch onto. Even when the lead female is running away from an oppressive man, just as Belle does in 2017's Beauty and the Beast, she ends up falling in love and settling down. While not entirely a bad thing, these stories stick to the traditional idea that a happy ending for these women is domestic bliss. Tim Burton's Alice could not be further from this if she tried.
Gone is the naïve girl who stumbles blindly through Wonderland; Alice is now a headstrong young woman who is learning to assert herself. A modern, forward-thinking girl in a Victorian setting, she clearly struggles with the role that society expects her to play. She is considered odd because of her nonconformity and is threatened by relatives who warn her of the temporary nature of beauty. They caution her against becoming a spinster and refer to their eccentric Aunt Imogen to frighten her into marriage. This is a rare example of a Disney film in which the protagonist has misgivings about getting married and sets her sights on other goals. Her happy ending involves not castles or wealthy, handsome men. Instead it comes in the form of a business venture.
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| Throughout the film Alice learns to be assertive and independent |
Disney's fairytale films regularly teach women to believe in themselves, but Alice in Wonderland stands out as a shining example of a film that encourages them to be strong as an individual, not necessarily to end up as half of a pair. It takes a traditional tale and adds both modernity and maturity when it comes to its message. When Cinderella believes in herself enough to chance going to the ball she has to stand up to her vile step mother and step sisters. It is a clear-cut case of good defeating evil. When Alice believes in herself enough to reject Hamish's proposal she is not only defying his snobbish family but also her own relatives, who only want what is best for her. Alice is about finding your own individual happiness, even if you have to go your own way and disagree with the ones you love in order to do so.
While in the real world there is no clearly defined good and evil it is obvious that the film has a lot to say about the excessive lifestyle and entitled attitudes of the wealthy upper class. Almost every member of Hamish's family is unbearable for a variety of reasons. Hamish himself has a terrible habit of talking down to Alice and looking down his nose at everybody else, and his mother is shown to be outright cruel. The only exception to this rule is his father, who later takes Alice on as an apprentice at his business. The film takes the stance that both Hamish and Alice's fathers were honourable men, due to being innovative businessmen who worked hard for what they had. Hamish and his mother are simply leech-like characters reveling in a lifestyle that they have done nothing to earn.
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| Unlike other remakes, Alice critiques the attitudes of the upper class. The lifestyle of the wealthy is presented as joyless |
This lifestyle of excess is portrayed in a way that is quite clearly damning. Before Alice takes a tumble down the rabbit hole we see what is meant to be her and Hamish's engagement party, but despite the dancing and festivities the celebration seems more like a formality. It is completely void of any and all joy. In this way Alice is conscious of the excesses of the upper class, where other Disney films tend to gloss over or even idolise it.
In the many stories where the lead character ends up happily married to a prince, the financial implications of that outcome are often willfully ignored or brushed off as a nice little bonus to having found their true love. But even then the grand opulence of the castles they inhabit cannot be ignored. In Cinderella every visual aspect of the film is immaculate, from the ballroom in the royal palace to the vibrant and elegant gowns worn by the women who dance there. In fact many costumes in the film, the outfits of Cate Blanchett's Lady Tremaine in particular, seem to be deliberately over-the-top in their extravagance. The film puts emphasis on the aesthetics of wealth to make everything look rosy and perfect (as things often are in fairytales), all the while proclaiming that money is no object when compared to true love. However when it comes down to it Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin are all stories of ordinary young people marrying their way into the aristocracy.
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| In Cinderella (2015) the sets and costumes are beautifully designed and picture perfect. |
The flawless appearance of Disney's live-action adaptations is not just limited to Cinderella. Throughout their recent remakes there is a tendency to be completely faithful to the classic animation when it comes to production design. Even the jungle in John Favreau's version of The Jungle Book looks a little bit too perfect. This makes Alice in Wonderland's visual uniqueness even more refreshing. The settings and costumes are far from pristine, in fact both the real world and the twisted version of Wonderland (now called Underland) has a murkiness to it that distances the film from its light-hearted and whimsical predecessor. It could not be more clear that the Wonderland Alice is entering as an adult is much more dangerous than the one that she remembers from her childhood.
This darker tone and aesthetic is what the films director, Tim Burton, is known for. He brings a unique vision, a creativity and distinct visuals that could belong only to him. This version of Underland and the characters and creatures therein are recognisably similar to the vibrant Wonderland that we knew, but it has been warped by Burton's gothic sensibilities. There is no other live action film that Disney have made that contains the wonder and excitement that can be found down the rabbit hole.
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| Alice in Wonderland's dark tone and gothic aesthetic are part of that makes the film so memorable and unique. |
From Johnny Depp's wonderfully kooky and stunningly outfitted Mad Hatter to the strange cuteness of the square-faced Bandersnatch, the creativity present in the production design is truly outstanding. It captures a mixture of gothic oddness and pure wonder that its sequel was sadly unable to replicate. It is clear that Burton was responsible for the uniqueness of the film's aesthetic, as when he declined to direct Through the Looking Glass the finished product was completely unrecognisable in comparison to Alice in Wonderland. There was a noticeable return to Disney's 'too perfect' production design and I found myself missing the darker tone that Burton had brought with him.
Alice in Wonderland was the film that started Disney's preoccupation with remaking their classic tales in live action. Not only is it visually striking, but it took the source material and transformed it into something more modern and mature. 10 years on, Alice is still curiouser and more creative than all of the other adaptations combined.