ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

Where Was I When I First Saw The Movie?

You may have noticed I am a nerd.

There are particular genres, and things, that I get really nerdy about.

(not necessarily in this order)

STAR WARS

COMIC BOOKS

SHERLOCK HOLMES

INDIANA JONES

CLASSIC MOVIES

VIDEO GAMES

MUSIC

AGATHA CHRISTIE

LORD of THE RINGS

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

BOARD GAMES

So much Stuff!

But I don’t any of my geekdom compares to the level of Geek Love that the BFF of the MRS has for ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

She has had Birthdays where everyone dresses up as their favorite character.  She has created trivia games in its honor.  She has toys, pictures, posters and massive amounts of memorabilia about Alice and her adventures.  I bet you…without hesitation ..that she can quote, verbatim, aspects of the different incarnations of the Wonderland story at any given moment.  At Disneyland…her final destination is not a meet and greet with a famous mouse.  But with the Mad Hatter.  She will ride the ALICE IN WONDERLAND over and over and over in the same way that I would ride STAR TOURS or INDIANA JONES.  I should point out that those two rides change every time you ride them.  They are meant to have random events that occur every time you do.

But the  ALICE ride?  It never changes.  Not even once.

Here’s the best part though.

I love that she has such mad geek love for ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

Who doesn’t have that ONE THING that we love (outside of family) above all other things?

We all do!

And for the MRS’ BFF…it’s ALICE.  So, you can guess that from the moment the whispers of this movie being made…calendars were set and appointments were made.  We would be there the first chance that we all got and we would be there by her side.

The place ended up being a theatre called KENT STATION.  It was the closest movie theatre showing it in IMAX 3-D…and, by gum, that was the way we HAD to see it!  And who could blame her?!

We rolled up to the theatre, got our parking and hustled out for our seats.  We were early and we were ready.  But event with all of that, when we finally got in and got our seats…the rest of the world had been even earlier.  We ended up around the front row..somewhere down on the right.  As we sat there…waiting for the credits to start.  I thought to myself, “When it comes to 3-D…this is probably not the optimal spot.  Come to think of it…probably not the best spot for a MASSIVE IMAX screen either.”

But the MRS’ BFF was in another world.  And I can only assume this is the level of excitement that I hit when I have been waiting years for a movie (STAR WARS).  She was loaded up with pop, sugar and an anticipation that would top the highest level of adrenaline before taking the hugest plunge on a roller-coaster.

She was bouncing through the credits.

She was still when it started.

Then…well, then…she was in heaven.

I would tell you how much I enjoyed the escapist nature of the movie.  I would tell you why I did like its departures.  I would tell you that I did like that it skewed darker than most, but was actually truer to the books because it did.  I would tell you that the only bit of imagery that didn’t work for me was Crispin Glover’s…because it seemed rushed.

But I won’t.

Because I honestly enjoyed watching the BFF of the MRS more than I enjoyed watching the movie…because I got to see the embodiment of joy.  The same that I always get when I take a friend to Disneyland for the first time.  When I took my eldest there for the first time.  And when I will take my youngest for the first time.  Its only (just almost) equal to the times I have taken a cherished family member to Vegas for the first time (but secretly wishing I was taking them to Disneyworld for the first time).

Because watching someone’s joy…that first moment of them feeling that nothing is going to compare to what I am about to experience.  Is like sharing that moment when you give a gift for a Birthday (or Christmas) multiplied by infinity…and I love being a part of that.

If you’ll let me.

Because I am a geek, too.

What Is It About?

**SPOILERS**

Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated and live action fantasy film^[5] directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsleigh, as well as Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film was shot in the UK and the US.

The film is inspired by English author Lewis Carroll‘s 1865 fantasy novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass. Mia Wasikowska plays the now nineteen-year-old Alice who, 13 years after her previous visit, returns for the first time as a young woman. She is told that she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon-like creature controlled by the Red Queen who terrorizes Underland’s inhabitants.

The film premiered in London at the Odeon Leicester Square on February 25, 2010, and was released in Australia on March 4, 2010, and the United States and the United Kingdom on March 5, 2010, through IMAX 3D and Disney Digital 3D, as well as in traditional theaters. Despite its short theatrical release window and mixed reviews, the film grossed over $1.02 billion worldwide. At the 83rd Academy Awards, Alice in Wonderland won for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, as well as a nomination for Best Visual Effects. As of 2013, it is the thirteenth highest-grossing film of all time.

Troubled by a strange recurring dream and mourning the loss of her beloved father (Marton Csokas), nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) attends a garden party at Lord Ascot’s (Tim Piggott-Smith) estate, where she is confronted by an unwanted marriage proposal and the stifling expectations of the society in which she lives. Unsure of how to reply, and increasingly confused, she runs away to chase after a rabbit in a blue waistcoat, and accidentally falls into a large rabbit hole. She is transported to a world called Underland, where she is greeted by the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the Dodo (Michael Gough), and Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas in a dual role). They argue over her identity as “the right Alice”, who it is foretold will slay the Red Queen‘s Jabberwocky (Christopher Lee) on the Frabjous Day and restore the White Queen to power. The group is then ambushed by the Bandersnatch and a group of playing-card soldiers led by the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover) capturing the White Rabbit and the Dodo bird. Alice, Tweedledum and Tweedledee escape and flee into the woods, while the Knave steals the Oraculum and the Dormouse leaves the others with the Bandersnatch’s eye. Tweedledum and Tweedledee, however, were abducted by the Red Queen’s Jubjub bird.

The Knave informs the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) that Alice has returned and threatens her reign, and the soldiers and Bayard the Bloodhound (Timothy Spall) are ordered to find Alice immediately. Meanwhile, the wandering Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), who takes her to the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse) and the Hatter (Johnny Depp). On the way to the White Queen’s castle, Hatter relates the terror of the Red Queen’s reign, and comments that Alice is not the same as she once was. The Hatter helps Alice avoid capture by allowing himself to be seized instead. Later, Alice is found by Bayard the Bloodhound, who wishes to take her to the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), but Alice insists upon helping the Hatter, so they go to the Red Queen’s castle.

The Red Queen is unaware of Alice’s true identity and therefore welcomes her as a guest. Alice learns that the Vorpal Sword (the only weapon capable of killing the Jabberwocky) is locked away in a case inside the Bandersnatch’s den. The Knave crudely attempts to seduce Alice, but she rebuffs him. She later manages to retrieve the sword and befriend the Bandersnatch. The Knave finds her with the sword and attempts to arrest her. Alice escapes on the back of the Bandersnatch and delivers the sword to the White Queen. The Cheshire Cat saves the Hatter from execution, and the Hatter calls for rebellion against the Red Queen. The rebellion is quickly put down by the Jubjub bird. The resistance flees to the White Queen’s castle, and both armies prepare for battle. Alice remains unsure about the expectation for her to champion the White Queen, and meets with Absolem^[6] the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman). He reminds Alice of her past visit to Underland (which she mistakenly called “Wonderland” at the time) thirteen years earlier, and helps give her the courage to fight the Jabberwocky and accomplish “What she must to do”, while he becomes a pupa.

When the Frabjous Day arrives, both the White and Red Queens gather their armies on a chessboard-like battlefield and send forth their chosen champions (armor-clad Alice and the Jabberwocky respectively) to decide the fate of Underland. Encouraging herself with the words of her late father, Alice manages to kill the Jabberwocky. The White Queen then banishes the Red Queen and the Knave to the Outlands, and gives Alice a vial of the Jabberwocky’s blood, which will take her home. The Hatter suggests that she could stay in Underland, but she decides that she must go back and promises that she will return.

Alice returns home, where she stands up to her family and pledges to live life on her own terms. Impressed, Lord Ascot takes her in as his apprentice, with the idea of establishing oceanic trade routes to China. As the story closes, Alice prepares to set off on a trading ship. Absolem, now a butterfly, lands on her shoulder. Alice recognizes him and greets him before he flutters away.

Why Did I HAVE to Own It?

The memory of the first time with the BFF of the MRS seeing it for the first time.

The visual aspects of it.

And…the performances of adults knowing they are making one of the ultimate bits of Children’s Theatre that they can share with their own kids.  Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter..Tim Burton…squarely in the driver’s seat for their kids.

How Are The Extras?

There is a LOT here.  A TON of Features that will walk you through every single thing about the movie if you have the time to play with them all.  Its quite the rabbit hole to journey down into!

• Disc 2
• Finding Alice The Mad Hatter
  The Futterwacken Dance
  The Red Queen
  Time-Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen
  The White Queen
  Scoring Wonderland
  Effecting Wonderland
  Stunts Of Wonderland
  Making the Proper Size
  Cakes of Wonderland
  Tea Party Props1-Disc DVD

  :
  Finding Alice
  The Mad Hatter
  Effecting Wonderland

What Format Do I Have It In?

BLURAY…its too gorgeous not to!

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Coming Attractions

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