Rating: 
Summary: The Aptly Titled Masterpiece Edition
Review: "Alice in Wonderland" is back on DVD, and LOADED with awesome extras! It's Disney's classic story of a little girl named Alice, who followed a white rabbit into a hole in the ground, and came out in a world of pure fantasy! All the flowers and animals sing and dance, and they're all quite mad! Alice meets one zany character after another, from a bumble-headed dodo bird and an insane Cheshire Cat, to the hookah smoking caterpillar and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. She grows and shrinks and grows again, and eventually finds herself at the funniest tea party that ever took place! Alice soon has her fill of the madness of Wonderland, but before she can make it home she'll have to face the Queen of Hearts. "Off with her head!" It's sad to hear the negative comments this film has endured since its release. Not everyone is a fan of stories that revolve around pure nonsense, but even Walt himself never realized what a masterpiece he and his team had created when they transformed Lewis Carroll's story into their newest animated classic back in the early fifties. The film is lighthearted fun from beginning to end, full of brilliant colors and characters, all of whom are unforgettable, from the well known Cheshire Cat, to minor characters like Bill the Lizard. The animation is some of Disney's best, especially on the lead character, who really comes alive on film. The plot may be mere endurance and survival, but that's all you need in a movie that is such a feast for the eyes and ears, with more songs than any other Disney animated feature. The lovely Kathryn Beaumont is outstanding as Alice (just as she was in the role of Wendy in Disney's Peter Pan). Sterling Holloway and Ed Wynn are brilliant as usual, and Jerry Colonna is hilarious as always in the role of the March Hare. But the real treat on this new, 2 disc edition is the special features menu. Disc one and disc two both have a nice selection. Of course, there's the expected stuff; Mickey Mouse in his classic short, "Thru the Mirror," some sing-along-songs, a set top game, but they don't stop there! One of my favorite extra features was the program, "One Hour In Wonderland," which I had been waiting years to see! This was a Christmastime television special sponsored by the Coca-Cola company, Walt's first TV program in fact, designed to promote the upcoming release of "Alice In Wonderland." It features Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, Kathryn Beaumont in full Alice dress, Bobby Driscoll, a collection of teenage party guests, the Magic Mirror (played to perfection, as usual, by the wonderful Hans Conried), and of course, the young Walt Disney himself, accompanied by his teenage daughters. The setting is a Christmas party at the Disney Studios, where Kathryn Beaumont is the guest of honor. She and her friends are treated to a handful of clips, courtesy of the Magic Mirror, and a serving of refreshing Coca-Cola, courtesy of the Coca-Cola Company. Young Miss Beaumont is delightful, and the entire program is a wonderful piece of nostalgia I'm overjoyed to finally have in my personal collection. The wonderful extras continue though, with "Operation Wonderland." This is a promotional featurette on the making of "Alice In Wonderland." We also get treated to some deleted material, which includes some terrific song demos for songs that didn't make it into the final cut, often for characters that didn't make it into the film. In the deleted material we get to see those characters some fans of the Alice stories missed in the film, such as the Jabberwock, the Lion, and the Mock Turtle. There's the usual, but much appreciated art gallery, a fine explanation of how one deleted song ended up making it into "Peter Pan" a short time later, a deleted story concept, trailers and TV introductions by Walt Disney, a new Cheshire Cat song, and even a card game set included in the DVD case. On top of all that are two more extras worth more detailed descriptions. One is the excerpt from "The Fred Warring Show," a musical television show from the 50s that, in this particular episode, showcased the music of the soon to be released "Alice in Wonderland." Kathryn Beaumont, again in full Alice get-up, guest stars with Sterling Holloway in some live reenactments of several scenes from the film with the Fred Warring cast. The picture and sound quality on this program isn't the highest, but it's still one of the coolest extra features on the 2 disc set, if you're into nostalgia that is. The last extra feature I'll mention is the Virtual Tea Party on Disc 1. It's mainly for kids of course, but I found it quite entertaining. There are a number of things to discover by selecting objects from the table, each object causing the party guests and hosts to play a new game or sing a new song. I suppose what I found interesting about it was the performances of the two cast members in the roles of the Mad Hatter and Alice. The Hatter was highly entertaining with his creepy Ed Wynn impersonation, and Alice, well, Alice was charming and quite attractive. I only regret that I never found a cast list for this segment. If you happen to read this, Alice, drop me an e-mail sometime! And the rest of you, order your copies of this wonderful DVD now, before time runs out!
Rating: 
Summary: Eschewed intellectual interpretation of Carroll's story
Review: "Alice in Wonderland" is a Disney animated feature that is better than its reputation. It is not as great as some of the Disney features that preceded it, such as "Snow White", "Dumbo", or "Pinocchio", but there is still considerable charm in the animation, story, and voice characterizations. "Alice in Wonderland" is based on the 19th century Lewis Carroll book of the same name. The book was written as a satire. Disney has tried to put some of the satire into the film, but mostly emphasizes the silliness. There is strong appeal for both children and adults. The beautifully animated but slightly chilly rendering of Alice's tale, aimed at a children's market for which Disney eschewed intellectual interpretations of Carroll's story, instead playing it straight as a storybook dream/nightmare. All of Alice's adventures are in place, including her tea party with the Mad Hatter and friends, her meeting with the bewildering Cheshire Cat and her strange game of croquet with the temperamental Queen of Hearts, who is fond of beheading those who question her authority.
The animation is very good. In particular, the studio has a knack for splashing liquids, and there is great 'choreography' of dancing playing card soldiers. The story does have an edge to it. The walrus eats the oysters, the crocodile eats the fishes, and the Queen beheads several playing cards. This is in keeping with the spirit of Carroll's writings, which have the useful moral that gullibility is punished.
The film is dazzling in its use of color and odd shapes and is enhanced by the distinctive voices of Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter, Sterling Holloway as the Cheshire Cat, Jerry Colonna as the March Hare, and Verna Felton as the Queen of Hearts. There are some slow parts to the story. Alice gets lost and cries. The audience is supposed to feel sorry for her, but this cold-hearted viewer merely lost interest. There is also a song that the flowers sing to Alice that gets a bit tedious.
Rating:
Summary: I FINALLY GET IT!
Review: After buying this DVD for my five year old daughter and watching it a few times myself, I finally get it! Alice, a young girl, is tired of following the rules in "her world" and longs to live in a world of her own creation; a world where there are no "boring" rules to follow and nothing is as it appears. However, after Alice's wish "comes true" she discovers that maybe a world without rules is not quite as wonderful as she imagined it would be! Okay, so maybe my daughter doesn't quite grasp the full meaning of this story, but it doesn't matter. SHE LOVES THE MOVIE, ANYWAY! She sits rivetted to the screen; ethralled by the silliness, the non-stop action, and all the strange and interesting characters Alice meets along the way! In my opinion,Alice In Wonderland is a fascinating trip through fantasy-land that most young children (especially girls!)will find absolutely captivating!
Rating:
Summary: If I lose my temper you lose your head... UNDERSTAND?!
Review: After reading some of these reviews, I almost get the feeling people are somewhat "apologizing" a little for this flick. I am a huge Walt Disney fan and Alice In Wonderland is by far my favorite one (with Pinocchio and Peter Pan closely following). The music score and sound FX are the tightest I think I've ever witnessed (from front to back) in "any" movie. And the opening scene of the countryside, to the falling in the Rabbit hole and on through the many adventures ending with the classic Queen Of Hearts ending, I feel makes this a "must have" for any movie collector. I can watch this over and over...and do!
Rating:
Summary: A Burst of Fantasy.
Review: After the success of Cinderella, Walt Disney decided to try something different. He took Lewis Carrol's novel and turned it into a spectrum of silly madness that really is unlike Disney. Alice is unlike your typical Disney hero, because unlike Cinderella and Snow White she is only twelve. Disney's version of Wonderland is very neat to watch. The characters are all wonderful and the voice talents are really superb. The Cheshire Cat, The Queen of Hearts, and The Mad Hatter, are some of the hilights of the film. It is one of the more whimsical of the Disney films. I highly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: the best disney movie ever!
Review: AIW is my favorite disney movie, its the most colorful, has the best songs, and the most creative. my favorite scene is the one w/ the flowers, and they sing "all in the golden afternoon" and call alice a weed. i recommend this for everyone, no matter how old u are :o)
Rating:
Summary: A Disney Classic!
Review: Alice and Wonderland is wonderful in so many ways! It's so fun and entertaining that it's hard to describe. You'll get the songs stuck in your head! OK, ok... Just to let you know, if you want a DVD collection with classics, you'll definitely have to get Disney's Alice in Wonderland. It's a great DVD with cool features.
Rating:
Summary: Candy for the Eyes and Ears.
Review: Alice in Wonderland can definately be called a Disney classic, is it one of the best Disney animated films. It is a Magical Visual Ride from beginning to end. As Alice is day dreaming, she is transported into a magical world. In this world "everything is what it isn't" and "everything is nonsence." That is a good thing, because in this process we meet a bunch of strange and compelling characters with stange situations. Sometimes the film can go a little overboard with this, but I don't think many people who are young at heart or have an imagination will complain. Plus, this film is similar to the book that came before it. If you have not seen this, you should, it's a classic. If you are turned of by vivid fantasy or over imaginative films, you might want to let your kids see it insted. 4 out of 5 stars because the DVD lacks. It has a short featurette and trailer, plus a read-along for the kids. Overall though, a nice package. Reccomended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film!
Review: Alice in Wonderland is a great family film! It starts when Alice starts dreaming and goes into a world of wierd creatures, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Chesire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, Dodo,the Caterpillar, and of course, the White Rabbit. Kids will love this classic! Definitely a video for YOUR collection!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good Story, Good Characters, Good Animation= Great Movie!
Review: Alice in Wonderland is a nice little adaption of the Lewis Carrol classic. With the fast paced plot and great characters, it is one of my favorite animated movies of all time. Don't hesitate to buy it, whether you have kids or not, whether you're a Disney fanatic or you've never heard of Mickey Mouse. Trust me, you'll like it!
|
