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Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)

Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $22.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Certainly Disney's finest hour.
Review: Although there have been many film versions of Lewis Carroll's classic story about Alice's adventures in Wonderland, Disney's 1951 animated version is by far the best. The "Alice" stories themselves are timeless classics that deserve to be passed down from one generation to the next, and this film deserves to be handed down along with those original stories.

"Alice in Wonderland" is by far the best animated film to ever come from the Disney studios, and is easily one of the most magical and imaginitive films ever made...period. I still remember the first time I saw this cinematic gem when I was around 3 years old, and have loved it ever since.

I also now own the Disney CD soundtrack which contains not only all the wonderful songs from the film, but also the entire original, and extremely delightful, instrumental pieces heard throughout the film. (By the way, any LP version you might happen to find of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" soundtrack is simply an imitation with re-recorded versions of the actual songs heard in the movie. The recently released CD/Cassette version I'm referring to is truly the film's original soundtrack."

I highly recommend buying both the film itself, and its enduring original soundtrack. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with either purchase.

"Alice in Wonderland" is truly a wonderful, magical animated masterpiece that can be enjoyed by the entire family, both young and old. I just wish that "Di$ney" would stop releasing the crap they're putting out now and try to regain the magical quality that left the studio after Walt's death.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Cancel this item
Review: Neither appropriate for kids nor for adults. This movie is boring and confusing at the same time. Don't buy it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: BORING...BORING...BORING
Review: Not one of Disney's better animated films, this 1951 adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic is pretty lame. The songs are one-note. The dialogue is uninspired. Do yourself a favor. Skip it and read the book. UGH!

Rating: 5 stars
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: 5 stars
Summary: 5 stars for the animation artists creativity alone!
Review: As a child my father would read Alice in Wonderland to us for hours. As an adult, Lewis Carroll's literary classic came to life as I had never imagined it before. It also seemed to have more humor than in the literary version, which made me laugh out loud a few times.

If they had shortened the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, they might have had room to add in some of the other off-the-wall characters. If you know the original story too well, you will find yourself looking for characters which never appear.

So, I think watching this film would be a good way to get kids to find out what else Alice was up to in her fantasy topsy-turvy dream world. For adults who remember the book, this magical animation classic will take you back to your childhood.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a true Disney classic
Review: This is one of Disney's most beloved animated treasures; and it doesn't take a Mad Hatter to see why.

Kathryn Beaumont voices Alice. (She also voiced Wendy in Disney's PETER PAN). She gives an intelligent reading of the part, and sings wonderfully, giving songs like "In A World Of My Own", and "Very Good Advice" an extra dimension.

The animation is superb, like a kaleidoscope, it fairly brims with whismsy and fun. Others in the cast include Heather Angel and Verna Felton.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Curiouser and Curiouser!
Review: I am a fan of both Lewis Carroll and Disney, and as such, I can appreciate the merits of both the literary classic, and the animated adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. True, 'Alice' is not your typical Disney fare, and it is weak in being episodic and rather disjointed. Still, the film remains a colorful, tuneful, funny, high-paced, VERY imaginative rendering of Carroll's classic. The studio merged elements from both 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass' and some may object to the omission of certain characters. But the film succeeds on many levels, particularly the wonderful voice characterizations! I adore The March Hare and Mad Hatter, the Queen and King of Hearts, The Caterpillar and the talking flowers in particular. Adapting the verbal humor of the book to film was no easy feat, but considering the challenges, the movie holds up very well. I found the new DVD splendid, particularly the extras! Great fun to see the old Black/White films with Walt Disney, Kathryn Beaumont and Edgar Bergen. As for the film itself, the remastered color is amazing and the animation wonderful, particularly in Alice's facial expressions and human characteristics. I think the film is one of the best versions made and far underappreciated!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Disney film
Review: Not the best Disney film. It was good, but not great. The music was great, though. Excellant picture quality on the disc. Extras, but they are aimed at kids.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Alice - Not funny. Not fun. Not even stereo.
Review: I must say that Alice was very polite. The animation was very clean and consistent, except for one cartoon about some oysters. However, I found the story hard to watch. I didn't get a sense that this story had a point. You know a beginning, a middle and an end that were connected. I was also disappointed that the sound was MONO. One of the main reasons people buy a DVD formated title is to get good sound, including left and right channels. I'm sure Disney will repair that some day if they think there is enough money in it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Absolutely GORGEOUS DVD!
Review: Disney has done a superlative job transferring "Alice in Wonderland" to DVD. The colors are eye-popping, the picture is razor sharp and there is no visible grain at all. I was blown away by the picture quality.

Now, on to the film. "Alice in Wonderland" has always had problems. Even Disney himself did not feel it was very good. He said once that it lacked "heart." I don't know what it lacks, but I do know Disney made a MAJOR mistake in allowing the voice of Alice, Kathryn Beaumont, do her own singing in the film. The girl had a HORRIBLE singing voice, so horrible that Darlene Gillespie of "The Mickey Mouse Club" actually re-recorded Beaumont's vocals for the "soundtrack" album.

Another problem is one that is inherited from the book, which is a meandering, episodic storyline, each segment having absolutely nothing to do with the last. "Alice in Wonderland" is really an unfilmable book -- there have been at least half a dozen screen versions made, and none of them have been very good. And frankly, I doubt if anyone ever WILL make it into a good movie. It's just not a book that lends itself to being filmed.

Another problem is one that Disney ran into in "Mr. Toad": His characterization of the British is not quite on the mark. His characters are CARICATURES of the British. Disney didn't quite seem to understand the whole British sensibility, which is key to Lewis Carrol's humor. Disney's "Alice," as well as his "Mr. Toad," seem too Americanized, like he didn't quite "get" the books on which they were based.

In addition, the character of Alice doesn't seem to have much of a personality, and what personality is there is not very likable. She's kind of a whiner.

All that said, the Mad Hatter's Tea Party is wonderful and so is "The March of the Cards," which also is my all-time favorite instrumental from a Disney film. And Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee are PERFECT (their "That's logic!" line actually makes me laugh out loud), although I don't particularly care for the Walrus and the Carpenter sequence. There are also many brilliant pieces of visual invention in the flower garden and forest sequences.

So, for adults anyway, "Alice in Wonderland" is a mixed bag. Not one of Disney's best -- but it sure makes a great-looking DVD!


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