Lewis Carroll Movies
Tim Burton takes a stab at Lewis Carroll's timeless tale of a young girl (Mia Wasikowska) lost within a fantasyland with this 3-D production of Alice in Wonderland. The Lion King's Linda Woolverton provides the script, with Hollywood heavyweights Richard Zanuck and Joe Roth heading up the production team. Burton veteran collaborator Johnny Depp co-stars as The Mad Hatter in the Walt Disney Productions picture. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, (more)
- 2007
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As composed by Korean musician Unsuk Chin, this modern operetta constitutes an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's beloved fantasy novel Alice in Wonderland. Achim Freyer directed the production (also designing the unusual masks worn by the participants); the operetta also features puppets designed by Nina Weitzner. Sally Matthews, Piia Komse, Andrew Watts and Guy de Mey co-star; the Statisterie der Bayerischen Staatsoper, the Choir of the Bayerischen Staatsoper, the Children's Choir of the Bayerischen Staatsoper, and the Orchestra of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester provide musical accompaniment, with Andrés Máspero serving as chorus master and Kent Nagano conducting. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Matthews, Piia Komsi, (more)
- 1999
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Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy about a young girl's adventures in a strange, alternate reality comes to the screen once again in this television adaptation, which stars Kate Beckinsale as Alice, Penelope Wilton as the White Queen, Ian Holm as the White Knight, and Michael Medwin as the Red King. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Beckinsale, Ian Holm, (more)
Originally produced for NBC television, this adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic features an impressive cast, including Miranda Richardson, Martin Short, Ben Kingsley, Whoopi Goldberg, Gene Wilder, Peter Ustinov, and George Wendt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Lewis Carroll's most famous work is brought to the screen yet again in this animated fantasy. While following the White Rabbit, young Alice trips and falls down a rabbit hole into a mysterious netherworld, where she encounters the genially bizarre Mad Hatter and the frequently angry Red Queen, and discovers strange potions which can make her shrink or expand at will. As Alice tries to make her way through this strange new world, she tries to find a way home. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1993
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This ballet adaptation of the Alice classic is dramatized by the Prague Chamber Ballet. The score by Viktor Kalabis is performed by the Czech Philharmonic. A dance fantasy this truly is, as it combines the mediums of mime, dance, music, and theater. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1988
Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan Svankmajer, who gained a reputation for his short subjects, makes his feature-film debut with Neco z Alenky, a grotesque look into the darkest, wildest recesses of a child's mind. A surreal adaptation of Lewis Carroll's children's classic Alice in Wonderland, the film stars Kristyna Kohoutová as Alice, the only human character in the film. The other roles, which are voiced by Alice, are filled by an odd menagerie of animated clay, puppets, and meat. After falling asleep beside a stream, Alice follows a stuffed rabbit into a magical world where she encounters several grotesque-looking characters, including a caterpillar and The Mad Hatter. Also released under the title Alice, Neco Z Alenky was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award at the 1989 Fantasporto Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristina Kohoutova
- 1985
- PG
Irreverent British writer Dennis Potter speaks aloud what many literary historians have only postulated in whispers in Dreamchild. The film is set in 1932, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alice in Wonderland creator Lewis Carroll. The guest of honor at the New York-based celebration is 80-year-old Alice Liddell (Coral Browne), who as a child inspired Carroll's whimsical novels. Amidst the cajoling of both devoted fans and fast-buck hustlers, the grim-faced Alice tries to remain calm and dignified. What none of the idolaters suspect is that Alice harbors a long-suppressed secret concerning her "very special" relationship with Carroll -- a secret revealed in an extremely tasteful fashion during a flashback sequence, featuring Amelia Shankley as young Alice and Ian Holm as Charles Dodgson, the virginal, child-obsessed clergyman whom the world knew as Lewis Carroll. The darkness of Dennis Potter's vision is lightened by Muppeteer Jim Henson's marvelous three-dimensional renditions of the Wonderland and Looking Glass characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Coral Browne, Ian Holm, (more)
- 1985
This live action trip back to Wonderland finds Alice dodging the Jabberwocky and encountering a Wonderland crew including Humpty Dumpty, Tiger Lily, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The voice cast is staggering, including (to mention a few) father and son Lloyd Bridges and Beau Bridges, Phyllis Diller, and George Gobel, Ringo Starr, Jonathan Winters, Sally Struthers, Karl Malden, and many, many more. ~ All Movie Guide
This 1982 made-for-TV version of the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland features an all-star cast. Such celebrities as Donald O'Connor, Maureen Stapleton and Eve Arden struggle to perform while buried under mounds of makeup and tons of eccentric costuming as Carroll's alternate-world loonies. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast Oct 3, 1983, on PBS' Great Performances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Part of the Broadway Theater Archives, this stage production of Lewis Carroll's children's fantasy Alice in Wonderland was directed by Kirk Browning. Kate Burton plays young Alice, the little girl who wanders into a bizarre wonderland that just gets more and more curious. Her real-life father, Richard Burton, plays the White Knight. Also starring Eve Arden as the Queen of Hearts, Maureen Stapleton as the White Queen, and Donald O'Connor as the Mock Turtle. Broadway star Nathan Lane can also be seen in one of his earliest roles as the Dormouse. Alice in Wonderland was originally broadcast on PBS in 1983 as an episode of Great Performances. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Burton, Richard Burton, (more)
- 1982
This stage adaptation and play on the Alice in Wonderland theme, finds Alice slipping into Wonderland when she faints after seeing an attempted murder. When she comes to, she's in another world, again chasing a rabbit. However this hopper is not the fuzzy, furry type; he's an attractive jogger named Rabbit and Alice thinks he's just the guy for her. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1982
The Children's Theatre Company and School perform a tuneful adaptation of the title tale in this family-oriented video. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Sarah Sutton stars as Alice in this adaptation (produced for British television) of Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy of a young girl who discovers a remarkable fantasy world on the other side of the mirror. Alice Thru the Looking Glass] also features Freddie Jones as Humpty Dumpty, Brenda Bruce as the White Queen, and Raymond Mason and Anthony Collin as, respectively, Tweedledee and Tweedledum. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Bruce
- 1972
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A star-studded cast highlights this musical adaptation of the classic fantasy tales of Lewis Carroll. One day young Alice (Fiona Fullerton) takes a nasty spill down the rabbit-hole and finds herself in the bizarre kingdom of Wonderland, where she encounters a number of strange and enchanted characters, including the playful White Rabbit (Michael Crawford), the manic March Hare (Peter Sellers), the mysterious Caterpillar (Ralph Richardson), the Doormouse (Dudley Moore), the imperious Queen of Hearts (Flora Robson), and the quizzical Mad Hatter (Robert Helpmann). The cast also includes Spike Milligan, Peter Bull, Roy Kinnear, and Michael Jayston as Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland won two prizes at the 1973 British Academy of Film and Theatre Awards -- for Georfrey Unsworth's photography and Anthony Mendelson's costume design. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fiona Fullerton, Michael Crawford, (more)
- 1966
You've seen the Disney classic, now experience the tale of Alice in Wonderland as never before in this live-action adaptation of the timeless tale from the BBC and director Jonathan Miller. Capturing all of the menace and wonder of Lewis Carroll's age-old classic while injecting the story with a pinch of subversive Victorian gothic satire, this surreal updating of the children's fantasy classic features an all-star cast including Sir Michael Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud, Leo McKern, Peter Cook, Peter Sellers, and Alan Bennett. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne-Marie Mallik
- 1966
No TV or movie producer has yet to resist the temptation of turning Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass into an all-star musical. Certainly the folks at ABC were unable to resist turning out the 1966 taped TV special Alice Through the Looking Glass, but the end result was so pleasing that we can forgive the network for succumbing to temptation. Newcomer Judy Rolin plays Alice, who passes through the mirror, undergoes numerous fantastic adventures with a variety of eccentric characters, and is finally crowned Queen of Wonderland. The stellar guest cast includes Ricardo Montalban, Nanette Fabray, Robert Coote and Agnes Moorehead. Best bits: Jimmy Durante as Humpty Dumpty, Tom and Dick Smothers as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Jack Palance as the Jabberwocky! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
A more appropriate title for this animated 60-minute special might have been Alice in Hanna-Barbera Land, since the cartoon producers have eschewed the original Lewis Carroll text and John Tenniel illustrations for something that more closely resembles The Jetsons or Scooby Doo. Updated to the 1960s, the story begins as Alice, a precocious suburban youngster, escapes the wrath of her stern father when she and her dog Fluff follow the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland. In standard Hanna-Barbera operating procedure, several of the familiar Wonderland denizens are redrawn to resemble the actors providing their voices: thus, The White Knight looks and talks like "Jose Jimenez," the Hispanic character created by comedian Bill Dana (who also wrote the script), while the Queen of Hearts is a visual and verbal clone of Zsa Zsa Gabor. In a similar vein, some of the characters have been completely overhauled to be more "relevant" to Sixties viewers: Humpty Dumpty is now Humphrey Dumpty, with his Bogart-like voice provided by Allan Melvin; the Mad Hatter has a female counterpart, Hedda Hatter, voiced by gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (famous for her bizarre headwear); and the Caterpillar has suddenly grown two heads, who look and sound exactly like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. The songs, by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse of Bye Bye Birdie fame, are pleasant but forgettable, with the exception of "What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing In a Place Like This?", sung by the Cheshire Cat (his "hipster" voice supplied by Sammy Davis Jr.). In fact, it is obvious that Hanna-Barbera thought that they had a hit on their hands with this song, the title of which is used as the "subtitle" of this irreverent but entertaining cartoon romp. Alice in Wonderland first aired March 30, 1966, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Waldo, Doris Drew, (more)
This Disney feature-length cartoon combines the most entertaining elements of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Chasing after the White Rabbit, who runs into view singing "I'm Late! I'm Late!," Alice falls down the rabbit hole into the topsy-turvy alternate world of Wonderland. She grows and shrinks after following the instructions of a haughty caterpillar, attends a "Very Merry Unbirthday" party in the garden of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, stands in awe as the Cheshire Cat spouts philosophy, listens in rapt attention as Tweedledum and Tweedledee relate the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter (a sequence usually cut when Alice is shown on TV), and closes out her day with a hectic croquet game at the home of the Red Queen. The music and production design of Alice in Wonderland is marvelous, but the film is too much of a good thing, much too frantic to do full honor to the whimsical Carroll original, and far too episodic to hang together as a unified feature film. One tactical error is having Alice weep at mid-point, declaring her wish to go home: This is Alice in Wonderland, Walt, not Wizard of Oz! Its storytelling shortcomings aside, Alice in Wonderland is superior family entertainment (never mind the efforts in the 1970s to palm off the picture as a psychedelic "head" film). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, (more)
- 1950
Alice in Wonderland is a misfire attempt to retell the Lewis Carroll story in the style of the famous John Tenniel illustrations. The film is an uncomfortable blend of live actors in ill-fitting costumes, ugly life-sized puppets, and ragged stop-motion animation. Carol Marsh, as Alice, is the only non-grotesque in the bunch, but that doesn't make her any more appealing. The brainchild of American puppeteer Louis Bunin, this project is relentlessly weird and unattractive, helped not at all by the poor dubbing in the English-language version. American audiences might never have been subjected to Alice in Wonderland had it not been distributed in the U.S. to cash in on the concurrently released (and far superior) Disney animated cartoon feature of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Murray, Pamela Brown, (more)
- 1933
This star-laden version of Lewis Carroll's novel combines elements of both the title novel and Carroll's sequel, Through the Looking Glass. In England of the 19th century, young Alice finds that the mirror over the library fireplace opens into a strange world. She has odd adventures and changes size several times both before and after she follows a time-obsessed White Rabbit (Skeets Gallagher). Soaked after nearly drowning in a pool of tears, Alice is helped to dry off by a Dodo (Polly Moran), and encounters a caterpillar (Ned Sparks), whose mushroom also changes Alice's size. In a noisy home where the Cook (Lillian Harmer) and the Duchess (Alison Skipworth) are always fighting, Alice takes care of the Duchess' baby, but it turns into a pig and runs away. Asking directions of the Cheshire Cat (Richard Arlen) is no help, and a tea party with the Mad Hatter (Edward Everett Horton), the March Hare (Charlie Ruggles) and the Dormouse (Jackie Searl) is confusing and annoying.
Alice meets the Queen of Hearts (May Robson), and encounters the Duchess again; while strolling with her, Alice meets the Gryphon (William Austin) and the Mock Turtle (Cary Grant). The twins Tweedledum (Jack Oakie) and Tweedledee (Roscoe Karns) recite a poem about a Walrus and a Carpenter (seen as an animated cartoon), but when they decide to go to battle, they're chased off by a crow. Humpty Dumpty (W.C. Fields) relates the poem "Jabberwocky" to Alice, then falls off a wall and breaks. The mournful White Knight (Gary Cooper), unable to put Humpty Dumpty together again, escorts Alice for a while, but she tumbles down a hill and finds she's become a queen. At a party in Alice's honor, the Red Queen (Edna Mae Oliver) becomes furious at Alice, who then wakes up to find herself in the library, with her kitten Dinah in her lap. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
Alice meets the Queen of Hearts (May Robson), and encounters the Duchess again; while strolling with her, Alice meets the Gryphon (William Austin) and the Mock Turtle (Cary Grant). The twins Tweedledum (Jack Oakie) and Tweedledee (Roscoe Karns) recite a poem about a Walrus and a Carpenter (seen as an animated cartoon), but when they decide to go to battle, they're chased off by a crow. Humpty Dumpty (W.C. Fields) relates the poem "Jabberwocky" to Alice, then falls off a wall and breaks. The mournful White Knight (Gary Cooper), unable to put Humpty Dumpty together again, escorts Alice for a while, but she tumbles down a hill and finds she's become a queen. At a party in Alice's honor, the Red Queen (Edna Mae Oliver) becomes furious at Alice, who then wakes up to find herself in the library, with her kitten Dinah in her lap. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Henry, Richard Arlen, (more)
- 1931
This, the first sound version of Lewis Carroll's famous novel, includes many of the expected scenes: Alice (Ruth Gilbert) meets the White Rabbit (Ralph Hertz), as well as the bad-tempered Cook (Lillian Ardell) and the Duchess (Mabel Wright). She has tea, or tries to, with the Mad Hatter (Leslie King), the March Hare (Meyer Berensen) and the Dormouse (Raymond Schultz), and the Cheshire Cat (Tom Corless) leaves his grin behind. The Caterpillar (Jimmy Rosen) becomes annoyed with her, and the Queen of Hearts (Vie Quinn) threatens to cut off her head. With the Duchess, Alice meets the Mock Turtle (Gus Alexander) and the Gryphon (Charles Silvern), and at a bizarre trial, Alice finally becomes fed up with all the strange events and people. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- 1925
This video is comprised of three animated silent tales that feature characters from the Alice in Wonderland books. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
