Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Alice in Wonderland is an English novel by Lewis Carroll first published in 1865. Since then, it has become one of the most adapted pieces of work in history, with countless television productions and movies being made over the years. Ranging from child-friendly animations to far darker affairs, audience interest has remained strong.
Alice in Wonderland tells the story of a young girl named Alice, who falls through a rabbit hole only to find herself in Wonderland, a place of weird and wonderful characters and anthropomorphic creatures. Surreal and whimsical, it’s a timeless tale that lends itself perfectly to the big screen. Below are 5 of the very best movie adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
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5 Malice in Wonderland (2009)
Sony Pictures
This adaptation of the beloved tale by Lewis Carroll takes place in the underbelly of modern-day London, England. It follows a university student who, after getting hit by a taxi, awakes in the surreal and seedy “Wonderland,” where nothing is quite as it seems. Whilst the fantasy elements are still prevalent in this trippy adventure, Malice in Wonderland plays loose and fast with the source material, opting for a far grimier approach. Though most of the original characters are represented in this adaptation, they’ve been given gritty makeovers. For example, the recurring White Rabbit character is portrayed, here, as a mysterious cockney cab driver played by British national treasure Danny Dyer.
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4 Alice in Wonderland (1933)
Paramount Pictures
Despite having a cast consisting of many of the biggest stars of the era, including W.C Fields, Gary Cooper, Edna May Oliver, and Cary Grant, at the time of its release, this iteration of Carroll’s classic was considered a box office bomb and divided opinion among audiences and critics. Carroll’s Alice stories were always littered with surreal imagery and touched on some more adult themes, which was part of their beauty. Bringing these images and themes to the big screen unnerved some, leading to concerns over what the movie’s target age group should be. It was even banned in China under a category of “superstitious films” for its “strangeness” and unscientific elements. The performance of the movie even cast doubt on whether a live-action movie with such peculiar visuals and characters could ever be successfully presented on the screen. Fortunately, success of The Wizard of Oz several years later dispelled all such fears. In the decades that have followed, however, Alice in Wonderland (1933), has been reappraised and is now considered by many as a classic, with many interpreting it as a masterful work of absurdist humor.
3 Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Walt Disney Pictures
In terms of box office success, Tim Burton’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland adaptation is untouchable when it comes to the world of Alice. The movie was incredibly successful, grossing over $1 billion (not to mention all the merchandise Disney would have sold off the back of it). Being such a high-profile project for Disney, Burton was giving a larger budget to play with than usual. which resulted in one of the most aesthetically impressive movies of all time. Not only were audiences wowed by the movie’s impressive visuals and CGI effects, but the casting was also impeccable. The likes of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Crispin Glover, to name but a few, all make very memorable appearances and Mia Wasikowska handles the leading role of Alice with aplomb. The only complaint with this being a Tim Burton project is that one could argue it lacked some of the more edgy, macabre leanings of his earlier work, which could have worked nicely in the weird and whacky world of Wonderland.
2 Alice (1988)
First Run Features
By far the least accessible and mainstream entry on the list, Czech director Jan Švankmajer’s interpretation plays out like a twisted stop-motion nightmare. Having been disappointed with previous adaptations, which Švankmajer believes play out too much like a fairytale, Alice was his attempt at creating something closer to Carroll’s initial vision. The dark atmosphere and unique animation certainly won over critics with it winning the feature film award at the 1989 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and scoring an impressive 95% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The director’s passions for the source material, which he describes as one of the most important and amazing books produced by this civilization, is apparent throughout, and this well acted, unique take on a classic tale is certainly worth a watch if you’re looking for something a little darker.
1 Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Walt Disney Feature Animation
Disney’s animated version of Alice in Wonderland, is, without a doubt, the most timeless iteration. Over seven decades later, and it still remains essential viewing for any fan of Carroll, or Disney, or even movies in general for that matter. Boasting some of Disney’s most creative imagery and catchiest songs, Wonderland has never seemed so wonderful. Audiences are taken through the rabbit hole and introduced to its assortment of whacky characters, each as memorable as the last and all gloriously animated, reminding us as to why Disney is the world’s most successful animation studio.
