Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland"

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Ever since you were kid, you’ve loved “Alice in Wonderland.” You grew up reading Lewis Carroll’s classic books, watching the 1951 animated classic, and remembering to never be late for your very important dates.

Now, you’re eager to watch Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s re-imagining that hits theaters March 5th.

But before you do, you might want to know that the movie could more accurately be called “Alice Returns to Underland.”

Burton and Depp have made some significant changes to Carroll’s classic tale -– including the fact that the film doesn’t adapt either one but rather presents a sequel of sorts –- so, read on for a dissection of some of the more significant changes you'll want to note with this latest incarnation.


Alice is a Teenager

Like “Return to Oz” or “Hook,” the story focuses on its main character returning to the realm where a great adventure once occurred. “The story takes place when Alice is 19, and she’s about to enter into a marriage she’s not sure about,” explains writer Linda Woolverton (“The Lion King”) in notes distributed to the press. “Time has passed. The Red Queen rules the whole land. It’s under her thumb.”


Alice in…Underland?

Yep, you read that right -– as it turns out, we’ve been calling the land of whimsical fantasy by the wrong name for all these years. “Underland,” says Woolverton, “is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child. But she misheard the word ‘Underland’ and thought they said ‘Wonderland.’ Now, as a girl on the cusp of adulthood, Alice goes back and there she discovers that the real name of the world is Underland.” If nothing else, this makes Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" unique as one of the only movies to ever get its own name wrong on theater marquees nationwide -- on purpose.


Meet the Characters Again

Much like the land in which they reside, we also learn that we’ve been calling Alice’s pals by the wrong names for all these years. The Red Queen is actually named Iracebeth (and an amalgam of the Queen of Hearts from Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and the Red Queen from “Through the Looking-Glass"), The White Queen is named Mirana, The Caterpillar is called Absolem, and The White Rabbit is called McTwisp. “That’s been invented, I believe,” explained the Rabbit voice actor Michael Sheen when we spoke with him and asked where the moniker came from. “As far as I know.”


Underland is the Wrong Side of the Tracks

Early plans for the film were to depict Alice’s fantasy land as the brightly-colored, carefree place you’d expect. But Burton has envisioned an “Underland” in decline after years of being under the rule of the Red Queen. For inspiration, the filmmaker was drawn to a World war II-era photograph of a British family having tea outside their estate under the disheveled skyline of war-torn London. "The thing about Underland," Burton explained in the film’s notes distributed to press, “[is that] like any fairy-tale land, there’s good and the bad.”

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Disney's Alice In Wonderland is a monster hit. It clearly becomes the best March release ever with $45 million on Friday. If that holds up, the Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp starring fantasy flick could have a $115M-$120M opening weekend for the biggest 3D pic debut ever. (These numbers are blowing away Avatar's first weekend.)

The only other major newcomer this weekend was Overture's Brooklyn's Finest directed by Anton Fuqua and starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke opened like most R-rated action films: it had a $5.2M Friday for a likely $14.5M weekend.

Disney's Alice In Wonderland has a real shot at $100 million weekend.

Remember, those higher priced 3D tickets will make all the difference. Even so, the Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring fantasy flick will certainly earn $75+M from its 3,728 locations this weekend. Its total domestic 3D count is 2,063 locations, plus 180 Imax 3D engagements, making it the largest 3D bow ever.

Overseas, Alice is expected to shoot to #1 after opening day and date in 40 territories beginning Wednesday.

[sgambino]

The movie does look really good but probably will wait until it is out on Blue Ray. There will be too many kids bouncing around for me to go see it at the show. :)

[Doctor Loomis]

i saw it last night and thought it was really well done all around tbh. im definitely seeing it again at least once or twice while its in theaters

[Scarebaby]

Originally Posted by _____V_____

Alice in…Underland?

Yep, you read that right -– as it turns out, we’ve been calling the land of whimsical fantasy by the wrong name for all these years. “Underland,” says Woolverton, “is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child. But she misheard the word ‘Underland’ and thought they said ‘Wonderland.’ Now, as a girl on the cusp of adulthood, Alice goes back and there she discovers that the real name of the world is Underland.” If nothing else, this makes Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" unique as one of the only movies to ever get its own name wrong on theater marquees nationwide -- on purpose.

Ahhh! *wipes tear*

As a huge fan of the books I can safely say that I won't be in any hurry to see this film anytime soon.

[Doc Faustus]

Looks like it's on the shallow side. I heard from my girlfriend's brother who's a big Tim Burton fan, that it was exactly the movie he thought it would be. I feel like I've already seen it from just what I know about Tim Burton and the script he was using. It's a mistake to add a goal oriented fantasy plot to a piece of absurd literature. I'm boycotting the hell out of this. Giving her some fantasy adventure deprives the world of its meaning and depth and dilutes Lewis Carroll's intentions. Lewis Carroll loved this little girl (romantically, plationically, nonsexually, no matter what people want to think) and her innocence and felt sad for her. He was a professor of mathematics in a society that he knew made no sense and he wanted her to know that it wasn't half as serious as the idiot adults she'd one day be surrounded by think it is. (What do they know? They're nothing but a pack of cards.) It was a dear friend's attempt to reach out to a child and tell her to retain her innocence and not be poisoned by the stupidity around her. Read the book, see the lack of sense around you, know that the game is inconsequential and know that Tim Burton and crew are playing into it, and hard, by making a big budget, CGI filled Hot Topic brainwashing blockbuster. Disney, Tim Burton, everybody that imposed sense and commercialism on an anarchist masterpiece...they're nothing but a pack of cards.

[Scarebaby]

Nicely put.

[The_Return]

Wow Doc...way to make me feel ashamed for enjoying this.

[milktoaste]

Ya Doc, geez. I just got home from filming interviews outside the theater, and one dad said it was the best Burton film to date. I haven't seen it, and honestly, probably will wait untill this one comes out (for a variety of reasons) but you have know idea how much it sucked to go there with a film crew and not get to watch the movie. People were pretty much just there to see Johnny and Anne Hathaway in 3-D.

:D(my son wanted to see a smily face)

[Doc Faustus]

Just my opinion.I don't think a person should use a piece of source material if they don't really care about it. It's why I don't like Kubrick's The Shining. As an author, I would be repulsed if somebody who I'm pretty sure not only hasn't read and comprehended the book, but probably hasn't read A book in years tried to adapt something I wrote. His aesthetic is cool, it's just a shame that he's so empty inside and doesn't try to better himself.