Director Tim Burton teams up with star Johnny Depp and wife Helena Bonham Carter for the seventh and sixth time, respectively, for this most recent adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic novel and its sequel.  The film is being released by Disney, the studio who previously adapted Carroll’s stories in 1951.  But Burton and screenwriter Linda Wolverton are bringing a slightly different take with their new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, as they have Alice is returning to Wonderland years after her first visit. It’s like what Spielberg did in Hook, only with much better results.

In the real world, the 19-year-old Alice’s wit and imagination are trapped in a stuffy, buttoned-down society.  High society has gathered for her engagement party… an engagement she was not informed about.  In the middle of the proposal, she becomes distracted by a white rabbit in a waistcoat and chases him down a rabbit hole where she falls into a strange new world called Underland.

Alice has dreamt of this place and she believes she is currently just stuck in another one of her dreams, but is somehow unable to wake herself up.  She soon learns of the feud between two sisters, the White Queen and the Queen of Hearts, and also that many of the land’s characters believe she is destined to save Underland from the Queen of Hearts’ current dictatorship-like reign.

Depp plays the Mad Hatter, a character whose role Burton expanded for his star; but fortunately it doesn’t overtake the central story of Alice.  In his attempts to hide Alice from the Knave of Hearts and the rest of the Queen’s army, the Hatter is arrested and held prisoner.  Alice becomes determined to save him and the rest of Underland’s diverse assortment of characters from tyranny.

What hurts Wonderland is that, coming out this year instead of last, the wondrous land Burton has created is sure to be endlessly compared to Avatar’s Pandora.  Underland, which the child Alice called “Wonderland” on her first visit, is not nearly as breathtaking or fantastic as Pandora—or even Coraline’s fantasy world—but that’s not to say that it is not impressive in its own right.  The computer-generated world is always fun to look at and, with the exception of a few blatantly obvious green-screen shots, the characters fit well into the environment.  But the appeal of Alice in Wonderland has never really been the environment so much as it is about the characters that inhabit it; and it is those characters that make this adaptation worth the price of admission.

Much of the focus, I’m sure, will be on Depp and relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska, who plays Alice.  Aside from needing a couple more viewings to truly grasp all of his dialogue, Depp makes an excellent Mad Hatter, just another oddball character to go with the rest of his Burton-directed characters.  He is a much more appealing character than his Willy Wonka, which I felt actually ruined the Chocolate Factory remake.  Wasikowska is a delight to watch and very much worthy of the early praise that she has been receiving.  It’s through Alice’s eyes that we view Wonderland, and Ms. Wasikowska makes for an excellent guide.  Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway are also very good as the two Queens.

Still, what made this movie for me were the supporting characters.  For reasons even I don’t understand, I’ve always been a fan of the Cheshire Cat and he is perfectly realized here, especially thanks to the film’s use of 3D.  Tweedledee and Tweedledum were also fun to watch and the character that just kept me cracking up was the March Hare.  Many of the main fantasy world characters were also set up nicely in the real world prelude, much like what was done in The Wizard of Oz.

Alice in Wonderland is entertaining throughout. It is funny and always had me wondering what was around the next corner.  The final battle scene could have had a little more action, but at least the special effects are top notch.  The film also makes very good use of its 3D.  This one is worth a trip down the rabbit hole.

Alice in Wonderland is rated PG for “violence/action involving scary situations and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar.” Some situations may be too scary for younger viewers, but there’s little more to fear here than in something like The Wizard of Oz, or even Disney’s original Alice in Wonderland.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jeff attended a promotional screening of Alice in Wonderland.