Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Fantasy, Musical

Directors

Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Jerry Colonna, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway, Verna Felton, J. Pat O'Malley, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Joseph Kearns, Larry Grey, Queenie Leonard, Dink Trout, Doris Lloyd, Jimmy MacDonald, The Mellomen, Don Barclay

Storyline

One day, daydreaming young girl Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) spots a large white rabbit (Bill Thompson), dressed in a jacket and carrying a large watch. Quickly following him, she stumbles into the world of Wonderland where she will live an adventure which culminates in a terrible encounter with the Queen of Hearts (Verna Felton). 

Opinion

I've already said in the past that I've never been a fan of Alice, I guess that's why I have never seen Disney's Alice in Wonderland as a kid. I thought it was about time to fix it, I watched it, and I'm still not a fan. While arguably better than Tim Burton's - and I had a nice time watching it -, neither this one was able to charm me.

The story isn't exactly like the one Carroll wrote, it's a blend of his Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, the events don't have the same order, some rather important parts are left out, but it wasn't a problem at all. I actually liked it this way because it allowed me to enjoy it a bit more, despite the fact that there wasn't a real plot. 

Anyway, the film felt incredibly off, and some of the blame is on the characters. They aren't charming or interesting, they aren't that nice and some of them are quite annoying. What's really annoying though is that lots of characters are introduced only to disappear and never to be seen again. However, some of them are memorable, like the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Queen of Hearts.

Moving on, the animation is beautiful and very colourful; also, the songs throughout are quite enjoyable and make the film a bit more fun. Still, it's not charming.