New Edition Coming

Just a quick note here - if you are thinking of purchasing a copy of Alice in Wonderland now, just wait a little longer.

As of January 27, 2004, Disney is doing a "Special Edition", two disc DVD release that will be similar to thier recent reissue of Sleeping Beauty.

With all of the features that will be on that DVD, people who buy this DVD now will be disappointed if they don't wait.

Disney will be including all of the "Making of", pre-production art, and other features that make their new "Special Editions" great, to this new edition.

There are three other "Special Editions" due in 2004 - Mary Poppins, Lilo and Stitch, and Pocahontas. Alice will be the first released in 2004. Also, there's the "Platinum" edition of Aladdin in October 2004. Worth waiting for in my opinion. You have been warned. :-)

Eschewed intellectual interpretation of Carroll's story

"Alice in Wonderland" is a Disney animated feature that is better than its reputation. It is not as great as some of the Disney features that preceded it, such as "Snow White", "Dumbo", or "Pinocchio", but there is still considerable charm in the animation, story, and voice characterizations.

"Alice in Wonderland" is based on the 19th century Lewis Carroll book of the same name. The book was written as a satire. Disney has tried to put some of the satire into the film, but mostly emphasizes the silliness. There is strong appeal for both children and adults.

The beautifully animated but slightly chilly rendering of Alice's tale, aimed at a children's market for which Disney eschewed intellectual interpretations of Carroll's story, instead playing it straight as a storybook dream/nightmare.

All of Alice's adventures are in place, including her tea party with the Mad Hatter and friends, her meeting with the bewildering Cheshire Cat and her strange game of croquet with the temperamental Queen of Hearts, who is fond of beheading those who question her authority.

The animation is very good. In particular, the studio has a knack for splashing liquids, and there is great 'choreography' of dancing playing card soldiers.

The story does have an edge to it. The walrus eats the oysters, the crocodile eats the fishes, and the Queen beheads several playing cards. This is in keeping with the spirit of Carroll's writings, which have the useful moral that gullibility is punished.

The film is dazzling in its use of color and odd shapes and is enhanced by the distinctive voices of Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter, Sterling Holloway as the Cheshire Cat, Jerry Colonna as the March Hare, and Verna Felton as the Queen of Hearts.

There are some slow parts to the story. Alice gets lost and cries. The audience is supposed to feel sorry for her, but this cold-hearted viewer merely lost interest. There is also a song that the flowers sing to Alice that gets a bit tedious.

Bonus Material is even better than the movie!!

Our family purchased the 2004 2 disk version. This is the first time the bonus material on Disk 2 gets played way more than the movie in our house. The bonus disk contains the entire first Walt Disney televised special. It was aired Christmas Day 1950. Walt himself brings out the magic mirror and the fun begins. Wonderful color animation of Mickey and the gang as well as musical clips from classic Disney films. Pure family entertainment. My kids love it. That's good enough for me.