MPAA Rating: G/Genre: Animated Musical Fantasy Comedy/Voices of: 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 (Thurl Ravenscroft, Bill Lee, Max Smith and Bob Hamlin), Don Barclay, Lucille Bliss, Pinto Colvig, Jimmy Luske, Tommy Luske, Marni Nixon, Norma Zimmer, Erdman Penner, Ken Beaumont/Runtime: 75 minutes
I think it’s safe to start this review off by letting you in on a secret that I might have already shared with you dear reader. That being that, contrary to the law of popular opinion, I do happen to have a fondness for animated slices of cinema given to us by none other than animation powerhouse (or is it mouse?) Disney. With that in mind though, please know that there is a wee bit of a caveat to that heartfelt admiration. That being that the aforementioned admiration is typically given more so to the entries in their animated film catalogue that were done BEFORE 2008 than it usually is to their work done AFTER 2008 so sorry not sorry to all the Frozen and Bolt fans out there. At any rate dear reader, the fact still remains that I am and always will be an unashamed fan of old school Disney be it Melody Time and The Three Caballeros or The Black Cauldron and Fantasia which also means that I am always excited when I get the chance to revisit one of those entries for review purposes. Not just because those movies are highly rewatchable, but because those entries were most assuredly key films that helped me become a film reviewer whose reviews I have been told make for fantastic images to utilize as lock screens for one’s computer and/or cell phone. All jokes aside dear reader, I guess it’s safe to say then that you can definitely imagine then that I am absolutely thrilled about the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today. Not just because I grew up with the 1951 animated take on Alice in Wonderland, to the point that I swear I wore out my VHS copy of it due to watching it at least 100-150 times (not an exaggerated number incidentally), but because this is still one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid that, thanks to the cinematic wizardry of DVD and Disney Plus, I can still watch whenever I get the opportunity to do so. A good thing because honestly I really do dig the heck out of this movie dear reader. To be sure, this is by no means a 110% perfect slice of cinema, but even so there is no denying that with the aid of well-done work behind the camera to say nothing of a collection of phenomenal vocal performances from an impeccable and extremely well-chosen cast of players the 1951 Alice in Wonderland is more than just a magical voyage through a topsy-turvy locale. Rather, it is also a treat for the eyes and a sensation for the heart and mind that you and the little movie-goers in your life are sure to enjoy time and time again.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of the timeless novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, the 1951 Alice in Wonderland gets underway by taking us to a lovely park in the country of England where we are swiftly introduced to our heroine named (you’re totally not going to believe this) Alice as she spends time with her cat Dinah and having to go through the worst punishment imaginable. That being no more or less than to sit through an (to Alice at the very least) excruciatingly boring history lesson that her sister is desperately in vain trying to teach her. I say desperately because if there is one thing that you really ought to know about Alice at this point dear reader it’s that she suffers from a very common ailment among that distinct group known as young people known as overacticus imaginatorium (or an overactive imagination for you non-Latin speakers out there). An ailment that she shortly thereafter reveals via a song about a rather distinct land that has been on her mind for quite some time. It is also an ailment that we soon see come to play in another distinct way as we shortly thereafter watch as, whilst sitting by the water with Dinah, Alice witnesses a most peculiar sight go by. That being no more or less than a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat, rocking a pocket watch bigger than any that Flavor Flav would even think in a million years of putting on his person, and who upon checking the time on the watch immediately screams that “he’s late! He’s late” and proceeds to take off for…parts unknown. Her curiosity raised, we see that our heroine (against the non-verbal yet still quite apparent reservations of her cat) decides to follow this rabbit and see just where he’s going to say nothing of what exactly he is up to. Yet upon finding the hole that the rabbit went into, we see that following him only results in poor Alice tumbling down into this very deep chasm. Now normally, you might be thinking that this would be the part of the story where this slice of cinema might swiftly turn into a survival saga in the vein of something like 127 Hours or even the 2001 horror movie appropriately titled The Hole. However, seeing as this IS a kids movie after all, I can thankfully (for all the parents out there) confirm that is definitely not the case. Instead, we see that by going down this particular rabbit hole that Alice instead has taken the first steps (or in this case tumble) on a rather unique journey. One that will not only see her experience a world where logic has politely let madness get the front seat for a change, but also encounter a wide variety of unique individuals such as the enjoyably perplexing Cheshire Cat, the tea party-fixated Mad Hatter and March Hare, the Rabbit himself, the distinct twin duo known as Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, and the fiery tempered Queen of Hearts among others as she desperately attempts to try and find a way back home. As for whether or not she is able to do so that I shall leave for you to discover dear reader….
Now right off, it is worth noting that the work done behind the camera on this animated slice of cinema is genuinely majestical. With that in mind though, there is an element to the work done behind the camera that might give more than a few of you out there pause. That being that this particular cinematic outing doesn’t possess what you might call a traditional narrative. Instead, this animated slice of cinema is one that operates more so as a linked collection of episodes which are designed less to keep any grand overarching narrative afloat and more so with the purpose in mind of giving us a look at a collection of zany and madcap individuals as well as circumstances that occur throughout our heroine’s journey through a rather unusual to put it lightly locale. Yet, rather than operate as a deterrent of any sort to the overall quality of this slice of cinema, I actually find it a bit of a positive. Not only because it fits in beautifully with the chaotic and odd nature of the world of the film itself since in many respects Wonderland is supposed to be operate as an antithesis of our own, but also because it allows for a lot of individual character moments to really shine in the manner that they have been able to since the film first came out over 7 decades ago. Indeed it is for this reason that everyone who has seen the movie remembers the Queen of Hearts shouting “off with her head!”, the Cheshire Cat acting like a straight up troll, and the March Hatter and Hare’s tea party, but when it comes to any description of the actual story you’ll either get a confused stare or the simple “Alice is lost and trying to get home”. With that being said however dear reader, there is another reason why these moments among many others are as memorable as they are and that would have to be due to no more or less than the animation on display from, among other talents, the remarkable Mary Blair who also worked on, among other entries, Disney’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow short from 1949, and Fantasia from 1940. I say that because honestly this film is a genuine feast for the eyes both when it comes to the designs of the respective characters and with respect to the landscapes that we travel to throughout our journey with Alice as well. Indeed for some people, a 7-decade-plus film can be seen as ancient, but I feel that if this hand drawn slice of cinema came out today it’s animation would still be seen as nothing short of breathtaking. Finally, it is also worth noting that besides the memorable character moments and the jaw-droppingly beautiful animation there is one other element that manages to make its mark as intended and that is in terms of the songs present throughout the film. Indeed not only are all of these songs with such noteworthy examples as the titular song, In a World of My Own, All in the Golden Afternoon, Painting the Roses Red, The Unbirthday Song, ‘Twas Brillig, and A-E-I-O-U among others beautifully performed by the respective vocal talents involved to say nothing of instantly catchy, but they all also do something else as well. Namely they all do a wonderful job at giving us a look at who these characters are as individuals be it the Caterpillar turning out to be an uptight snob for grammar, Alice wishing the world was the way she would like it to be, or the Playing Cards living in a constant state of straight up terror at displeasing the Queen of Hearts. Suffice it to say then dear reader that sure there might be some issues with this slice of cinema, but thankfully the work done behind the camera in bringing this film to life manages to go quite aways in making this as magical as it turns out to be.
Besides the wonderful work done behind the camera by the incredible crew though, the other big component that helps this slice of cinema distinguish itself as one of the more engaging jewels in Disney’s animated cinema crown would have to be the work done by the phenomenal cast of vocal talent who all do an exceptional job in bringing the collection of characters in this to life. This starts with Kathryn Beaumont who, in the main role of Alice, does an absolutely outstanding job. Indeed the character of Alice is one that is a fairly complex and daunting individual for a talent to take on since not only is she very much a stranger in a land that is perhaps the dictionary definition of strange and then some, but then on top of that she also has to be able to take the strangeness all around her in stride and not potentially derail the film by calling into question all that much. Oh, and besides those aforementioned elements, the character also has to be more than a fair bit on the stubborn side yet still be able to be likable and worth following on this journey all the same. Yet even though this is a set of challenges that can be quite the daunting task for a physical performance let alone a vocal one we see that Beaumont is able to rise to the challenge quite spectacularly and in the process gives all of us as movie goers a take on the character that, to many a person (this reviewer included), is still seen as one of the definitive takes on this iconic literary heroine. We also see that, besides the terrific work done by Beaumont, this slice of animated cinema is able to reinforce her strong performance with a collection of support talent that all provide equally as memorable turns in their own right. This starts without question with a delightful turn from the iconic Sterling Holloway as the Cheshire Cat. Indeed Holloway has always been one of the more noteworthy vocal performers of his generation and here he does a fantastic job at furnishing this character with the cunning and borderline infuriatingly mischievous that those who’ve read the source material have come to expect from him. We also get a wonderful turn here from the eternally enjoyable Ed Wynn in the role of the Mad Hatter. Indeed Wynn always was a bit on the comedically kooky side so for him this role might not have that been much of a stretch, but by no means does that take away from how enjoyable let alone perfect he is in the part. The same could also be said incidentally for Richard Haydn who, in the role of the hookah-smoking and more than slightly pompous Caterpillar, brings his trademark frank demeanor and snootiness to a role that it is most assuredly tailormade for and then some. Finally, I also think praise should be given to early Disney regular Verna Felton for her pitch-perfect turn as the Queen of Hearts. Yes it might take a while for her to show up in this, but the moment she does Felton is able to do a magnificent job at bringing to this character a bullying and childish demeanor, a hair-trigger temper, and an odd yet chilling tenacity to want individuals’ heads cut off that together not only make her performance in this nothing short of iconic, but have also helped to ensure that this character will always be seen as an iconic member of the pantheon of Disney Villains. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in efforts from such talents as Jerry Colonna, J. Pat O’Malley, Bill Thompson, and Joseph Kearns among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have issues, but the work done by the cast is definitely top-flight.
All in all and at the end of the day is the 1951 animated take on the timeless tale of Alice in Wonderland the say-all, end-all when it comes to adapting this particular source material let alone amongst cinematic literary adaptations to begin with? Sadly as much as I wish as I could say that I’m afraid I can’t. With that in mind however, does that make this the worst adaptation of this timeless story since the U.K made the creative choice to give audiences across the planet a take in 2009 entitled Malice in Wonderland? Thankfully, I can definitely say that most assuredly is by no means the case either especially after taking into account THAT adaptation’s 10 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Indeed, if anything I can say that this cinematic adaptation, whilst not perfect, is still one of the few that comes even remotely close to capturing and showcasing for an audience with an equal helping of both heart as well as reverence for the topsy-turvy style to say nothing of the iconic characters and world that are all very much present in the source material and as a result manages to be quite the compelling sit to say nothing of one of the more underrated yet still quite solid efforts from the early Disney animated film catalogue. Suffice it to say that if you want a perfect adaptation of this timeless story then I hate to say it, but you’re in for a wait because, to my knowledge, that still hasn’t come out about as of this writing. If however, you are someone who would love to see perhaps the closest thing to a perfect adaptation complete with jaw-droppingly beautiful animation, timeless songs that you may or may not find getting stuck in your head and refusing to leave for quite some time, and a phenomenal collection of performances from an impeccably well-chosen cast of talent then definitely give this cinematic rabbit hole a try. Suffice it to say dear reader that it might not be perfect, but there is no denying that the 1951 animated Alice in Wonderland from Disney is nevertheless a magical cinematic outing that is sure to have you smiling like the Cheshire Cat from beginning to end no matter if it’s your 1st or 41st time watching it. Now if you’ll excuse me dear reader: I have an invite to a tea party celebrating someone’s Unbirthday and, much like a certain rabbit, I may or may not be running a wee bit late. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Alice in Wonderland “51” a solid 4 out of 5.
