Alice in Wonderland

By Jeff Niesel

Director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is the perfect guy to take on Alice in Wonderland. His affinity for eye-popping visuals suits the story’s fantastical nature. While his adaptation of the Lewis Carroll story takes a few liberties that it dioesn’t need to take (Burton combined two Carroll novels), the film is a resounding success, thanks in part to such a terrific cast. Johnny Depp delivers as the Mad Hatter, and Mia Wasikowska plays Alice perfectly. Helena Bonham Carter transforms herself to become the evil Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway is a natural fit as the White Queen. The plot revolves around Alice’s trip to Wonderland where she learns she must slay the Jabberwocky, a fierce dragon-like creature. On the Blu-ray DVD, you can see the lengths to which Burton went to create a far-out place. Behind-the-scenes footage provides a look at how the special effects were handled, and interviews with all the extras help put the puzzle together.