The film is broken down into two parts, the first of which begins by introducing us to Alice (Natalie Gregory) expressing her disappointment in not being old enough to attend afternoon tea with the adults. After going down to the lake with her older sister, she happens across White Rabbit (who looks like a mall-rejected Easter Bunny) who leads her into the forest and down his rabbit-hole. If it sounds odd so far, prepare to be locked away as the rabbit-hole ends in a series of shrinking doors that lead Alice into Wonderland: A pseudo fantasy realm of color and endless oddity.
Alice meets many interesting characters and musical melodies along the way. Prepare for spontaneous eruptions of music and dance routines that work out much better than expected. Steve Allen is responsible for writing the song-score and hit the nail on the head as far as catchy rhythms and memorable lyrics are concerned.
The cast is absolutely stellar featuring everyone from Sammy Davis Jr. as Caterpillar to Telly Savalas as the Cheshire Cat. Even legendary Beatle's drummer, Ringo Starr wasn't overlooked having been assigned the role of the Mock Turtle.
After a run-in with the ultra-wicked, decapitation loving Queen of Hearts, Alice makes her getaway only to realize that she is in fact trapped on the wrong side of the looking glass.
So enters the second part of the film in which young Alice finds herself in Looking Glass Land. Fans of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will experience slight deja vu as Looking Glass Land is essentially a giant chess board in which Alice must successfully navigate to pass.
While part one comes off as more of a magical romp through an enchanted land (or to some, a narcotics induced episode) the second part is a bit more strategic offering up characters based on the Royal Family of playing cards, knights, and even a mind created dragon that thrives on Alice's fear. Combined the two parts run a little over three hours (of which the second half seemed to pass slightly quicker, personally).
Fans of the classic tale, nostalgic adults who think fondly of the original airing of the 1980's musical, and the latest generation of children will find much to appreciate in the timeless presentation of Alice In Wonderland. While there are many interpretations of the morals behind the story, Director Harry Harris takes a more musical, upbeat approach to even some of the darker concepts. For example the Queen of Hearts happily sings about the advantages of decapitation as a form of punishment appropriately entitled "Off with Their Heads".
While perhaps its greatest asset of providing a unique twist on a many times retold tale, the musical style of the film is simultaneously often its most criticized as it makes light of many of the tale's most delicate moments.
Overall Alice in Wonderland provides an entertaining means of family bonding. It is worth checking out almost for the cast alone which basically includes anyone who was anyone at the time and earned five Emmy nominations.
