Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney's preeminent 'Wonderland' receives a magnificent restoration and a must-own release...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 31, 2010

With the arrival of Walt Disney's 1951 animated classic, Alice in Wonderland, filmfans can finally -- even if only for a moment -- dismiss Tim Burton's spiritless misfire and focus on a far more charming trip down the rabbit hole. While it continues to divide audiences, split critics and garner mixed reviews all its own, Disney's original Alice adaptation has endured the decades thanks to its sweet, nonsensical story, endearing characters and self-sustaining animation (despite some sixty years of strides and advances). It isn't a faithful adaptation of 19th Century author Lewis Carroll's beloved "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" or "Through the Looking-Glass," but it is a whimsical one. It isn't an unrivaled classic, especially by early-Disney standards, but it is a family-favorite classic nonetheless. It isn't even as important a film as the fanfare surrounding its 60th Anniversary Blu-ray release might suggest. It's simply a brisk, quirky, dazzling plunge into a colorful dreamscape that refuses to go quietly into the night.

Alice meets Tweedledee and Tweedledum...

When a young girl named Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) grows tired of listening to her sister read from a history book, she wanders away, dreaming of a world of her own. Soon enough, she stumbles across a strange White Rabbit (Bill Thompson), promptly follows him into his hole and tumbles into a realm of bizarre creatures and evil tyrants: Wonderland. There she learns of the oppressive rule of the Queen of Hearts (Verna Felton), a vile villain with a penchant for separating the heads of her remotely disloyal subjects from their bodies. But Alice isn't tasked with overthrowing the Queen or saving Wonderland. Disney's adaptation, much like Carroll's original novel, isn't concerned with developing a traditional narrative, but rather in dragging poor Alice from beast to brute, tea party to castle, without a defined endgame in sight. Thankfully, the parade of characters she encounters are an unforgettable bunch of miscreants and courtiers, among them a brass Doorknob (Joseph Kearns), bumbling twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum (J. Pat O'Malley), the devious Cheshire Cat (Sterling Holloway), a cantankerous Caterpillar (Richard Haydn), zany March Hare (Jerry Colonna), timid Dormouse (James MacDonald), resident Wonderland loon, the Mad Hatter (Ed Wynn) and a variety of plants and animals, large and small, who help and hinder Alice as she nears the Queen's gardens.

Alice in Wonderland fails as a Carroll adaptation, owing more of its existence to Fantasia than its literary heritage. Experimental nonsense literature or no, Carroll imbued his stories with an organic and ironic sense of purpose; an underlying logic that subverts the illogical nature of Wonderland and its gibbering inhabitants; a taut thread that, thin as it may be, isn't present in Disney's Americanized song-and-dance adaptation. Not that it matters as much as Wonderland's bristliest critics insist. Disney didn't set out to make a poignant retelling of "Alice's Adventures" or with a burning desire to breathe animated life into every word of Carroll's text. He wanted to deliver an accessible, family-friendly feature film, nothing more. In the process though, he found a way to bridge the chasm between ambiguous box-office risks like Fantasia and more conventional (and subsequently successful) animated fare like Snow White, Bambi and Cinderella. In fact, there's less meaning to be had in Alice in Wonderland than Fantasia, a detail that escapes most viewers who despise Disney's eclectic Fantasia vignettes but adore Alice's Point-A to Point-B trek through the cute but irrational fantasies of a sleepy little girl.

But even the silliest, most inconsequential story can resonate when it's as delightful as Alice in Wonderland. Alice isn't a typical Disney heroine by any means, nor are her newfound friends or enemies anything more than a seemingly random assortment of flamboyant personalities. But it's easy to follow a likable young sweetheart like Alice from flowerbed to forest, reveling in the eccentric creatures she meets and marveling at the amazing places she discovers. Each character and locale comes alive; each song and melody sends Wonderland's nimblest scurrying. The animation, though less elaborate than that of later films, is both fluid and cheerful, and hasn't lost a bit of its spark to old age. Sixty years can be a death knell for a film of its ilk, but were Alice in Wonderland to somehow debut in 2011 (in its current state, of course), its character designs, painterly backgrounds and hand-drawn animation would still earn praise. All the while, it conjures up the sort of psychedelic flourishes first glimpsed in Dumbo, delivers human-caliber animals à la Bambi, indulges in the weird and wild like Pinocchio, and recalls the storybook familiarity of Cinderella and Snow White. It even represents the first entry in a Silver Age of Disney animation; an era defined by Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood. Ultimately, Alice in Wonderland may not be a tireless adaptation or an inimitable film, but it is a great Disney classic worthy of a home on every family's shelves.

Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disney has a long-standing reputation for treating its animated films with the utmost care, granting even its oldest catalog titles ample opportunity to shine. Alice in Wonderland is the latest in a growing line of iconic classics to earn a high definition rebirth and the results are no less than stunning. Bright, bold and bursting with breathtaking splashes of color, Disney's divisive 1951 adaptation doesn't seem to have aged a single day. "Perfect" is a lofty word, but little else can convey just how remarkable, rewarding and spectacular the studio's frame-by-frame restoration and exquisite 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation truly are. Alice's blue dress and summery hair have never been this beautiful, the Queen of Hearts' crimson kingdom has never been this vibrant, the animators' efforts have never been this crisp and clean, Wonderland's shadows have inky, and Wonderland's lush fields have never been this sublime. Note the subtle texture of the artists' brush strokes, the stability and sharpness of the lineart, and the tiny, endearing imperfections in the hand-drawn frames. Significant artifacting, banding, aliasing and other distracting digital anomalies don't invade the presentation, print specks are few and far between, and the handful of soft shots that appear are only an issue insofar as the original source is concerned. Simply put, Disney's meticulous restoration and gorgeous Blu-ray transfer are extraordinary.

Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Alice in Wonderland's modest DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track couldn't possibly rival a lossless mix from a more recent film, but as sixty-year old animated classics go, it sounds fantastic. Voices are bright and intelligible, every crash, skitter and wheen is spry and sprightly, and Oliver Wallace's playful music flowers and blooms throughout the soundfield. The rear speakers aren't dominant, but they are assertive, making the most of what was once a much flatter experience without disrespecting the tone and tenor of the original sound design. Likewise, the LFE channel is prominent, not combative, conveying weight and presence without undermining the levity and vitality of Alice's adventure. The results are rarely front-heavy and, far more often than not, faithful, polished and precise. Again, comparing the lossless track for Disney's Wonderland to Pixar's latest 21st Century outing would be an outright waste of time. Purists and audiophiles with proper expectations will be delighted with the love and care the studio has afforded yet another of its animated milestones.

Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of Alice in Wonderland isn't as inexhaustible as I hoped, but its special features -- anchored by an exceptional Picture-in-Picture track -- represent another strong supplemental showing from Disney. The only downside? While all of the original DVD content is included, most of it is still presented in standard definition.

• Through the Keyhole: A Companion's Guide to Wonderland (HD, 76 minutes): Original voice actor Kathryn Beaumont introduces this extensive, well-conceived, content-packed Picture-in-Picture experience featuring interviews with Lewis Carroll experts and Disney historians, a biography of Carroll's life and inspirations, a look at Walt Disney's drive to make the film, rare archive footage and photographs, analysis of Carroll's story and Disney's adaptation, and much, much more. Don't pass this one by.
• Reflections on Alice (SD, 13 minutes): An original DVD mini-doc that explores the genesis of Alice and Wonderland, the challenges Disney and his animators faced, and a succinct overview of the adaptation and production.
• Operation Wonderland (HD, 11 minutes): This 1950s "camera visit behind the scenes" (as it's called at the outset) takes viewers into the animators' studio to learn about Alice's development.
• Deleted Materials (SD, 21 minutes): Treat yourself to a "Pig and Pepper" deleted scene, a featurette detailing a song that was transplanted to Peter Pan, a storyboard presentation of a second abandoned scene, and six original song demos.
• Newly Discovered Cheshire Cat Song (SD, 4 minutes): "Newly Discovered" isn't exactly accurate (this deleted Alice song first appeared on Disney's previously released DVD edition), but fans and completists will appreciate its inclusion here.
• Walt Disney Introductions (HD/SD, 4 minutes): Three Walt Disney television intros are included: the first from 1954, the second from 1964 and the third, a never-before-seen color introduction (presented in high definition no less), from 1959.
• Reference Footage: Alice and the Doorknob (HD, 2 minutes): Available with optional Beaumont commentary, this is a brief glimpse at the kind of live-action footage the Disney animators used for reference during the film's production.
• Pencil Test: Alice Shrinks (HD, 1 minute): Beaumont also introduces this all-too-short pencil test.
• Thru the Mirror (HD, 9 minutes): A remastered 1936 animated short starring Mickey Mouse.
• An Alice Comedy: Alice's Wonderland (SD, 8 minutes): "Little Alice, chuck full of curiosity, pays her first visit to a cartoon studio" in this 1923 silent short film.
• One Hour in Wonderland (SD, 59 minutes): "The Coca-Cola Company and Your Coca-Cola Bottler bring you Holiday Greetings" in this 1950 television special with Disney, Beaumont and other notable faces (including a terrifying ventriloquist dummy I'm still trying to scrub from my memory).
• Fred Waring Show Excerpt (SD, 31 minutes): A Wonderland-centric excerpt from "The Fred Waring Show."
• Original Theatrical Trailers (SD, 4 minutes): The film's original 1951 trailer and 1974 re-release trailer.
• Art Gallery (HD): An interactive art gallery as vast and untamed as Wonderland itself.
• Painting the Roses Red (HD): An interactive game in which kids can paint the roses in the Queen's garden.
• Disney View (HD): You can also fill the black bars on either side of the screen with Michael Humphries art.
• Trailer Navigation (HD): Disney has added a helpful menu to their releases that appears when you access a disc. Hop from preview to preview, head straight to the main menu, or perform a number of other tasks. It's an intuitive addition that makes navigating the trailers (or skipping them altogether) a cinch.

Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alice in Wonderland may fail as an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's original tale, but it amuses and entertains on its own merits. Walt Disney wasn't interested in appeasing literary critics or making a statement. He was aiming to make a beautifully animated, suitably nonsensical family friendly romp and, in that regard, he succeeded (and then some). But while dear Uncle Walt's film will continue to divide audiences for as long as Alice continues to divide kingdoms, Disney's 60th Anniversary Blu-ray release will not. Born on the back of a truly wondrous restoration, the Blu-ray edition of Alice in Wonderland boasts a spectacular top-tier catalog transfer, a wholly satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio track and a generous assortment of special features, old and new. I would be shocked if anyone came away disappointed.