The Wonderland Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Wonderland Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 10, 2020

The works of Studio Ghibli appear to be a major influence on “The Wonderland,” which is an adaptation of a 1988 book, “Strange Journey from the Basement.” Director Keiichi Hara (“Crayon Shin-chan”) tries to make the material his own, aiming to deliver an epic tale of a fantasy world under siege, with one young girl the key to its survival. Hara certainly focuses on the beauty of the endeavor, overseeing artful, colorful animation, and the visual experience is enough to support a viewing, with the cluttered story tending to get in the way of such big screen exploration.

The tale concerns Akane, a young girl who’s pulled into the wilds of Wonderland, a fantasy world of natural splendor under attack by an industrial foe. The race is on to defeat evil, and “The Wonderland” sticks to the magical realm playbook, serving up odd people and creatures, while the main character experiences a coming-of-age awakening. Those well-versed in the ways of this type of entertainment aren’t going to find many surprises in “The Wonderland,” which plays it relatively safe to remain appealing to the target demographic. Characterization is interesting, meeting all sorts of oddness along the way, but the overall dramatic sweep of the feature isn’t as deep as Hara imagines, resembling many other titles in the marketplace.

The Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with a brightly colored world for "The Wonderland," providing a vivid look at rainbow hues and deep primaries, including some powerfully blue skies. Dark hues are stable during industrial destruction sequences, defining the divide between machine and greenery. Animation detail is secured, offering a clear view of artistic achievements. Delineation is satisfactory. Some very mild banding is periodically detected.

The Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix (available in English and Japanese) delivers an immersive understanding of fantasy realms and heavier threats. Low-end supports machinery movement and intense storms. Surrounds offers defined atmospherics with the wide-open spaces of Wonderland, and community bustle is enjoyed. Scoring also goes circular, handling with sharp instrumentation for orchestral movements. Dialogue exchanges are precise.

The Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (16 pages) includes character designs, an interview with director Keiichi Hara, key animation, art boards, and promotional illustrations.

• Commentary features character designer and concept artist Ilya Kuvshinov.

• Cast Interviews (23:27, HD) appears to be a television program dedicated to promoting the theatrical release of "The Wonderland," offering multiple breaks to show the trailer and commercials. Gathered for the conversation are actors Mayu Matsuoka, Anne, and Masachika Ichimura, and singer Milet. Questions are simple, with each participant shown an old photo of themselves, asked what life-changing experience they've enjoyed, and how they might've turned out without such a critical moment. Character assessments are offered too. A moment from a post-screening appearance is included at the very end.

• "Amazing Adventure in the World of Wonderland" (16:58, HD) is a second promotional special hosted by Mayu Matsuoka, who visits locations used to inspire the animation and spotlights creative efforts from the cast and crew, including director Keiichi Hara and composer Harumi Fuuki. Once again packed with commercials and a trailer, the featurette does offer some BTS footage of music and dialogue recording (interactions between Hara and the cast appear to be staged for the camera, but it's still something). Story and characters are also analyzed.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

The Wonderland Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Animation is where "The Wonderland" excels, with Hara bringing in artist Ilya Kuvshinov to help fill out the incredible visuals found in the film. Different environments are brought to life with big color and exotic design, while the divide between good and evil is comfortably communicated, pitting the elegance and sprawl of nature against smoke-belching machines of destruction. "The Wonderland" ends up a mute-button movie in many ways, as the limp story doesn't satisfy nearly as much as the animation does, but Hara's core desire to whisk the audience away to a magical place is preserved. It's just not profound.