Alice in Wonderland (TV 1999)

The wizards behind "Merlin" and "The Odyssey" combine Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" into a three-hour special that just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Director:

Nick Willing

Writers:

Lewis Carroll (novel), Peter Barnes (teleplay)

Stars:

Robbie Coltrane, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Kingsley

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robbie Coltrane	...	Ned Tweedledum
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Cheshire Cat
Ben Kingsley	...	Major Caterpillar
Christopher Lloyd	...	White Knight
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Carpenter
Miranda Richardson	...	Queen of Hearts / Society Woman
Martin Short	...	Mad Hatter / Chinless Idiot
Peter Ustinov	...	Walrus
George Wendt	...	Fred Tweedledee
Gene Wilder	...	Mock Turtle
Tina Majorino	...	Alice
Ken Dodd	...	Mr. Mouse
Jason Flemyng	...	Sir Jack, the Knave of Hearts / Cad
Sheila Hancock	...	Cook
Simon Russell Beale	...	King Cedric of Hearts / Society Man

Storyline

Alice follows a white rabbit down a rabbit-hole into a whimsical Wonderland, where she meets characters like the delightful Cheshire Cat, the clumsy White Knight, a rude caterpillar, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts and can grow ten feet tall or shrink to three inches. But will she ever be able to return home?

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Plot Keywords:

rabbit | cheshire cat | white rabbit | cat | cards | 

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Taglines:

A Masterpiece of Imagination. . .

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alice au pays des merveilles

Filming Locations:

Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Babelsberg International Film Produktion, Hallmark Entertainment, NBC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 65 min (2 episodes) 129 min (VHS) 131 min (TV) (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Executioner in the film is, appropriately for a card-based character, the ace of spades.

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Goofs

The Mad Hatter knows Alice's name without being told what it is. This may have been deliberately included to suggest that he is part of Alice's subconscious.

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Quotes

Mad Hatter: [singing] Auntie's wooden leg...
March Hare: I say, I say, I say...
Mad Hatter: How dare you interrupt my song with "I say, I say, I say!"
March Hare: I say, I say, I say in this world it's now what you know but WHOM you know!
Mad Hatter: I don't know either one of them!

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #28.9 (2002)

User Reviews

Extremely clever

As you watch the beginning of "Alice in Wonderland", pay close attention to the guests at the tea party. You might notice Martin Short and his companion, a man placing two buns atop his head as if he were, say, a March Hare. Notice also the man flirting with the woman at the end-you could almost call him a scurvy Knave. But enough with the plays on words. This version of "Alice in Wonderland" was exceedingly well done. From the moment Alice falls down the rabbit hole to the moment she catches the apple, we are spellbound by the fantasy the film has woven for us. Part of its appeal is its satirical notions. Consider the "caucus race", where everyone is cheating. Cynics of politics might agree with this. There is also the trial at the end, where the evidence is as insubstantial as a house of cards. One needs to watch the film or read the novel many times to pick up all of the references!

I enjoyed watching Alice's transformation from stage fright child to confident young girl. It was a continuing thread that helped the story attain a greater level of continuity. Yet the most entertaining portions of the film were those with Martin Short, Miranda Richardson, and Gene Wilder, to name a few. They held nothing back, which magnified the absurdities of their characters to the nth degree. Lastly, the featuring of the tea party at the beginning of the film and the end helped tie it together. A well done film.