Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland was written in 1865 and has
since then been brought further into our public consciousness with countless adaptations
and reimagining. It tells the story of Alice who gets bored listening to her
sister read a book "without pictures or conversations" and falls
asleep. She then dreams of a fantastical world called Wonderland where animals
talk and a crazy queen beheads everyone in sight. The book is over the top
whimsical and crazy, but is still a fun read however you enjoy it.
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
This is the first adaptation of this novel by
Disney. It follows the book far more closely than Disney's later version and
ends with Alice finding out that she dreamt everything. The movie has lots of
wonderful songs (like 90% of all Disney films) and it is fun to watch how Alice
foils her enemies.
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
This is the first in a trilogy telling the
"true" story of Wonderland. In this version of the tale young Alyss
Heart, the princess of Wonderland, must flee her homeland to earth when her
Aunt Redd takes over the throne killing Alyss' parents. She ends up on earth
where she is adopted by the Lindell family and meets Lewis Carroll. When she
attempts to tell Lewis Carroll her real story he writes the fantastical tale
that we all know. Alyss eventually returns to Wonderland and regains her throne
from her tyrannical aunt. The book was fun and was an interesting take on the original
story.
Alice in Wonderland (1999)
This adaptation is from Hallmark. In this version
Alice is also dreaming, but runs away when her parents want her to sing in
front of their guests. The people of Wonderland then proceed to help Alice
overcome her stage fright so that she can perform in front of the guests when
she returns. It is interesting that all the characters she encounters in
Wonderland are actual guests at her mother's party. Besides the original Disney
version, this is one of my favorite adaptations of Wonderland.
Splintered by AG Howard
In this version, Alice was a real person that really
fell into Wonderland. This is the story of her descendent Alyssa who learns
that not only is Wonderland all too real but that she is the only one that can
save both it and the modern world from Queen Red who wants to take over once
again. This Wonderland is a far more darker place than the lighter fare we have
encountered before and is really more akin to a warped version of Faerie
instead. Although the characters themselves could get a little annoying, the
book was almost worth the read to see how Howard interpreted Wonderland.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
It's Tim Burton. Need I say more? In this version
Alice really did go to Wonderland and now as an adult she needs to return and
defeat the evil Jaberwocky with the fabled Vorpal Sword. The movie was weird,
but so is the book really. I didn't really like the parts when Alice was on
earth and enjoyed it once she got to Wonderland. Perhaps not my favorite
version of the tale, but worth the watch anyway.
Adventures in Wonderland (1992-1994)
This was a TV show on the Disney channel when I was
a kid. I only got to watch it when the Disney channel would have its special
promotions on the regular channels. In this version, a modern day Alice would
enter Wonderland through her looking glass and have adventures. I always loved
this show and felt that it was a good adaptation.
Alice (2009)
Again a modern adaptations where Alice has to go and
save Wonderland, and consequently her long missing father from the Queen of
Hearts who is harvesting the emotions of humans at her casino as a sort of
potent drug for the Wonderland citizens. It is an interesting version of the
story and I did enjoy it although Alice did seem to whine a lot.
White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane
A song that is all about drugs and Wonderland. It
depends on my mood whether or not I like this song. I do like the Alice
references though. This one has video from Disney's.
