Alice in Wonderland, As Bound & Gagged by Disney

If you didn't realize that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was my most anticipated movie of 2010, then you don't read TMMC enough.  As an avid Burton junkie, you can bet I was in the theater as early as possible to get a seat front and center; top hat, frilled collar and all.  Setting up a full fledged tea party in the middle of a dark theater just became too much of a logistical nightmare, so I was forced to leave my teapot at home.  Making sure to sit as far away as possible to the nearest child under 10, I was ready and beyond excited - no runny nosed half pint was going to ruin this one for me, that's for damn sure.

Why was I so excited?  Lewis Carroll's story just lends itself to Burton's creativity - it's a match made in movie heaven, where Will Ferrell is still funny and Cameron Diaz works in retail.  How could you not be curious to see what the master of the macabre does with a world where all its inhabitants are on LSD?  AiW follows Burton's latest remake trend and brings him back to the House of Mouse where he got his start.

I always find it ironic when Burton teams up with Disney, considering he was not the happieset animator during his time there.  This I learned at his current exhibit at the MoMA in NYC.  With personal sketches of the big D machine eating up creative monsters and spewing out sugar cookie cutter characters, it was not hard to see how he felt about his former controlling employer.  To think, what would Aladdin have been with Burton behind the pencil - that monkey would've been rabid and Aladdin would've been a member of the undead.  Regardless, both embrace the absurd and fantastical with fresh and colorful creativity that I love.

In all, AiW didn't exceed my expectations, but it satisfied me thoroughly.  Do you have a favorite dish that your grandma used to make?  Has your mother evert tried to make it using the same recipe, but it's still just not the same?  It tastes great and you're totally happy, but there's just something missing (sorry Ma, you'll get there!).  That's a bit how I felt about AiW.  It was a good, solid Burton movie that I'll watch again for sure, but there was just something missing from what you expect from him.

I think all the elements where there - solid enough writing, great casting, rich art direction, and costumes and make-up saturated in color and pop.  If it was a dessert, it would be th emost decadent on the menu, begging you to shove your face into it (hmmm, another food reference, I must be hungry).

It's everything you anticipate it to be, but it's got the Disney seal of approval all over it, keeping Burton in-check and sometimes restrained.  The characters are deeper and more textured than the original story, which I liked, but they lack the real sinister or dark elements that you long for with Burton.  It's so child appropriate that it's a bit disappointing.  What about giving the Red Queen a fetish with heads?  Or giving the Mad Hatter schizophrenic and psychopathic tendencies?  Where was the edge?  Where was the inappropriate adult humor?  Where was the absurd upsidedown zaniness of Wonderland?  It was definitely good, but way too tame considering all the available resources.  This can particularly be said when you have the talent of Depp and Bonham Carter at your finger tips.

One striking problem with Depp was, unfortunately his accent (think of an effeminate Shrek).  Add in the maddening riddles and it leads to several moments of, "did anyone catch that!!??"  By the end of the movie, that will piss you off.  Meanwhile, Bonham Carter is too perfect for the Red Queen and Mia Waikowska as Alice is someone I hope we see more of in the future.

I have to give credit to Burton for staying true to the heart of the original while re-inventing a classic.  Several points just make you smile.  He also did a great job at sticking to one storyline and following it through to the end.  Burton tends to be exceptional at this.  Instead of weaving a tangled web of subplot and storylines, he picks a main theme and does a great job at fleshing it out with his characters.  Sure, it's simple and at transparent at times, particularly for a world that's supposed to be topsy turvey, but sometimes I'd rather that than seven underdeveloped, unsatisfying stories competing for attention.  That's a TMMC pet peeve.

And let me give a quick shout out to Danny Elfman for giving AiW a great score and theme song for Alice.  Totally appropriate and textured, it really adds to the movie and sticks with the standard Burton style.

Unlike action thrillers, Alice in Wonderland doesn't benefit greatly from being viewed in 3-D.  It doesn't go for cheap 3-D tricks or take great advantage of the medium, but it does add another layer in being a visitor to the macabre world.  There is something to be said for feeling like you're right there with Alice on her adventure.  My only problem with the relatively new medium since it hit the mainstream is it seemes to mute colors.  In a Tim Burton movie, color plays a significant role and so it was sometimes disappointing to feel like you were missing out.  I'd like to see it in 2-D now, to be honest, and compare.  Oh, and it's not Avatar, so don't even start with comparisons.  Damn blue rodents - someone call an exterminator already!

All in all, go see Alice in her glory.  It's not Burton's finest, but it's an enjoyable and endearing ride worth a reunion of some great classic characters.  It may not be doing well with critics, but it is gaining traction with audiences.  Alice's return to Wonderland is wonderfully fun, even with a Disney muzzle on it.  So take a bite out of the sweet labled eat me, go through the looking glass and DO A MATINEE!