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| Alice In Wonderland DVD Review |
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Order this DVD from Amazon.com
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Alice In Wonderland
(Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
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| DVD Release Date:
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January 27, 2004
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| Length:
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75 mins.
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| Rated:
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G
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| Format:
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Full Screen (1.33:1)
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| Audio:
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Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Original Theatrical Soundtrack (Mono), French, Spanish
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| Subtitles:
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Closed Captioned
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| Extras:
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Newly Discovered Cheshire Cat Song "I'm Odd", Virtual Wonderland Party, Adventures in Wonderland Set-Top Game, Sing Along Songs, Original Mickey Mouse Short "Thru The Mirror" and more...
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I'm always amazed at how few Disney
animated features I've never seen. Most I've seen in the last few
years have only been because of this site - or because we got them for
our kids. I must have spent too much time playing outside. Some of the
few on the list were Snow White. Cinderella. Sleeping Beauty. Alice in
Wonderland is the latest to be taken off the list - but just barely.
Alice in Wonderland is an amalgamation of Lewis Carroll's
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the
Looking Glass". I haven't read either. Maybe if I had, I would
have a different appreciation for the film but I haven't, and this
movie has done nothing to make me want to. This movie made me sleepy.
I started watching it on six different occasions where each time I
fell asleep at different parts throughout. And, in all honesty, I
wasn't even sleepy to begin with - which leads me to the conclusion
that this movie was a bore. The story follows a series of adventures
(or misadventures) joined together by Alice following a white rabbit.
I couldn't really follow what was going on half the time - and I
really couldn't have been bothered.
Alice in Wonderland is now available in 2-Disc Set full of features.
On the first disc is the feature presentation (sans commentary)
presented in either the original theatrical mono track or in newly
restored 5.1 Dolby Digital. In addition, you'll find a Virtual
Wonderland Party, a couple of sing-along songs, a set top game (that I
couldn't finish) and a newly discovered song by the Cheshire Cat
(titled "I'm Odd"). The real gem on the first disc is a
Mickey Mouse animated short titled "Thru The Mirror". This
short was so much more interesting than the actual feature film - and
shows Walt Disney's early fascination with the "Alice In
Wonderland" theme that is explored more on Disc Two.
On Disc Two, we get mostly historical footage from the creation and
release of Alice in Wonderland. First, there is a feature titled
"One Hour In Wonderland" which was Walt Disney's fist
television show. Aired in 1950, the show is hosted by Walt and the
voice of Alice, Kathryn Beaumont. There are several guest appearances
here, including the Magic Mirror from Snow White, Edward Bergen
(Murphy Brown's father) and a couple of dummies - literally. This is a
great addition, simply for the historical value. I love old footage of
Walt Disney. He was such a charismatic character, and the world isn't
the same without him. A couple of things to note about this feature -
I loved the opening Coca-Cola commercial. Also, it was funny to see
the ventriloquist dummy hitting on Kathryn Beaumont. Nowadays, a
puppet couldn't get away with that without being accused of sexual
harassment. The 1950s - they were such a simple time - although I
wouldn't know, because I wasn't there.
Next, there's a feature titled "An Alice Comedy: 'Alice's
Wonderland'", which is a pilot film by Walt Disney from 1923.
Again, this is great for the historical value. It's also fun to see
Disney's interest in Alice at such an early time - that he carried
that with him and brought it to the big screen when he hit it big so
many years later.
There is also a feature titled "Operation Wonderland" which
is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. It's funny when
you think that they went to lengths to create these featurettes before
the advent of DVD, where they are now commonplace - and that these
featurettes are ten times more entertaining than 95% of the
featurettes made today.
Next, there's an excerpt from "The Fred Waring Show" which
aired in 1951 where they play some of the tunes made famous in
"Alice in Wonderland". It should be noted that Alice is
Disney's most musical feature, with 14 original songs created for the
film. There were more songs actually created, but only 14 made the
final cut. I mention this because it figures into the next feature -
some deleted materials. The first is "From Wonderland to
Neverland" which details how one of the songs that didn't make
Alice was kept to the same tune, but reworded and reused in Disney's
"Peter Pan". The other deleted materials include some
storyboard concepts and some song demos.
Other features on Disc Two include theatrical trailers from the
original 1951 release and the 1974 re-release, television
introductions of the movie by Walt Disney from 1954 and 1964 and an
art gallery featuring some early concept art and some poster art for
the film.
There are still so many Disney animated features out there that I
haven't seen - some I'm too embarrassed to admit. This one, however, I
could have done without. Maybe in a little time, when the kids are a
bit older, I'll give it another try. Or maybe next time I'm battling
insomnia.
| The Movie: |
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4/10 |
| The Extras: |
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7/10 |
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What did you think?
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Liam Cullin - Editor
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