How Alice in Wonderland Movie Retellings Got So Dark (2023)

Many people remember Lewis CarrollsAlice in Wonderlandas a children's story about a girl who embarks on an adventure in a strange and fantastic land.Walt Disney animated film,Alice in WonderlandShe manages to give the story a colorful and childlike charm.same iconic animation processandCinderellaYSnow White and the Seven Dwarves. Disney's decision to filmAlice in Wonderlandin one ofhis very popular moviesit made Carroll's stories much more visible and established the Alice stories as classic children's fairy tales. However,Alice in WonderlandIt wasn't always entirely childish and magical - fans of the books and movies have given the story a darker spin in recent years, and this has even been incorporated into major Hollywood video games and movies. While it could be argued that this is fairresult of fan theories, it cannot be denied that the originalAlice in WonderlandYcloser lookThe books have dark undertones.

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Alice in WonderlandYcloser lookboth have a strong focus on surrealism and dreams. This is because Alice is dreaming during the events of the two books. Both stories are not particularly plot-heavy for this reason, and it has been argued that the point ofAlice in WonderlandYcloser lookIt's that they shouldn't make sense. This is mainly due to Alice's aforementioned dreams during the events of both stories, but also because Lewis Carroll originally wroteAlice in Wonderlandfor a family friend's child, so the stories are likely to focus on interesting aspects of Wonderland rather than a complex plot, since they were originally written for young children.

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Disney's Alice in Wonderland Has Dark Undertones

How Alice in Wonderland Movie Retellings Got So Dark (1)

Alice in Wonderlandit remains fairly faithful to the source material, as it focuses on Alice's interactions with the various inhabitants of Wonderland and does not assign an overarching plot to the film. It's arguably a lot easier to focus on the movie adaptation of the book thanAlice in Wonderlandit provides visual representations of concepts that Carroll could only describe in words in his original stories. But that also makes it easier for the audience to see just how dark some scenes in the books really are.

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Many fans remember the courtroom scene and the Queen of Hearts chasing Alice to the small door at the end of the rabbit hole as some of the scariest moments in the movie. Also, the scenes where Alice cries so much that her tears flood a room and the story behind the walrus and the carpenter's song are pretty dark for a children's movie. While these older viewers may not stand out, they definitely have an impact on younger viewers.

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American McGee's Alice Marked The Story's First Dark Retelling

How Alice in Wonderland Movie Retellings Got So Dark (2)

The first truly dark version of the screen ofAlice in Wonderlandwar in American McGees 2000-Spiel,Alice de American McGee.Alice de American McGeeshows Alice as an inmate in a Victorian asylum and combines her experiences in Wonderland with childhood delusions and traumas. McGee was previously known for his work onsinking II, What didAlice de American McGeepopular enough to garner a respectful cult following. McGee himself went through a traumatic childhood, as he mentioned in an interview with 2000cabling.

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in conversation withscreen saverssaid mcgeeAlice de American McGeeit depicts the title character's journey back to sanity, even implying that Alice is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The story McGee created for Alice got even darker in 2011 with the release ofAlice's madness returns, with improved graphics and bloodier battle scenes. By attributing psychological arguments to the existence of Wonderland, McGee opened the door to darker versions of classic children's books.

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Syfy's Alice Paved the Way for Tim Burton's Remake

How Alice in Wonderland Movie Retellings Got So Dark (3)

It's easy to imagine Tim Burton's live actionAlice in WonderlandThe movies arrive right after the release ofAlice de American McGee, but the next dark count ofAlice in Wonderlandit actually came in the form of a Syfy miniseries. syfysAliciaStarring Caterina Scorsone as Alice, Tim Curry as Dodo and Andrew Lee-Potts as the Mad Hatter, or simply "Hatter" in this case. syfysAliciais about a contemporary young woman who finds herself in a foreign land where emotions are sold as drug-like substances and is forced into a political battle between the Queen of Hearts and her son Jack.Aliciacontains darker elements that resemble the features ofAlice de American McGee, such as the CGI Jabberwock attacking Alice and Hatter and the interrogation scenes with Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

(Video) ALICE IN WONDERLAND DECODED

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland adaptations were a resounding flop

How Alice in Wonderland Movie Retellings Got So Dark (4)

Tim Burtons Live-Action-Adaptation ofAlice in Wonderlandwas released a year later in 2010. With Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Burton's adaptation of the Lewis Carroll books and subsequent Disney animated film were expected to work. good. With previous dark movies likethe nightmare before christmasYcorpse Brideunder his belt,Alice in WonderlandIt seemed like the perfect story for Burton.

Sin embargo, BurtonAlice in WonderlandThe adjustments failed to convince the fans. They completely deviated from the original stories, to the point where they felt boring by comparison. Wasikowska was also accused of acting stiff in the role of Alice, who had previously been one of them.The most active Disney heroines. The decision to center the story on a political battle between the Red Queen and the White Queen also brought a sense of order to Wonderland when it came down to it.Alice in Wonderlandis that Wonderland has no order.

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tim burtonAlice in WonderlandCinema and SyfysAliciaBoth miniseries have not stood the test of time. That's because they strip Wonderland of her core values: her no-nonsense nature. In trying to bring some kind of order to a world that thrives on disorder, BurtonsAlice in Wonderlandy SyfysAliciaboth did not understand the original concept ofAlice in WonderlandYcloser look.

Alice de American McGeeYAlice's madness returnsmay be the only two dark adaptations ofAlice in Wonderlandwho have managed to stay true to the original concept of Carroll's stories while providing the audience with an interesting narrative. with a third gameAlice: Asylum, work in progress, fans ofAlice in Wonderlandand American McGee's previous work has diligently kept up with the game's progress since its announcement in 2021.

carrollsAlice in WonderlandYcloser lookBoth have plenty of creepy moments and surrealism that make it easy.adapt the stories in a darker light. However, the nonsensical nature of Wonderland makes it extremely difficult for directors and writers to make new adaptations of Carroll's books, often resulting in darker adaptations that disappoint fans. Wonderland itself is a mystery, and it is often best to leave Carroll's original writing to interpretation rather than attempt to attach any meaning to it. McGee's interpretation of Wonderland as a coping mechanism works because mental illness and trauma processing don't always make sense. However, political stories set inAlice's Adventures in Wonderlandit strips the story of its original meaning, as seen in the Tim Burton and Syfy adaptations.

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FAQs

What is the dark story behind Alice in Wonderland? ›

Carroll was also known as a keen photographer and he took photos of nude and semi-nude children - including a full-frontal nude shot of Alice's sister Lorina. Carroll wrote openly about his penchant for taking photos of young girls.

What is the dark version of Alice in Wonderland? ›

American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns may be the only two dark adaptations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that have managed to stay true to the original concept of Carroll's stories while providing audiences with an interesting narrative.

Should Christians watch Alice in Wonderland? ›

It becomes clear at the end of this story that ALICE IN WONDERLAND is a feminist fable. Along the way, however, there are many strong Christian references, but there is a hint of paganism at one point and scenes of strong violence. ALICE IN WONDERLAND captures your attention until the very end, which is anticlimactic.

What are hidden meanings in Alice in Wonderland movie? ›

The Red Queen's Pig is a Representation of an English King

It is believed that the tale of Alice in Wonderland alludes to the War of the Roses filled with betrayal, scheming, and piles of chopped heads similar to the tale. The baby that transformed into a pig represents Richard III whose sigil was a white boar.

What mental illness does the white rabbit have? ›

zooming at some topics of this novel, we come up to understand that Little Alice suffers from Hallucinations and Personality Disorders, the White Rabbit from General Anxiety Disorder “I'm late”, the Cheshire Cat is schizophrenic, as he disappears and reappears distorting reality around him and subsequently driving ...

Is the Mad Hatter on drugs? ›

The “Mad Hatter” character represents Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), the “Dormouse” represents sleeping pills, and the “King of Hearts” represents heroin.

Why did the R glow in Alice in Wonderland? ›

In the Walrus and the Carpenter sequence, the R in the word "March" on the mother oyster's calendar flashes. This alludes to the old adage about only eating oysters in a month with an R in its name.

Was Wonderland a dream to Alice? ›

In fact, Alice is told in the form of a dream; it is the story of Alice's dream, told in the third person point-of-view. Because Carroll chose a dream as the structure for his story, he was free to make fun of and satirize the multitudes of standard Victorian didactic maxims in children's literature.

Is Alice in Wonderland about trauma? ›

Although Alice's Adventures in Wonderland mirrors the deconstructive process of trauma, the story contains no traumatic event. Yet the listener-teller interactions between Alice and other characters reveal that Alice experiences a breakdown of her sense of self and reality that mirrors the symptoms of trauma.

What does the rabbit represent in Alice and Wonderland? ›

Following the white rabbit means following an unlikely clue and finding yourself in the middle of an extraordinary situation. This situation often challenges your beliefs and changes your life. The White Rabbit is so curious, so strange, that Alice cannot help but to follow him.

Is Alice in Wonderland disturbing? ›

Fast-Paced and Disturbing for Young Viewers

This movie has no real plot except that Alice is almost constantly in mortal danger. Loud and chaotic throughout. Wonderland is confusing and disconcerting to young viewers, and most of the puns/jokes and complex language are geared at adults.

What does the Mad Hatter symbolize? ›

Through the Mad Hatter, Carroll is seen by some observers as critiquing England's mistreatment of its workers and its mentally ill. During the Victorian era, workers in the textile industries were subjected to hazardous conditions, including exposure to lead and mercury.

What's the meaning of Cheshire Cat? ›

phrase. If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely. He had a grin on his face like a Cheshire Cat.

What does the Cheshire Cat represent? ›

The Cheshire Cat is sometimes interpreted as a guiding spirit for Alice, as it is he who directs her toward the March Hare's house and the mad tea party, which eventually leads her to her final destination, the garden.

What is Peter Pan disorder? ›

Summary. Peter Pan Syndrome is a popular psychology term to describe people who find it difficult to grow up. They often have challenges managing adult responsibilities and maintaining adult relationships. Having difficulty with adult responsibilities can affect many people.

What disorder does the Mad Hatter have? ›

Over time, the hatters inhaled mercury vapors. Many developed symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning, including psychosis, excitability, and tremors. These symptoms became so common in hatters that the phrase “mad as a hatter” was born. In the United States, mercury was used in hat making until 1941.

Was Alice in Wonderland written about drugs? ›

Many people have circulated the rumor that Lewis Carroll was on drugs while he wrote "Alice in Wonderland." According to multiple sources, however, he was not. HuffPost News reported: "Carroll's diaries make no mention of drugs.

What does 10 6 mean on Mad Hatter's hat? ›

The 10/6 refers to the cost of a hat — 10 shillings and 6 pence, and later became the date and month to celebrate Mad Hatter Day. The idiom “mad as a hatter” was around long before Carroll started writing.

What is Alice in Wonderland about mental illness? ›

Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by distortions of visual perception, the body image, and the experience of time. People may see things smaller than they are, feel their body alter in size or experience any of the syndrome's numerous other symptoms.

Which pill did Alice take? ›

"You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.

What does the White Rabbit mistake Alice for? ›

Alice's central problem in this chapter is accentuated very suddenly. The White Rabbit mistakes her for his house servant, Mary Ann, and he orders her to fetch a spare pair of gloves and fan at his house.

Why is the Red Queen's head so big in Alice in Wonderland? ›

From the original John Tenniel illustrations of the Duchess, she gets a massive head in proportion to her body and a retinue of frog footmen. The White Queen theorizes that the movie's Red Queen has a tumor pressing against her brain, explaining both her large head and her deranged behaviour.

Why is did the Mad Hatters hair turn white? ›

And when they were exposed to mercury many years it really started affecting them: skin began to pale down, nails began to gain some "yellowish" color, hair started to become fuzzy. Even pupils could become dilated. Hatters' skin was affected by mercury poisoning, but the colors were also mood colors.

Did the dormouse say feed your head? ›

Q: Did the Dormouse actually say “Feed your head”, like they sing in Jefferson Airplane's song “White Rabbit”? A: No, The Dormouse never says that in the book, nor in Disney's movie. Either Jefferson Airplane made it up, or we should interpret the lyrics differently.

Who was the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland based on? ›

Ithink the White Rabbit should wear spectacles. I am sure his voice should quaver, and his knees quiver, and his whole air suggest a total inability to say “Bo” to a goose!” Dean Liddell, Alice's father, might have been an inspiration for the White Rabbit.

What does the Queen of Hearts symbolize in Alice in Wonderland? ›

In a sense, the Queen of Hearts is literally the heart of Alice's conflict. Unlike many of the other characters in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts is not as concerned with nonsense and perversions of logic as she is with absolute rule and execution.

Why does the rabbit call Alice Mary Ann? ›

Mary Ann is the White Rabbit's housemaid. In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, she is not physically present, but the White Rabbit mistakes Alice for her, which may indicate that Alice is similar to her.

Did the White Rabbit love Alice? ›

No, I don't love you” the White Rabbit answered. Alice frowned her forehead and put her hands together as she always did when she felt hurt. “See?” the White rabbit replied, noticing. “Now you'll start wondering what makes you so imperfect and what you did wrong so I can't love you at least a little...

What do Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum represent in Alice in Wonderland? ›

Their names may have originally come from an epigram written by poet John Byrom. The nursery rhyme has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19800. The names have since become synonymous in western popular culture slang for any two people whose appearances and actions are identical.

Who was the Mad Hatter in love with? ›

In the original script, The Hatter kissed Alice twice: At the end of his dance, the Hatter grabs Alice and kisses her passionately. Before she leaves, He abruptly kisses her one last time and whispers "Fairfarren, Alice.".

Why does the Mad Hatter turn Scottish? ›

Depp and Burton decided that the Hatter's clothes, skin, hair, personality and accent would change throughout the film to reflect his emotions. In an interview with Depp, the character was paralleled to "a mood ring, [as] his emotions are very close to the surface".

Is the Mad Hatter good or evil? ›

No, the Mad Hatter is not a villain in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He is an ultimately benign individual, despite his odd behavior. Like Wonderland's other inhabitants, he wishes to go about his day without incurring the wrath of the Queen of Hearts, the temperamental ruler of Wonderland.

Why was the Cheshire Cat always smiling? ›

A possible origin of the phrase is one favoured by the people of Cheshire, a county in England which boasts numerous dairy farms; hence the cats grin because of the abundance of milk and cream.

Why is the Cheshire Cat a villain? ›

The Cheshire Cat is sly, tricky, deceitful, manipulative and mischievous. He does not practice his evil-doings out of ill-intent per say, but rather just to amuse himself. He's vastly unpredictable, treacherous and whimsical, and is always changing between a supportive ally and a devious foe.

What does grinning like a chessy cat mean? ›

(simile) To smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way. quotations ▼ synonym ▲ John ended the set with a beautiful serve, an ace, and could not help grinning like a Cheshire cat. Synonym: smile from ear to ear.

Why did Alice suddenly leave the Hatter and Hare tea Party? ›

He says that the sisters were learning to draw in the well, things beginning with M, like “muchness”. Alice confesses that she has never seen a muchness, to which the Hatter scolds her for talking. This is the last straw. Alice leaves the tea-party and wanders back through the forest.

Does the Cheshire Cat have a name? ›

Chessur is a cheshire cat who possesses the ability to freely appear and disappear. He is always calm, with a seductive grin that masks his slightly cowardice.

Was the Cheshire Cat Blue? ›

The Cheshire Cat Saves The Mad Hatter from execution. He appears as a gray, light blue striped, turquoise-eyed tabby cat residing in a misty and mysterious looking forest called Tulgey Wood.

Is there a horror version of Alice in Wonderland? ›

Alice or the Last Escapade (1977)

This psychological horror casts off any trace of Victorian prudery as Claude Chabrol keeps the feeling of the 70's like a Hammer horror classic. Charbol drifts into expressionism depicted through parallel dimensions with the sets reflecting duality between good and evil.

Is there a Grimm version of Alice in Wonderland? ›

This hardback edition of the grimm fairytale series of alice in wonderland is made up of the 6 comics that made up the series.

Are there two versions of Alice in Wonderland? ›

The film is an adaptation of the books by Lewis Carroll, the 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass, which featured his character Alice. A live-action film directed by Tim Burton was released in 2010. Alice in Wonderland Jr.

Is there a black Alice in Wonderland? ›

There has never been a black Alice, so I wanted to push how fictional fantasy figures can be represented and explore evolving ideas of beauty.”

Is Alice in Wonderland about mental health? ›

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is thus a text that resonates across eras, and speaks to both the progress and stagnation of attitudes towards disability and mental illness.

Is Alice in Wonderland her imagination? ›

Not everything in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' was conjured from Lewis Carroll's imagination. Stubborn, precocious and curious, the character of Alice was based on a real little girl named Alice Liddell, with a brunette bob and short fringe.

What is the darkest Grimm fairy tale? ›

The Robber Bridegroom is one of the Grimm Brothers' darkest tales. It is the tale of the daughter of a miller who is betrothed to a suitor by her father. She has a bad feeling about him and tries to avoid him, even thinking about him makes her shudder.

Is Wonderland a figment of Alice's imagination? ›

Alice's willingness to venture into her own dream means that she herself is similarly fabricated. The Cheshire Cat understands that Wonderland and all of its inhabitants exists as a figment of Alice's dreaming imagination.

Will there be a 3rd Alice in Wonderland? ›

Tim Burton says he has no plans to make another Disney film.

What is the most accurate movie of Alice in Wonderland? ›

The closest in many respects is the 1933 Paramount version. It doesn't dumb down or sentimentalize the work like most versions. Its chief fault is in combining elements of both of the Alice books.

What are the fat twins called in Alice in Wonderland? ›

Tweedledum and Tweedledee are characters in an English nursery rhyme and in Lewis Carroll's 1871 book Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Their names may have originally come from an epigram written by poet John Byrom.

Is Black Alice a hero or villain? ›

Summary. Black Alice is an anti-hero who can temporarily take the magical powers of any being, gaining all their skills and power to protect her hometown of Dayton OH, but leaves the individual powerless in turn.

What are black Alice's powers? ›

Powers and abilities

Black Alice has the ability to temporarily usurp the magical powers of any being, even ones just as powerful, thus gaining all their capabilities and leaving them powerless in turn.

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