Alice in...Underland?

By now most of you have already discovered that Tim Burton's new Alice in Wonderland movie isn't exactly the same as most of the Alice stories you've watched or even read before. I'm able to make that assumption safely since the movie is in fact the fifth highest grossing film of all time only falling short to Avatar, Titanic, Return of the King, and Pirates of the Caribean: At Worlds End. It quickly pulled in over a billion dollars in a fairly short theatrical release. This article is for the few who didn't spend the insane amount of money to go see the smash hit, and don't quite recognize why they very likely should have, if only this once.

Like I mentioned before Tim Burton's vision isn't just a retelling, with so many remakes of the first Alice being introduced all over the world, there would have been no need for just another big screen revamp. Burton's Alice in Wonderland, or Underland as we discover is the real name of the magical land this time around, is in fact a sequel to the Alice story you know and love. Alice is now 19 years old but just like last time she spots a white rabbit in a funny costume, follows him, falls into his hole, and ends up in Underland. There she is greeted by the same cast of characters as last time, who begin to argue over if she is in fact the Alice they encountered all those years ago. If she is, she has a very daunting task before her, because it would be her duty to save Underland! I'm not trying to spoil anything so I'll stop telling plot points there, but the cast is fantastic and the visuals are stunning. Classic imaginary creatures like the Jabberwocky and the Bandersnatch are brought to life by CGI and mesh effortlessly with the live actors. The costumes are sophisticated and colorful but fit each characters personality perfectly and the updated storyline ensures you're not bored from watching the same story you've seen a over and over again.

Few films that are based on previous stories, or are sequels to classic movies live up to the hype given to them. They usually get a ton of publicity and make a lot of money because people think they will be the same caliber as the originals, but they turn out to be duds. However, this movie is a major exception to that trend, it's a memorable movie for kids and adults alike. Lewis Carrol may not agree with all of the Hollywood hooplah that came along with it, but he sure would be proud of Burton for directing such a fantastic sequel to his classic novels.