“Have you ever wondered what Tim Burton would do with one of your favorite childhood films?” This has got to be the question studio executives have been asking themselves lately… or at least it would seem like it. After previously not enjoying Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I was extremely skeptical upon hearing the news of Burton’s latest adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s much-loved novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But you know something? This film taught me a valuable lesson! Sure, I wish Tim Burton would spend more time making more original work and of course I’d love to see him delve into more dark subject matter like 2007′s Sweeney Todd. But the bottom line is, you have to give a film a chance before trying to guess your reaction to it and Alice in Wonderland, folks, is a great film!

The film begins ten years after the story that was made most famously on the big screen by Disney in their 1951 animated adaptation. Now, Alice is a nineteen year old girl not always so sure of herself and what she wants to do with her life. She is always being brought to that “dream” she had as a little girl, filled with all the magnificent and bizarre creatures and journeys she was taken to down the rabbit-hole. Before you know it, Alice begins seeing the real White Rabbit from her dreams and follows him to Wonderland once more.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The first inclination as to how beautifully made and well crafted this film was, was when I first noticed the opening scenes outdoors with Alice. It reminded me of the sequence in Sweeney Todd to the song “Down By the Sea”, sung by Helena Bohnam Carter (who plays the Red Queen in this film). The cast looks completely pale and gothic like in comparison to the saturated coloring of the rest of the world around them. Alice is almost in a dreamlike world as it is, somewhere between ordinary life as we know it and the “wonderland” we will be shown in due time. It’s amazing how early Burton’s team gets the audience sucked into universe he’s so carefully crafted in his head.

So Alice ends up down the rabbit-hole, finds herself back in Wonderland and rediscovers all the creatures she encountered in what she believed to be only in her dreams. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than seeing the blue caterpillar voiced by Alan Rickman or Anne Hathaway as the White Queen (the Red Queens beautiful sister and basic antithesis to the villain). It seems like with every step Alice takes we are introduced to a new Burton regular having a great time playing up the fantasy element of their classic characters.

And let’s not forget Mia Wasikowska. When you are a nineteen year old, up and coming, actress who

has been cast along-side the likes of this bunch and the top lining Johnny Depp, you really have to be nervous about your performance being the weak link. But no, she plays the almost-adult Alice with such grace and wonderment and just enough relatable personality that we go along the ride with her and feel comfortable letting her be our guide.

The Mad Hatter is the perfect role for Johnny Depp. Depp always becomes his roles fully, through and through until the job is done. If you watch the Disney film, you would not expect this character to have such a connection to Alice as he does in this. It reminded me most of the relationship between Dorothy and the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Both characters are bizarre in their own little ways and end up on a dark and strange trip. But both possess big hearts and by the end of the film are developed to the point of feeling like characters we hope will succeed. I cannot imagine any other actor who could have made the Mad Hatter more fun and crazy to look at while still making the character under the disguise so beloved.

Now to the Bluray! Yes, I have seen other films on Bluray and I must say as an owner of a regular DVD player that Bluray is the way to go. Every crisp detail and drop of color makes the screen look like a canvas that Burton’s effects team would be proud of having you watch on your home television. Take one scene for instance where Alice is shrunk to a smaller size and lies on the Mad Hatter’s hat. The two characters share a dialogue as the Mad Hatter leads them down a trail in the woods to the White Queen. The light from the sun hits through the trees as the leaves rustle around and all the colors are so fantastical and bright, it is like watching a whole new world, much like the experience of watching Avatar on Bluray. The resolution is unsurpassed by any other form of DVD and for a fantasy film that was originally shown in 3D to a mass audience; Bluray is definitely the way to go. I cannot even tell you the disappointment I felt watching Avatar in 3D and then watching it again on a regular DVD on a small screen. Do yourself a favor and convert up.

The Special Features include two “making of” featurettes that can be accessed during the film. The first is “Wonderland Characters” which is a breaking down of each main character and how they were developed and casted. The second is “Making Wonderland”, which will take you into how the stunts, scoring, dance sequences, and effects were made. These features are a must watch for any fan. So many questions can be answered about

how the production went. Have you ever wondered how they got Alice to be so many sizes in the film? Do you want to see why Johnny Depp wanted the Mad Hatter’s hair orange? Would you like to see all the wirework from the film? Then you’ve got it right here! Plus, check out Danny Elfman scoring the Alice in Wonderland theme. Listening to him become inspired and making music for the film with a mass orchestra is always a delight.

Overall, Alice in Wonderland is a film children are sure to love and even though I am nowhere near a fan of C.G.I., I appreciated the look of the film as art. My only gripe is that the end sequence with the computerized dragon, known as the Jaborwacky, did nothing for me because I felt no real peril having it being just a computer image. The entire film leads up to the Jaborwacky’s entrance and it fell kind of flat for me. But I’m sure kids who have grown up with C.G.I. as their main source for film effects will feel the suspense. And also, the special features could have used an audio commentary but I’ll overlook that because the other features were quite entertaining.

My hope is that this film will dazzle a new generation into checking out Tim Burton’s previous films. Bottom line…”Alice” is a Wonderland on Bluray!