Alice in Wonderland (1985)
A Review of 1985s Musical of Lewis Carroll's Classic Tale
A live-action TV movie adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale, Alice in Wonderland! 9/10
This made for TV movie version of Lewis Carroll's classic tale is a two-part movie, which gives us two Alice stories rather than just one. The first half is of the story, "Alice in Wonderland." The second half is of the story of "Through the Looking Glass."
In "Alice in Wonderland," we follow the young girl, Alice, as she follows a white rabbit down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, where she can change sizes by eating and drinking cakes & potions and eccentric animals that can talk. She meets the Queen of Hearts, who finds Alice insubordinate and wants off with her head. Alice escapes the Queen to find that she is now on the on the wrong side of the looking glass (mirror).
This brings us to "Through the Looking Glass," in which Alice must travel to Looking Glass Land where everything is a reflection of her own world. Whereas in the first half had a playing card theme, this half has a chess theme. Alice must also overcome her fears to defeat a monster created by her own imagination, the Jabberwocky.
Both halves represent one young girl's journey to grow up and overcome her fears.
This 1985 two-part movie is probably one of the best adaptations of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." It is faithful to his original stories, while adding a musical element, not unlike that of 1939's "Wizard of Oz." There are dozens of musical dance numbers, but they do not overpower the story and dialog.
The story, like the Lewis Carroll stories, creates the wonderful and fantastic worlds of Wonderland and Looking Glass Land. It is a great coming of age tale in the guise of a fun journey for one little girl.
The cast is simply phenomenal. It is a virtual who's who of celebrity all-stars, of which many have passed on. Here is just a brief list of some of the biggest names. Sheila Allen (Alice's Mother), Red Buttons (The White Rabbit), Sherman Hemsley (Mouse), Shelley Winters (The Dodo Bird), Scott Baio (Pat - The Pig), Sammy Davis Jr. (The Caterpillar/Father William), Telly Savalas (The Cheshire Cat), Roddy McDowall (The March Hare), Jayne Meadows (The Queen of Hearts), Sid Caesar (The Gryphon), Ringo Starr (The Mock Turtle), Steve Allen (Gentleman in the Paper Suit), Ernest Borgnine (Lion), Beau Bridges (Unicorn), Lloyd Bridges (White Knight), Carol Channing (White Queen), Patrick Duffy (Goat), Merv Griffin (Conductor), Ann Jillian (Red Queen), Karl Malden (Walrus), Donna Mills (The Rose), Pat Morita (Horse), John Stamos (Messenger), Sally Struthers (Tiger Lily), and Jonathan Winters (Humpty Dumpty). Everyone does a terrific performance.
It is interesting to see some celebrities singing and dancing who do not usually do that type of role. One actor that stands out with a surprisingly good performance is Telly Savalas as The Cheshire Cat. He turns out one of the best performances of the movie.
Alice is played by Natalie Gregory, who was only ten years old at the time of the movie's TV debut. She does a spectacular job for being so young. She sings well and dances too! She can almost keep up with Sammy Davis Jr.'s dancing, almost. Heather O'Rourke, of Poltergeist fame, was offered the part of Alice, but she turned it down. It seems that Gregory left the acting scene in 1990 to pursue a degree in physics.
The music, songs, and dances are all professionally choreographed.
The sets are lavishly and colorfully done. The costumes are a bit cheesy because you can see the people beneath the costumes. But it is a fantasy movie, so it is to be expected. The Jabberwocky is extra cheesy as well.
A few scenes are a bit creepy, especially if you are a small child. There is the loneliness of Alice trapped in a bizarre world. The Jabberwocky is creepy because it is inside a castle and the lights go out. The baby that turns into a piglet is weird. And Carol Channing's performance as the White Queen is scary on its own!
"Alice in Wonderland" is an almost perfect adaptation of this classic story. If you must see one adaptation, check this one out!
