Turn Back the Hands of Time (Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass, 2016)

Alice returns to the magical world of Underland, only to find the Hatter in a horrible state. With the help of her friends, Alice must travel through time to save the Mad Hatter and Underland's fate from the evil clutches of the Red Queen and a clock like creature, known as Time. - IMDb

Story

   The only similarity between this film and the book of the same title is going through the looking glass. It really isn't similar in any way, shape, or form. It's important to remember that the original animated film and the first Burton film were actually a combination of the books Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. You couldn't exactly make the sequel film like the sequel book in this case. This film was made to give backstory to the first one. Why is the Mad Hatter the only Hatter left? Why is the Red Queen's head swollen? Where did the sibling rilvarly between Iracebeth and Mirana come from? It did this very well, and I was very happy with the result.

Visuals

     The film was as visually stunning as the last, maybe even more. It seemed a bit brighter and happier than the last one. This could be because it was mostly set in the past or in the White Queen's palace. I really loved Time's palace as well, which had a darker Steampunk theme.

Acting

     As I said last week in my review of Alice in Wonderland, I really didn't enjoy Mia Wasikowska's performance in the first movie. However, I thought her acting really improved this time. It was not nearly as dry as last time, and when she was supposed to be excited you could actually see she was excited. My favorite FAVORITE character was Time, who was played by Sacha Baron Cohen. He really brought the character to life. The Mad Hatter's father, Zanik Hightopp, was played by Rhys Ifans (Nanny McPhee Returns and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). I enjoyed his performance, but he kind of looked like Mr. Noodle from Elmo's World. (Sorry.)

Final Rating

     This sequel was one of the best sequels I have ever seen. I loved it even more than the original! If you're not a fan of Disney remakes or Burton films, this movie could change your mind. (Also, the movie is dedicated to Alan Rickman. Yes, I did cry.)

Bonus gif:

What is your favorite thing about Alice Through the Looking Glass? 

Continue Reading →

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast (Disney's Alice in Wonderland, 2010)

Alice, an unpretentious and individual 19-year-old, is betrothed to a dunce of an English nobleman. At her engagement party, she escapes the crowd to consider whether to go through with the marriage and falls down a hole in the garden after spotting an unusual rabbit. Arriving in a strange and surreal place called "Underland," she finds herself in a world that resembles the nightmares she had as a child, filled with talking animals, villainous queens and knights, and frumious bandersnatches. Alice realizes that she is there for a reason - - to conquer the horrific Jabberwocky and restore the rightful queen to her throne. - IMDb

Story

     Unfortunately (in my opinion), the movie followed the story of most Alice in Wonderland rewrites I have read.   Alice goes to Wonderland as a little girl, comes back to the real world, forgets everything, and has to come back as a teenager to save Wonderland.   This has happened in almost every Alice in Wonderland spinoff book I've ever read, and I'm a bit tired of reading the same story over and over again.   Fortunately, Tim Burton was able to make the same old story feel fresh and new by using his slightly creepy, insane style.   I think that Burton's style really suited the story.

Visuals

     The visuals were the best of any Burton film I have seen and very impressive in comparison to Disney live-action films.   They brought whimsy to the story, but also made everything feel a bit twisted and wrong.   The CGI characters were very well animated as well.

Acting

     I'll be honest here: I wasn't overly thrilled with Mia Wasikowska's performance as Alice.   I thought she was a bit dry and boring.   I think she could have been a bit more animated.   (That being said, she is much better in the next film.   I'll talk more about that when I review Alice Through the Looking Glass.)   However, the other actors were very good.   Burton's favorites, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, were wonderful as always.   I also really liked the voice of the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor) and the voice of the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman).

Final Rating

     Despite its shortcomings, Alice in Wonderland is a beautiful and creative take on Disney's original vision.   It really set the bar for future Disney remakes.   Alice in Wonderland fans should definitely try this film.

Bonus gif:

What is your favorite thing about Alice in Wonderland?

Continue Reading →

Finding Neverland: J.M. Barrie on Broadway

Source

   Peter Pan is one of my favorite things. If you ask people who know me, they will tell you that this love is real. One of my friends drew Peter Pan for me as a Christmas gift a couple of Christmases ago. What is it about Peter Pan that I love so much?  Perhaps it is his smug smile or his endearing sense of adventure, or maybe it is the depth in J.M. Barrie's original novel. I couldn't tell you. One day I would like to talk all about Peter Pan. In fact, I'm sure I will in the future, but for today I want to talk about Finding Neverland. 

 When I started my series on musical theater through the decades, I hadn't listened to Finding Neverland yet. I don't remember my reasoning since I love the source material so much, but it might have had something to do with being busy with school and wanting time to really enjoy the soundtrack. I did listen to it eventually, but it was too late for me to talk about it in the decade it belonged to. Finding Neverland just made its Broadway appearance last March.

  This story goes beyond the Great White Way, though. Some of you might know that a film version under the same title starring Johnny Depp was released in 2004.

Source

  You, like me, may have thought that this was another adaptation of Peter Pan. When I was young and first borrowed the DVD from the library, I was excited to get another glimpse into the fantasy world of Neverland I was so enthralled with. Boy, was I wrong. The story wasn't about Neverland, and it wasn't even about Peter Pan, not really. In the end, that didn't matter because I fell in love with it anyway.

Source

  Finding Neverland is the story of Scottish writer J.M. Barrie. In a low point in his career, he meets a family who inspire him to pen his most famous work, Peter Pan. It is a super touching story about grief and love and believing in something greater than yourself. 

Source

  Another fun fact: Peter Pan and the Darling boys were based off of children from this family, even down to their names. In the film and the musical, Barrie helps the young Peter come to terms with some tragedies in his life. I think one of my favorite moments is when Peter gets to come to the opening of Barrie's play (a play everyone thinks will fail) and he is absolutely astounded by it. 

Source

  The musical takes the source material and builds its gentle music into a symphony, getting you excited with numbers like "Believe" and "Stronger" and making you melancholy with touching songs such as "Sylvia's Lullaby" and "The Finale." 

  I've listened to all of the music, and I would love to see this show live. It has such a good mix of joyful childhood and the sadness of life. Here is the catchy song "Believe." 

  And before you think you can escape without at least two videos, here is one of my personal favorites that has been filmed. In the number "Stronger," Barrie must overcome his personal struggles to create Peter Pan with the help of a familiar future villain. I absolutely love the staging. Enjoy!

  Are you a fan of Finding Neverland, film or show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Continue Reading →