Review of Alice in Wonderland (1951) by Cassy F — 11 Jun 2013

Based on the classic book, Alice in Wonderland tells the story of Alice, a little girl who dreams of living in her own little world. When she sees a talking, white rabbit hurry into a rabbit hole, Alice follows, and she is transported to the land of Wonderland, a land filled with weird, bizarre creatures, an invisible cat, the Mad Hatter, a grumpy Queen who wants to chop off everyone's head if nothing goes her way, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Alice fans might hate me for saying this, but I hated this movie. In my book, this is the worst animated film that Walt Disney ever produced. Due to negative fan reactions at the time, Walt admitted that making this film was a mistake. I'm proud of you Walt.

Why do I view Alice in Wonderland as Disney's worst film? Two words; it's boring. The mishaps Alice encounters don't even connect, making the film feel like a dull TV show.

The animation is also a bore, focusing more on dark material and useless, creepy images for my taste.

None of the songs are that particularly memorable, with the worst of them being "The Walrus and the Carpenter" , "We're Painting the Roses Red", and "The Golden Afternoon." I did, however, like the unbirthday song, and that complete scene with the Mad Hatter and the tea party is the one scene that I enjoyed.

The other thing that I liked in the film is Kathryn Beaumont's voice role as Alice. Her sweet, charming voice is perfect for the role, and her acting is probably a reason why she got the voice role for Wendy in Peter Pan. Beaumont is definitely better than the Alice portrayed in the Tim Burton version.

Even though this is Walt's worst cartoon film, I feel like the film did not ruin his good reputation. After admitting that the film was a mistake, Walt went and finished his life by making some really entertaining Disney classics, from Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and The Jungle Book.