Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)
by Clyde Geronimi, David Hand, Hamilton Luske, Robert Florey, Wilfred Jackson
List Price:
Our Price: $14.27
You Save: $15.72 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.11 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Ed Wynn, Jerry Colonna, Kathryn Beaumont, Richard Haydn, Sterling HollowayDirector: Clyde Geronimi, David Hand, Hamilton Luske, Robert Florey, Wilfred Jackson
Brand: Masterpiece
Writer: Aldous Huxley
Writer: Bill Peet
Writer: Bill Walsh
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Unknown; Spanish (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 75 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-27
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Model: 3322503
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
Product features:
- Experience the magic, fun, and adventure of ALICE IN WONDERLAND like never before in this new Masterpiece Edition 2-Disc set. Join Alice as she falls into the madcap world of Wonderland and meets extraordinary characters such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the frantically late White Rabbit. And the fun continues with new bonus features including the Virtual
DVD Reviews of Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)
DVD Review: (3.5) Good children's movie, but mediocre book adaptation.
Summary: 4 Stars
Disney's 1951 film "Alice in Wonderland" is one that held a strange appeal for me throughout my childhood. The Queen of Hearts literally gave me nightmares - I had dreams that I was Alice, trying to escape without losing my head - and the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter depressed me, yet I kept going back and watching it again and again. The movie fascinated me. Children love any opportunity to dream and make believe, and "Alice in Wonderland" has so many creative and fantastical elements that it provides an unlimited source of stimulation. Now, as an adult having recently read for the first time the books upon which the film was based, I was inspired to purchase the Masterpiece Edition of "Alice in Wonderland" on DVD and revisit this Disney classic.
The movie is actually based on two books by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was published in 1865, and "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There" appeared in 1871. Nowadays the two are commonly printed together in a single volume. Unfortunately, for fans of the books, the movie adaptation does not quite live up. The biggest problem with the movie is that it just doesn't make much sense. We don't understand why the things that happen to Alice happen, like why the Mad Hatter insists on changing seats all the time at the tea party, or why the bird that Alice disrupts calls her a serpent. These things are all explained in the books, but the meaning is lost in the translation to film. Still, a child is less likely to question the logic behind events in the movie, and will be more interested in the magical feeling of the story.
The other big failing of the film is that all of the witty wordplay and riddles with which Carroll's books abound are nowhere to be found. Again, this will probably be less of an issue for a child viewer, but someone who has read the books can't help but notice the gaping hole left by this omission. Carroll's books where all ABOUT wordplay and witticism. Granted, it can be difficult to transfer such literary tricks to the screen, and most children probably would not pick up on the more complicated or obscure ones anyway, but certainly some of the simpler puns could have been carried across. Alice herself is also a less impressive heroine in the movie, as the loss of wordplay detracts from our sense of her as being exceptionally bright for a seven-year-old.
My other observations about the adaptation from book to movie are fairly neutral. Disney made significant changes to the story, but this is to be expected considering the length and complexity of Carroll's books. Some episodes from the books are left out entirely, like the scenes with the Duchess, her peppery cook, and the pig baby, and also the exchanges Alice has with the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon. The order of events that were included in the movie is also switched about, particularly because of the fact that the movie combines the plots of both books. Interestingly, the Queen of Hearts in the movie is actually an amalgamation of two different characters - the Queen of Hearts from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and the Red Queen from "Through the Looking-Glass."
However, criticisms of the book-to-movie adaptation aside, "Alice in Wonderland" is still a good, solid children's animated film. It won't hold the same appeal for older audiences, but I remember how much I enjoyed watching it as a child and am sure it will continue to inspire the imaginations of today's young viewers. The movie is also a visually impressive artistic accomplishment. The animation is superb. In fact, I'd say it's one of the most vivid and lush of all of Disney's earlier films. The brightly-colored characters really stand out against the predominantly black background.
The 2-disc Masterpiece Edition DVD has a wealth of special features. Most are geared toward the child viewer, which is to be expected, but there are some pieces that even an adult will find interesting. Disc 1 offers a "Virtual Wonderland Party" for the kids, which is rather like an interactive television show; sing-along songs of "The Unbirthday Song" and "All In A Golden Afternoon" (the song that the talking flowers perform); an "Adventures in Wonderland" game which is fairly simple, being intended for children, but which I found particularly delightful because it is actually based on riddles (I thought this was a nice way to give the movie a tie-in with the wordplay of Carroll's original story); a featurette including the song "I'm Odd," sung by the Cheshire Cat, which was one of at least 30 songs written for the film but never included; and the original Mickey Mouse short "Thru the Mirror."
Disc 2 rounds out the collection of special features with "One Hour in Wonderland," Walt Disney's first TV show, hosted by Kathryn Beaumont (the voice of Alice); "An Alice Comedy: 'Alice's Wonderland'" which was the 1923 pilot film for a TV comedy series; an "Operation Wonderland" behind-the-scenes featurette from 1951; a half-hour excerpt from the Fred Waring show, which aired in 1951; numerous deleted materials, including an interesting featurette about a song originally written for "Alice in Wonderland" but which was left out and adapted for use in "Peter Pan" in 1953; an art gallery; theatrical trailers from 1951 and from the 1974 re-release; and TV introductions from 1951 and 1964.
Description of Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)
Experience the magic, fun, and adventure of Alice in Wonderland like never before in this new Masterpiece Edition 2-Disc set. Join Alice as she falls into the madcap world of Wonderland and meets extraordinary characters such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the frantically late White Rabbit. And the fun continues with new bonus features including the Virtual Wonderland Party, the newly discovered Cheshire Cat song "I'm Odd," Mickey's "Thru the Mirror" animated short, plus sing-along songs and all-new games. Your family will want to experience this timeless Disney masterpiece again and again!Walt Disney seems to have had a special affection for Lewis Carroll's "Alice" stories. "Alice's Wonderland" (1923), a short about a live-action little girl in a cartoon world, led to his first successful series, the "Alice" comedies (collected on Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities--Celebrated Shorts, 1920s -1960s). During the early '30s, he talked about making an animation/live-action feature of "Alice in Wonderland" with Mary Pickford in the title role. But almost two decades would elapse before Disney released his Alice. It's the most uneven of the classic Disney features, juxtaposing brilliant and dull sequences. The Mad Tea Party, the Queen of Hearts' Croquet Game, and Alice's encounters with the Caterpillar and Cheshire Cat fuse the spirit of Carroll's words, the vitality of the polished animation, and the stylized look and brilliant palette of designer Mary Blair. But the song "I Give Myself Very Good Advice" and the unsatisfying adaptation of "The Walrus and Carpenter" bring the story to a halt. Disney's Alice in Wonderland remains a beloved film, and its better moments are truly magical. (Rated G: cartoon violence, some scary moments, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The Lion King (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)Disney; Release date: 2003-10-07; DVD
Best price: $11.24
Price in other shops:
The Fox and the Hound / The Fox and the Hound Two (30th Anniversary Edition)Walt Disney Video; Release date: 2011-08-09; DVD
Best price: $15.94
Price in other shops:
Peter Pan (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)Peter Pan; Release date: 2007-03-06; DVD
Best price: $28.95
Price in other shops:
The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-06-17; DVD
Best price: $9.86
Price in other shops:
Pinocchio (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition)Disney; Release date: 2009-03-10; Published: 2009-03-01; DVD
Best price: $21.27
Price in other shops:
Snow White and the Seven DwarfsBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $30.00
Bambi (Two-Disc Diamond Edition)Disney; Release date: 2011-04-19; DVD
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops:
DumboRelease date: 2011-09-20; DVD
Best price: $16.58
Price in other shops:
Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) Sampler DVD: Highlights From The All-New MoviesBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $15.28
Price in other shops:
Beauty and the BeastDisney; Release date: 2010-11-23; DVD
Best price: $18.55
Price in other shops: