Don't Watch Alice Sober Unless You Want To Go Mad!

The celebration continues as we march through Disney’s 100 Years of Animation. While I’ve watched a few of these silver-aged movies more than once, Alice in Wonderland never seemed to make the cut. There was always something foreboding about the movie that never really enticed me and I always found myself scared when the Cheshire cat came on the screen. But one of my closest friends is obsessed with Alice and her many schemes, so, let’s give it another go as we fall down the rabbit hole and learn all about the very first animated look at wonderland.

I’m going to say it now, I was too sober to watch this movie. The opening art was beautiful and really set the scene for the world of wonderland before ever setting foot in it. I love the way they used the rippling water as a transition between the mundane world and the extraordinary one. While I know that this movie is supposed to be about the inner workings of a little girl's mind, I can’t say that I’m impressed with Alice and her shenanigans. I guess being young is supposed to just give her a pass for not being tethered to reality. She’s so casual about drinking from unmarked bottles and immediately begins to cry when things don’t go her way. Her moods fluctuate more than anything and the longer the movie goes on, the more maddening things become.

As curious as Alice is, she doesn’t seem to be very bright. Her obsession with chasing the white rabbit leads her down paths of harassment and yet she seems to think she’s in charge of every situation. She doesn’t even seem to care if she’s in danger or not, especially when walking through the woods. And don’t even get me started about that disturbing oyster story told by “The Tweedles”.

Every scene is beautifully colored and has a unique perspective about how different the world can be, echoing previous movies like Fantasia in their abstract outlook on flowers, creatures, and more. A lot of the characters in this movie seem to be locked in a realm of nonsense. Between the smoking caterpillar, merry un-birthdays, demented queen, and disappearing cat, I’m surprised Alice isn’t more scared than curious. There seems to be a hidden lesson about people who are curious, but I wonder if the real lesson is that we’re all mad in this crazy world. Even if they were nuts, the characters are what carries this entire movie, not the story itself. I believe that it is such a whirlwind that most people don’t even notice that the story is just a girl getting lost in Wonderland.

I give myself good advice, but I very seldom follow it.

I personally am not a big fan of this movie. I found myself yelling at the screen for the characters to have any kind of logical approach to their problems only to watch them lose their minds. It’s quite maddening. But maybe that’s just the point of it all.

I look forward to seeing you in whatever form I appear. Until next time.

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in both New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.