When the highly anticipated Tim Burton film, Alice in Wonderland, was released I was more than excited to go see it. The film is based on the characters and plot by Lewis Carol. The plot begins when Alice at 19, is going to be proposed to by a rather boring English nobleman. At her engagement party she sees an unusual rabbit and follows it until she falls down a hole. Alice arrives at a strange world called “Underland” which resembles a constant nightmare she had as a child. Alice soon realizes that this nightmare was actually her first visit to the strange world. The world she is currently in is still under the control of the evil Red Queen. Alice learns that she is there for a purpose. Alice must defeat a monster known as the Jabberwocky. She must accomplish this in order for the White Queen to reclaim her throne from her evil sister, the Red Queen.
Alice in Wonderland was offered to be viewed in three ways: IMAX 3-D, regular theater 3-D, and regular viewing. Of course I went to see the film in IMAX 3-D! Going into the film I had very high expectations. This was a story line that was close to my heart and I couldn’t wait to see director Tim Burton’s twist on it. At the end I was satisfied, but wanted more from the plot and the story. The run time of the film was 1 hour and 49 minutes, and I felt that Burton could have done a lot more with the story and that it was too short.
I will connect this media experience to the four tool sets that we learned in class. Below is one of the trailers of the film, so you can understand my connections if you have not seen it yet. Alice in Wonderland is still in theaters!!
Triune Brain:
Limbic- The film is extremely visual. The 3-D images on the screen made the movie even more visually appealing. These images made me feel excited. My limbic brain went crazy when Alice falls down the hole and objects are being thrown at my face!
Reptilian- Many scenes in this film appealed to my Reptilian brain. During the scene that Alice is battling the Jabberwocky, I felt my instinct of survival for her. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to yell “watch out” and “kill it”, of course I didn’t want to be that person at the movie theater.
Eight Shifts:
Epistemological shift- from word to image. Obviously this film is another adaptation of the books Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. The film brings the words to image and is a delight to watch.
Economic shift- HYPER commericialism and CORPORATE consolidation. I noticed that throughout promoting this film the Disney symbol/name was all over the posters and even the title. In the trailer the film was narrated as “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.” The symbol of the Walt Disney’s corporations name was an example of the economic shift and showed corporate consolidation.
Aesthetic shift-from discrete to convergence. Like the last film I wrote about on my blog, I also purchased my movie tickets well in advance on my smart phone. It beats the line!
Seven Principles:
Ownership- Like I mentioned earlier, Disney owns the rights to this film. Their name was all over everything in regards to promoting Alice in Wonderland. Although Disney does own the rights to this film, I feel that the amount of commericialism shifted into corporate consolidation. It just reminded me how much Disney already owns, and that it was unnecessary for them to put their name on the film’s title.
Production Techniques- The film uses the technique of combining live action and animation. Many shots are taken to give the audience the feel that they are in this world as well. The use of 3-D visual images is another production technique that helped make the strange world come alive. Burton plays with different camera angles and depth to create beautifully framed shots that help emphasize what is going on in the plot.
Pacing- The pacing of this film is very fast. The adventure continues to happen and slows down midpoint, when Alice tries to save the Mad Hatter. The film’s pace picks up again and seems to happen too fast. I felt that the film rushed through the story line and there could have been more.
Persuasive Techniques:
Nostalgia- This film persuades through the appeals of nostalgia because it is based on the books by Lewis Carroll. It is also based on Disney’s 1951 animated version of the film. Many movie-goers have childhood attachments to this story line.
Repetition-The film repeats many lines and ideas from Alice’s first visit to Wonderland. These lines are again later repeated in the film. An example of this is “painting the roses red.” This line is from the original film, is repeated at her engagement party, and again when Alice is at the Red Queen’s castle.
Beautiful People- During promotion of this film, posters and images of the actors in their costumes were everywhere. This created curiosity of the film and persuaded many to go see it.
Humor- There are many points in this film that are very humorous. A few to mention are the Red Queen’s oversized head and her followers pretending to have an unusual attribute in order to be liked by the Queen. The love line between the Red Queen and her minion, and many of Johnny Depp’s lines are hilarious throughout the film.
Overall, Alice in Wonderland was very good. I expected a little more from Tim Burton and the plot line itself, but I left happy. For those who haven't yet seen it, I suggesting checking out your local theater times in Burlington and going today!
Limbic- The film is extremely visual. The 3-D images on the screen made the movie even more visually appealing. These images made me feel excited. My limbic brain went crazy when Alice falls down the hole and objects are being thrown at my face!
Reptilian- Many scenes in this film appealed to my Reptilian brain. During the scene that Alice is battling the Jabberwocky, I felt my instinct of survival for her. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to yell “watch out” and “kill it”, of course I didn’t want to be that person at the movie theater.
Eight Shifts:
Epistemological shift- from word to image. Obviously this film is another adaptation of the books Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. The film brings the words to image and is a delight to watch.
Economic shift- HYPER commericialism and CORPORATE consolidation. I noticed that throughout promoting this film the Disney symbol/name was all over the posters and even the title. In the trailer the film was narrated as “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.” The symbol of the Walt Disney’s corporations name was an example of the economic shift and showed corporate consolidation.
Aesthetic shift-from discrete to convergence. Like the last film I wrote about on my blog, I also purchased my movie tickets well in advance on my smart phone. It beats the line!
Seven Principles:
Ownership- Like I mentioned earlier, Disney owns the rights to this film. Their name was all over everything in regards to promoting Alice in Wonderland. Although Disney does own the rights to this film, I feel that the amount of commericialism shifted into corporate consolidation. It just reminded me how much Disney already owns, and that it was unnecessary for them to put their name on the film’s title.
Production Techniques- The film uses the technique of combining live action and animation. Many shots are taken to give the audience the feel that they are in this world as well. The use of 3-D visual images is another production technique that helped make the strange world come alive. Burton plays with different camera angles and depth to create beautifully framed shots that help emphasize what is going on in the plot.Pacing- The pacing of this film is very fast. The adventure continues to happen and slows down midpoint, when Alice tries to save the Mad Hatter. The film’s pace picks up again and seems to happen too fast. I felt that the film rushed through the story line and there could have been more.
Persuasive Techniques:
Nostalgia- This film persuades through the appeals of nostalgia because it is based on the books by Lewis Carroll. It is also based on Disney’s 1951 animated version of the film. Many movie-goers have childhood attachments to this story line.
Repetition-The film repeats many lines and ideas from Alice’s first visit to Wonderland. These lines are again later repeated in the film. An example of this is “painting the roses red.” This line is from the original film, is repeated at her engagement party, and again when Alice is at the Red Queen’s castle.
Beautiful People- During promotion of this film, posters and images of the actors in their costumes were everywhere. This created curiosity of the film and persuaded many to go see it.Humor- There are many points in this film that are very humorous. A few to mention are the Red Queen’s oversized head and her followers pretending to have an unusual attribute in order to be liked by the Queen. The love line between the Red Queen and her minion, and many of Johnny Depp’s lines are hilarious throughout the film.
Overall, Alice in Wonderland was very good. I expected a little more from Tim Burton and the plot line itself, but I left happy. For those who haven't yet seen it, I suggesting checking out your local theater times in Burlington and going today!
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