Alice in Wonderland is at the same both very untypical for a Disney film, yet at the same time exactly what Disney does well. What do I mean by that? Well, in a word, Alice in Wonderland is surreal. It follows no logic but its own, is not really a fairytale by any stretch of the word, is actually somewhat mean-spirited in tone and Alice as the main character doesn't really follow the Disney formula we've come to know.
And yet, it functions so well precisely because it's a Disney film. The animation is gorgeous, reflecting the feel and mood of Wonderland perfectly with crooked angles, painfully bright colours and contrasts, fluid motion and some fantastic character designs. The music scenes are also done very well, though most of them are not just short, but really short. But, most importantly, Disney does weird magnificently, especially in those first few decades when Walt Disney himself was still alive. And this is his crowning achievement in that regard. It's fast, loose, bat guano insane, always changing rules, always ready to burst into a non sequitur, each less logical than the one before.
And if that's your thing, then this is the perfect movie to check out. It doesn't have the grandeur and charm of the true Disney classics, but it has some of the most memorable characters in the whole Disney canon and as a whole is a fantastic romp unlike anything you're likely to see otherwise.
And yet, it functions so well precisely because it's a Disney film. The animation is gorgeous, reflecting the feel and mood of Wonderland perfectly with crooked angles, painfully bright colours and contrasts, fluid motion and some fantastic character designs. The music scenes are also done very well, though most of them are not just short, but really short. But, most importantly, Disney does weird magnificently, especially in those first few decades when Walt Disney himself was still alive. And this is his crowning achievement in that regard. It's fast, loose, bat guano insane, always changing rules, always ready to burst into a non sequitur, each less logical than the one before.
And if that's your thing, then this is the perfect movie to check out. It doesn't have the grandeur and charm of the true Disney classics, but it has some of the most memorable characters in the whole Disney canon and as a whole is a fantastic romp unlike anything you're likely to see otherwise.