Toon Talk: Alice in Wonderland
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Of course, along the way Alice is reunited with such familiar Wonderlandians as the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry), the hookah-smoking Caterpillar (voiced by Alan Rickman) and the Tweedle brothers Dee and Dum (both played by Matt Lucas). Unusually, these characters are actually nice to the girl, unlike in most Alice incarnations; there is even a hint of a romance between Alice and the Hatter.
Speaking of which, Depp, decked out in his usual Burtunesque Kabuki drag (complete with watermelon eyes, frosted eye lashes and a fright wig made out of what looks like shredded carrots), once again dips into his by now oft-dipped well of craziness that begat Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, et al. Which brings up the question, �Is it too much to ask for Johnny Depp to play a real human person again?�
Depp�s performance isn�t the only cause for d�j� vu. In addition to Depp and Bonham Carter, Burton has also, once again, enlisted the talents of composer Danny Elfman and costumer Colleen Atwood. And while it is certainly not unusual for a filmmaker to work with the same people over and over, Burton�s films are becoming more and more of a clich�. Even with their own individual oddness, a sameness is permeating his canon as a whole. It leaves one wishing that this talented director would start thinking outside of his own self-imposed box.
In other words, I feel we�ve spent a little too much time in his Wonderland.
Toon Talk Rating: C+
Coming Soon:
- The Academy Award nominated The Princess and the Frog makes its DVD and Blu-ray debut March 16.
- Buzz, Woody and the gang make their high def home debuts with the March 23 release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on Disney Blu-ray.
- Go back down the rabbit hole once more with the Alice in Wonderland: Special Un-Anniversary Edition on Disney DVD March 30.
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-- Kirby C. Holt
-- Logos by William C. Searcy, Magic Bear Graphics
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ... In addition to his Toon Talk reviews, Kirby is the creator of Movie Dearest, a blog for movie fans.
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted March 12, 2010