A Very Merry Unbirthday from Alice in Wonderland
As you would expect the film is stunningly presented, the colors are so sharp. I can’t recall ever seeing the colors of Wonderland pop to the extent they do on this presentation. And the music sounds wonderful in modern home theater. The delightful teapot calliope will always be favorite as it brings the classic Disneyland tea cup attraction to mind whenever its toots and whistles are heard. “Disney view” gives you the option to replace the black bars presented on either side of the screen with color coordinated artwork. I have not opted to use it previously as I found it distracting but appreciated the addition throughout Alice in Wonderland.
Alice In Wonderland: 60th Anniversary Blu-ray offers a number of very interesting extras along with the film. Many of these have been provided with previous home videos releases but the new additions — “Through the Keyhole: A Companion’s Guide to Wonderland” and “Alice & the Doorknob” (recently discovered reference footage) are gems.
In “Alice & The Doorknob” Kathryn Beaumont (the voice of Alice and reference model) takes us back to her performance as Alice trying to make her way through the small door. The reference footage hasn’t been seen in 50 years and Ms. Beaumont is clearly delighted to share her experience with viewers. Her brief anecdotes on Marc Davis and Walt Disney offer another glimpse at these legends – Mr. Disney’s love of trains and Mr. Davis’ attention to detail.
Clip from “Through the Keyhole: A Companion Guide to Wonderland”
The film’s brevity and serial-like quality provides the opportunity for a unique film commentary and “Through the Keyhole” is just that. Sharing the screen with the film, It is offers an interesting mix of anecdotes from Disney animation historian and authorities on Lewis Carroll while the film plays in the background. You’ll discover more about the film’s genesis, its reception, along with the history of Carroll’s original works and their place within literary and cultural history from a number of historians including author/Disney historian Brian Sibley, historian Paul Sigman, animator Will Finn and author/animation historian Charles Solomon. Discovering the film’s lengthy path from concept to screen was interesting and explained some of its disjointed nature, reminding me of The Haunted Mansion which also took many years to be realized from original concept and doesn’t seem as cohesive as other classic Disney attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean or it’s a small world.
Overall the Alice in Wonderland: 60th Anniversary Edition blu-ray renewed and increased my appreciation for the classic animated film and the books that inspired it.
The Alice in Wonderland 60th Anniversary Blu-ray was provided for review purposes. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed in this post are my own.