Alice in
Wonderland – 60th Anniversary Edition (1951/Disney Blu-ray)
Picture:
A Sound: A- Extras: B Film: B+
There are
those classic tales that will never go away. Alice in Wonderland is a tale that has fascinated the psyche of
readers since its conception over 145 years ago. The tale once again gained recognition after
Walt Disney recreated the odd adventure for theatrical audiences, but this time
in animation form. The 1951 film took
some liberties with Lewis Carroll’s original vision, but stuck to the general
framework and even added elements from Through
the Looking Glass.
The film
(artistically) is Disney at its finest. Alice in Wonderland was created using a
variety of animation techniques that had never been done before, with Walt himself
supervising the project for its entirety.
Walt Disney had been obsessed with Carroll’s Alice
tales since his early days in Hollywood
(and before) and was determined to make his dream come true. So after years of scrapped ideas, in 1951 Alice in Wonderland came to life. Disney made no secret that his Alice film would not be an “exact reading”
of the Lewis Carroll classic, but would embrace the elements that he felt were
what made it so memorable. So Disney’s Alice in Wonderland went after the odd,
whimsical, archetypal essentials; while adding the Disney brand of comedy, art,
and music.
The film
borrowed much of its style from Modern artists of the time. The Modernist approach was spearheaded by
background artist Mary Blair and whereas the title characters had a more
conservative, “Disney-esc” style the backdrop was complicatedly and brilliantly
modern. Once again Disney borrowed
elements of Carroll’s classic tale and illustrations (originally created by Sir
John Tenniel) for inspiration, but leaned toward whimsy to bring the tale to
life. In the end, audiences were treated
to a masterfully created viewing experience with memorable characters and even
more stunning atmospheres.
Now,
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland certainly
does not hold the intricacies of Lewis Carroll’s original telling, but just as
Disney had intended it does hold true to creating a memorably off center tale. The film was not a flop, but it wasn’t a hit
either; in fact it angered literary scholars and Brits alike, as they felt Disney
had bastardized a classic. Disney knew
his target audience (kids and families) would appreciate the film’s slick wit,
art, humor, and music; so he was not insulted by all the mud slinging. The film would later gain a greater, more
appreciative audience in the 1960’s as the film’s Modernist/psychedelic vibe
was more embraced. So if nothing else we
can call the Disney crew (as always) ahead of their time.
Though
not a ‘Disney Diamond Edition’ Blu-ray the film sure feels like it with
wonderful picture, sound and extras. The
picture is presented in a 1.33 X 1, 1080p AVC encoded MPEG-4 transfer that
impresses from beginning to end. The
clarity is stunning as the hand drawn art comes alive and the colors leap off
the screen. The grit and grain that was
overly apparent in the former DVD releases is all gone here and viewers are
treated to a presentation that is consistently clean and clear. The primary colors are brilliant and the inky
blacks frame the film nicely. The sound
is presented in a new 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track that gets it all
right. The film’s music comes to life as
it surrounds the viewer and the dialogue is spotless as it clearly
projects. There are a few moments that
seem unnatural for the film that was originally a 2.0 mix (also available here
if you wish), but mostly the 5.1 DTS track is an upgrade that breathes new life
into the classic film.
An
interesting note is that since the 1.33 X 1 presentation does not fill out the
entire screen, Disney has added the option to have filler artwork inserted on
the sides, if the viewer wishes.
Most of
the extras (outside of the pencil test) are ported over from a previous
release. There are some exclusive HD
extras, but most are either short or worthless.
This is with the exception of the “Through
the Keyhole” featurette that has both Disney and Lewis Carroll experts
dissecting the film (Picture in Picture style) in an entertaining and
informative manner; ending up as the best bonus feature. The extras include the following:
Pencil
Test: Alice
Shrinks
Reflections
on Alice
Operation
Wonderland
“I’m Odd”
Newly discovered Cheshire Cat Song
Thru the
Mirror
One Hour
in Wonderland
An Alice
Comedy “Alice’s
Wonderland”
Walt
Disney Introductions
Original
Theatrical Trailers
Fred
Waring Show Excerpt
Deleted
Scenes
Art
Gallery
Through
the Keyhole: A Companions Guide to Wonderland (HD)
Painting
the Red Roses Interactive Game (HD)
Walt
Disney Color TV Introduction (HD)
Disney
View (HD)
Reference
Footage: Alice
and the Doorknob (HD)
I highly
recommend this film and even more now that it has arrived on Disney
Blu-ray. Disney knows how to do Blu-ray
right and Alice in Wonderland is
just one more amazing example.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
