Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass

It's happening. Why it took them this long, I have no idea. Normally I wouldn't care. I hate Linda Woolverton, and Disney has been constantly faceplanting in the live-action department recently. However, the original movie is a major Guilty Pleasure for me. No matter how bad this looks, I know I'll be there when it comes out.

edited 4th Aug '14 10:27:21 AM by Mort08

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Eh. The first one was ok, not really sequel-worthy. Might check it out when it comes to dvd.

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders!

I guess being the first 3D movie after Avatar must've given them a lot of money.

Burton isn't directing?....Ho boy,this can't well.

He was the reason why it didn't completely fall in the first place,it certainly wasn't the acting (in which only Johnny Depp and the voiced characters came off good),and it definitely wasn't Linda Woolverton's screenplay.

He's still producing, and I think James Bobin might end up being a better choice. He seems to be a lot more passionate about the material than Burton ever was. Here's an interview with him about the project.

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Wasn't the first movie based on Through The Looking Glass?

The first movie was a random mishmash of elements from both books. Like almost every other adaptation out there. I think that's part of the reason no one ever really does a sequel, since everything's combined so randomly that there's nothing good to use for a sequel. Sure, you have the White Knight and the Red and White Kings, but the chess motif has already been used.

Not Three Laws compliant.

I like the idea of using Time as the villain, but I'm sure Woolverton will fuck it up somehow. She can barely write a decent story when time's going in a straight line. No way she can handle time travel.

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So what? Burton wasn't exactly the most passionate about Batman,yet no one's done better job at it than he has. They've been either too campy, too serious to the point of Narm, or two-facedabout the characters,tone,and story.

And this was despite all of them (William Dozier, the Producer of the 1966 Stuff,Joel Schumacher, and Christopher Nolan) having more passion.

Therefore, I'm taking this all with a huge grain of salt.

Exactly my point

edited 23rd Aug '14 9:34:33 PM by terlwyth

I think that's less due to passion or anything like that and more that Burton's style happened to be a perfect fit.

Not Three Laws compliant.

Eh, I wouldn't count the Joel Schumacher movies as he got seriously screwed by the Executives and he was pretty much powerless in the whole situation.

Seriously this is the same guy who made Falling Down, I don't think Joel really wanted to a not grimdark Batman, he just kinda got forced into it.

Also, I thought the Nolan movies were better than the Burton ones, even if they aren't the perfect cinematic masterpieces fanboy say they are.

Then again I hate Tim Burton except for Ed Wood I guess, so I'm not the best one to judge.

Falling Down is quite good. I watched it yesterday on TV.

I like Tim Burton, but only to a certain extent. While I haven't seen his version of Alice, I got from plenty of reviews that the work felt a bit...artificial, soulless, too clinical. I think he stated he didn't particularly cared about Alice's story and world, which makes me think he only did it so he could fund his own personal projects.

I heard the deal was that he only did it so Disney would let him do Frankenweenie.

On a slightly different subject, I had no idea Ed Speelers was still doing movies.

edited 24th Aug '14 11:56:20 AM by Mort08

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I remember when the last Disney Alice was announced and the thread flooded with Burton fans talking about how great it was going to be. Then the movie came out and they all disappeared, still waiting for an explanation.

I'd argue that Batman Forever was probably the movie that best encapsulated the comic book character, his basic deal with identity, justice vs. vengeance, and the one movie where Batman was finally allowed to change and grow as a character, the first time we actually got to know Bruce Wayne. Seriously, can you name one thing about Burton's Bruce Wayne?

And I think it worked BECAUSE Schumacher is an unabashed fan of comics and the character of Batman.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great

I can think of plenty of things to say about him, much more than the Bruce Waynes of the Schuniverse,which seem to be trying to have the cake and eat it too when it comes to all that stuff.

But that discussion does not belong here.

On Alice: Most Burtonites either hid their embarrassment at it being a Guilty Pleasure, or called it a shark jumper, or simply admitted it was the Black Sheep of the pile (the 2nd for those that disliked the Planet Of The Apes remake)

Anyway my point is that a directors passion can only go so far and talent along with the appropriate style and understanding of the material need to pick up the slack.

I can't remember anything the Bruce Wayne of the Burton films did, really. There was that scene where he danced with Catwoman, but other than that, it was all Batman in those movies.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great

Happy to spend time!?!

Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh. Unless they're going for a major overhaul, this can only end in disaster. Burton's Alice worked so well because he approached Wonderland as a place that was beautiful, but definitely not nice. Alice is constantly yelled and screamed at, even in the original story. Whatever you think about the script, Burton and his crew nailed Wonderland and its look.

If they really are going for a major overhaul, more power to them. Wonderland is by now such an interpretative place that any number of approaches could work, but this particular approach used as a sequel to Burton strikes me as very odd.

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I watched Frankenweenie. It was very mediocre. Not terrible , though I'm not sure a homage to the 1930 film will make it good, but not good either . Nothing really happens until the last 15 minutes

edited 26th Aug '14 4:47:08 AM by Xopher001

I refuse to watch that movie because of what happens to the cat.

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I actually hated his interpretation of Wonderland. I hated how it was 'real'. I hated how things were surprisingly logical there (Get the Artifact of Doom, Slay the Dragon, Go home). I hated it period.

I'm a critical person but I'm a nice guy when you get to know me. Now, I should be writing.

Yeah, despite being a really big Burton fan (he's by far my favorite director, stylistically at least), I didn't like the first film at all. It was a stereotypical fantasy adventure film set in what masqueraded as Wonderland. Stylistically, it was a good "Burton movie," but as an actual story it was a disappointment. The thing about Alice is that it's a plotless work, and trying to give it a plot is a waste of time.

The illogical and rampant feeling of the original 50s film is what makes it one of my favorite films in the Disney Animated Canon. It doesn't try to have a plot, and neither did the source material - and the fact that it was adapted by the people who twist everything to have a happy ending, the fact that they didn't do that for the original Alice makes it all the better.

"A king has no friends. Only subjects and enemies."

Left a bit of a middling impression overall but I will admit I snorted quite loudly at Bonham Carter's bit at the end.
I'm surprised at how many people are returning, though, it looks like they got just about everyone.

edited 5th Nov '15 10:11:13 AM by LE0Night

I hate to say that I really like the visuals, but a lot of them feel like something out of American Mc Gee's Alice; which is everything this Alice should have been. The castle in the center of the clock is a beautiful visual.

But... Ugh. Its logical again. Queen of Hearts is back, presumably for some 'revenge' thing based on everyone's reactions. Save the Hatter is our plot-ish thing.

Did ANYONE read the books???

I hate to be so negative but Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite novels and I hate to see it so... bastardized.

I also think the visuals are great. I don't know if that would make the movie good but I'm interested.