Alice in Wonderland is, as well as what the one-line summary suggests, is one of the more abstracted kind of animated films the Disney studio has ever released. And it needs this edge for what the material requires. Here is a film that means different times throughout a life, for some people. As a kid it's a wondrous, madcap adventure with as much sincerity and polite little moments with Alice as it contains vision after vision where varied forms of caricatured anarchy and odd transformations in the guise of fables.

As an older teen, it comes off more as seeming like a 'drug' movie, and of course Carroll's original story has become not just a phrase for 'through the looking glass' in society, but as part of metaphors for the drug community ("White Rabbit" is one of those classic, strange 60's songs that still works today). For what Carrol intended when he wrote the book - for his child friend named Alice - it's taken on other, surrealistic connotations over the centuries. With various allusions to such substances like the big-and-small pills, the caterpillar with the pipe, the hare and hatter with their 'tea', and the Cheshire Cat going in through the out door, it's not too hard to picture it as being a precursor to the 60s.

But, of course, there is also that very innocent approach that the Disney films had of that early period. Alice is as innocent and day-dreaming as Snow White, though with a little more interest due to her having to be a formidable enough guide through this imaginative world. And there are little, surreal fables that are laced in that, again, capture the absurd poetic tone of Carroll's work. The segment with the Walrus and the Carpenter is a very good example of this, and is one of the funniest segments not only of the film but maybe of any Disney feature of the period. And stretching out after going into taking the ideas and images from the book into animated form, the abstractions become rather incredible for their time.

As a kid as well as now I loved seeing the large Alice start to cry to the point of creating a dangerous sea of it right by the snobbish doorknob. The Cheshire Cat is one of those insane concoctions that is delightful in its unhinged abandon. The Queen of Hearts sequences towards the end are, for me, the only ones that are more closer to the 'traditional' Disney films where the looser, crazier nature that went on before with the March Hare and Mad Hatter took place (one of my all-time favorite Disney scenes by the way- that little mouse deserved some sort of prize).

Overall, this is quite a treat to revisit years later- yes, even in a non-induced kind of state- with cheerful songs, and a neat balance of delirious humor and silly imagination. In short, a film like this probably couldn't be made today, at least by Disney.

Somehow "Alice in Wonderland" has attained classic status and many folks seem to like it. However, I really don't know how any film based on the Lewis Carroll stories could be that entertaining--especially for kids. After all, the story is more like a drug-induced experience instead of having a lot of charm.

So, if I am not at all excited about the story, that means I hate the film, right? No. You cannot hate a film which features such lovely animation and a few of the little vignettes. The mad tea party with "A Very Merry Un-birthday" is enjoyable nonsense and a few of the characters scattered throughout the film are pretty nice. But if you compare this film to its contemporaries, such as "Cinderella", "Peter Pan" and "Lady and the Tramp" it comes up wanting because of the story. Worth seeing perhaps but quite weak compared to most Disney films of the era.

This version on Alice in Wonderland is the best version of the classic book. What impressed me most was the mix of "Wonderland" and "Looking Glass". The animation was the best element of the movie, with a gorgeous sequence in the song "Golden Afternoon", which was the best song in my opinion. Not to mention the watercolour-painting like landscapes of the English countryside. The songs, while not as memorable as later Disney films, were very pleasant to the ear, with an appreciative nostalgic feel. The characters were what make this film, as they are memorable and engaging. However, Alice sometimes was a little bland, but that is the only weakness here, and Kathryn Beaumont did voice her beautifully. The Cheshire Cat and White Rabbit were very well done, likewise with the Mad Hatter and March Hare. In fact The Cheshire Cat is my favourite character, and Sterling Holloway shone voicing him. The best vocal characterisation was the Queen of Hearts, voiced by Disney regular Verna Felton who did a great job. I know they missed the Mock Turtle and the Griffin out, but if they were included, the overall film would've been too long. In conclusion, an imaginative and solid version of a great book! 9/10 Bethany Cox