Reel Critic:

“Alice in Wonderland” has been remarkably popular since its first printing in 1865. Actually titled “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, the work has been translated into numerous languages and been adapted for stage, film and television.

The latest adaptation of Carroll’s work, “Alice in Wonderland,” is a Walt Disney Pictures film directed by Tim Burton. As Burton has directed many offbeat films, such as “Edward Scissorhands” and “Beetlejuice,” he isn’t the first filmmaker who comes to mind to present such classic source material to a new generation, especially for Disney.

Purists may therefore be upset that Burton has chosen to “reimagine” this story while admittedly retaining nearly all the classic characters, most noticeably the Mad Hatter (played with frenetic zeal by an almost unrecognizable Johnny Depp).

In this retelling, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is a young woman of 19 whose father recently died. Haunted by nightmares of falling down a dark hole and mingling with odd characters, Alice has wondered about her own sanity at times.

Alice’s mother is desperately trying get her to marry a boorish member of the aristocracy. When the dreadful aristocrat Hamish (Leo Bill) publicly asks for her hand in marriage at a crowded garden party, she asks for time to think and wanders off only to see a white rabbit dressed in a waistcoat. Alice follows the rabbit to a large hole into which she promptly falls.

Down, down, down she goes until she arrives in a strangely familiar place filled with fantastical objects and creatures. Alice still thinks she is dreaming but cannot wake herself. She eventually learns she is in a place called Underland, which she had actually visited 13 years before and had mistakenly referred to as Wonderland. It turns out the inhabitants of Underland have been waiting for Alice to return as she is the only person who can slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon controlled by the evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).

Burton is able to create an alternate universe better than nearly any other director. While computer-generated effects abound, “Alice in Wonderland” is a live-action film for the most part. As with all his films, Burton pays a lot of attention to detail, and the settings, buildings, animals, plants and even the sky are vividly realized.

Perhaps it is the Disney influence that caused Burton to exercise some restraint with “Alice.” The plot, although a sequel of sorts to the original story, retains enough familiar elements for the viewer to follow along easily. While the characters are mostly the same as the book and previous adaptations, Burton has taken many liberties regarding their appearance.

Depp, with his tangerine-colored hair, wild eyebrows and feline eyes, is definitely mad, as in insane. He fidgets and babbles constantly, and although he is featured prominently in trailers and print media, his character is really part of a large ensemble. Bonham Carter’s Red Queen has a grotesquely large head and diminutive body, but her scenery-chewing performance is perfect as the villainess. Anne Hathaway’s White Queen is a satire of every good witch or queen ever to appear on film and is often quite funny. The film features dozens of recognizable actors and actresses in both live action parts and to voice the animated characters.

“Alice in Wonderland” is already the No. 1 movie in current release and actually grossed more than “Avatar” did in its first weekend. The film is mild enough for young audiences, yet has enough edginess to engage older viewers. Burton has fashioned a worthy addition to the long and successful adaptations of this Victorian classic.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.