Alice In Wonderland And Edward Scissorhands: A Comparative Analysis

1133 Words5 Pages

Imagine worlds of glorious chocolate fields, magnificent wonderlands of magical creatures, and legends of talented men with scissors for hands. Tim Burton, director of many films, puts darker twists on stories like the one’s mentioned previously. Burton’s past might be classified as dark or troublesome and so are the films he has directed. Nevertheless, there are always hints of brightness and hope in specific scenes of these films. In the Tim Burton films, Alice in Wonderland and Edward Scissorhands, the use of two contrasting settings and the traits of the protagonist contrasting a setting, Burton conveys that there is a brighter side to any situation. The two contrasting themes in each film, one light and one dark, is a physical method to show that every situation has a brighter, more joyful side. For example, in Alice in Wonderland, the White Queen’s palace and the Red Queen’s palace are both given an establishing shot. Angelic, beatific non-diegetic music floods the scene as the high angle of the White Queen’s palace is displayed. As the palace is being shown, the zoom in on the White Queen conveys the paleness of her clothing and body and how it magnifies the whiteness of the scene. On the other hand, the Red Queen’s castle is portrayed in a different light. Even though there is still high key lighting and the red is the vivid, the non-diegetic music differs into a darker tone. There is a fast-pace pan across the whole …show more content…

Even though life may appear down or wicked sometimes, there are always better places and better events headed in the future. Burton’s film style appears dark and morbid but even the darkest of movies will hint at the hope and brightness of days to