Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

For the slightest offences that were committed, resulted in execution. Fear ran throughout the kingdom as the phrase, “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!” pierced through the castle walls. Her majesty was not happy and if her rabbit was late, his head would be next. Many movies have been produced from Lewis Caroll’s famous book, Alice in Wonderland, but in 2010, Tim Burton produced his modern rendition of the novel. Among the many, Director Tim Burton attempts to modernize the classic novel. Staying true with the novel, Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, and Helena Carter play the well-known roles of the eccentric Mad Hatter, the confused Alice, and the infamous Queen of Hearts (or the Red Queen) respectively. While sticking to some of the characters, Tim Burton

For example, The Red Queen is easily associated with red, gold, and white, and yet the beast that goes after Alice from 1:29-1:35 is mainly white with black spots. Oddly enough, after the White Queen is enters the trailer and the battle scenes begin, the beast that once chased Alice is now on the White Queen’s side, seen in the background beside the white chess headed soldiers at 1:49. The audience is not preoccupied by the color schemes presented in this scene but are preoccupied by what the characters are doing.

The dark and dreary appearance of the forest gives a hopelessness to the inhabitants, who wear tattered and faded clothing, which once represented a happier life. The dark forest is further contrasted by everything else from the clean pastel of Alice’s world, the vibrant colors of the Red Castle, to the purity of the White Castle. The audience pities the inhabitants because they know the forest can be prosperous from prior knowledge, but can’t be due to the Red Queen. Even for those who have no knowledge of Alice in Wonderland, the Disney movie stereotypes have two notions of forests: either dark and unforgiving or warm and friendly, based on the inhabitants. While the forest of Wonderland is dark and appears unforgiving, unlike Disney’s other predecessors, the forest is associated with quirky characters like the Mad Hatter, who doesn’t act mad. It is the contrast of the forest’s imagery and the personalities of the characters that suggests the forest could be more prosperous. The pity turns into hope and excitement as Alice returns wearing knight armor at the end of the trailer instead of her famous blue dress. The common phrase “a knight in shining armor” is literally expressed in the scene and further supported as the White Queen announces, “We have our champion”. The terminology of a champion is equated with a winner of some sort and with the image of Alice in armor,