Year Released: 1951
Michael's Movie Grade:B+
History
Walt Disney's first association with Alice in Wonderland, was in the 1923 short film Alice's Wonderland. This film was made before the Disney studio was formed, and was directed by Walt Disney himself, and combined live action and animation. the point of that film was to reverse what the Fleshier Brothers had been doing with their Out of the Inkwell cartoons. In those cartoons an animated Koko the Clown entered a live action world. In Alice's Wonderland a live action girl (played by Virginia Davis) entered an animated world. This would morph into Walt Disney's first cartoon series. These would be called the Alice Comedies, and 57 of these films would be made.
Also, before the studio embarked on Snow White, silent movie queen Mary Pickford approached Walt Disney about making a feature film where she would play a live action Alice and would enter completely animated Wonderland. Mary Pickford had great admiration for Walt Disney's work, and she was the main force driving this planned film. In early 1933, an acquaintance of Mary's named Frank Reily suggested that Mary make an adaption of Alice in Wonderland with the aid of the Disney studio. Some of Mary's associates warned her against such an expensive venture during the midst of the great depression. Mary came to visit the studio when the project and overheard from story artist Ted Sears and composer Frank Churchill about a project in the works involving three little pigs and heard the song, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. As well pitching her idea to Walt, she also told Walt, "If you don't make this cartoon about the pigs, I'll never speak to you again." Mary was right about this cartoon short as The Three Little Pigs (1933) became a massive success and the most popular cartoon short of the 1930's.
Despite this, Walt did not express much interest over Mary's suggestion for a live action/animated feature film. She wrote to Disney on April 26, 1933, stating that she disappointed by Walt's apparent lack of enthusiasm in that idea and that the idea would not be possible without him. She then approached Walt's concerns about money. She guaranteed that the film would make a profit similar to that of the amount of cartoon shorts that would make up a similar amount of footage. Mary even offered to pay Walt this amount over the period of production. She stated that after the cost of production was recouped that the amount she had advanced Disney would go back to her. She even offered to finance the movie herself. Eight days later Walt wrote back to her, "As I tried to explain to you on our last meeting, the apparent lack of interest on my part was due to my reluctance to work myself up into an enthusiasm which would lead to great disappointment should the deal fall through." Walt continued, "My business representatives have been awaiting word from you. They have been perfectly willing to get together with your representative at any time. But nothing has been done from your end which would indicate you seriously intended going ahead with this production. The tentative proposition which you outlined in your letter is the first definite step that you made towards working on our business proposition. I would suggest that you immediately delegate someone from your organization to get together with our business representatives and work out a mutual business arrangement. Until this is done, I do not feel justified in spending any time or thought on Alice or working myself into any enthusiasm over it. In closing I should like to say that I sincerely believe that a Pickford-Disney production of Alice would be a sensation." A month later Paramount having learned of this idea, snatched up the movie rights for Alice in Wonderland. On May 24, Mary wrote Walt from the Super Chief train that she had hopes that she could straighten out the problems that arose from Paramount having got the rights. She was unable to do this however and the project was abandoned. Paramount's Alice in Wonderland (1933) was released in late 1933. This live action movie had a cast of all-star actors hidden behind giant masks to make them resemble the book illustrations. The result left them unable to truly emote and made for a cold and stiff film adaptation. This movie ended up not only being an artistic failure but also a great disappointment at the box office. Mary would later play Alice but not on screen. She would play Alice in a stage production that started with a performance at New York's Paramount Theatre on December 22, 1933.
Though this Pickford-Disney film was never made, the idea persisted quite a while after, and as late as 1945 the idea of making a part animated and part live action animated feature was still on Walt's mind. Actresses such as Ginger Rodgers, Lisa Davis Waltz and Disney's own Launa Patten were all considered for the role of a live action Alice. It wasn't until 1946, that it was decided to make a completely animated version with no live action.
An art director picked out for the film was a man named David S. Hall. David S. Hall was a man who had never worked for Disney before, never would again, and his work doesn't even appear in this film. This would have been Hall's only foray into animation if it had worked out. He had previously done art direction for such films as Wee Willie Winkie (staring Shirley Temple and directed by John Ford), the 1939 version of The Three Musketeers (directed by Allan Dawn, and staring The Ritz Brothers), and Charlie Chan in Reno (directed by Norman Foster (who would later direct the Davy Crockett films for Disney, along with directing some segments for the Disneyland TV show) and staring Sidney Tolar). However, Hall's designs for the film resembled John Tenniel's book illustrations too closely, that they became too difficult to animate. On top of this Al Perkins (who was a writer for Disney's Reluctant Dragon) wrote the original screen play, but it was too dark for Walt's liking. So, these two men were replaced, and work on the film had to go back to square one.
The much-needed new look for the film was heavily influenced by the design work of Mary Blair. Walt loved her work, and it set the tone not only for the visuals, but the story as well. The film would become more comedic and lighthearted and the parts that didn't fit that mold would not be included.
Probably more than any animated Disney film before this the voice cast would hugely help make these characters into who they appear as on screen. The Mad Hatter and March Hare would fit very well into the normal screen characters for Ed Wynn and Jerry Colonna. In fact, Ed Wynn improvised much of his dialogue for the watch fixing scene. Katheryn Beaumont would be both the live action model for, and the voice for Alice. Much of what Alice's personality would be would come from this actress. Katheryn Beaumont would do the Alice voice for the Alice in Wonderland Ride at Disneyland, and she is still doing the voice for things such as the Kingdom Hearts games. Alice was originally going to have a Somewhere Over the Rainbow-esque song for this film, but Katheryn had difficulty singing it and Walt worried that starting the film with a slow ballad was too risky a thing to do. So instead, we got a livelier number the Katheryn felt more comfortable singing near the beginning. She was only ten years old when doing this voice and she would in fact be schooled partly on the Disney lot. Just to bring it up Janet Waldo (best remembered as the voice of Judy Jetson) was once considered for the voice of Alice, and even though she didn't get the part in this film, she would later voice Alice in the 1966 Hanna-Barbera TV movie Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?.
This film would have the same directors as Cinderella did. These directors would be Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske. Again, the supervising animators would be all nine of Disney's Nine Old Men, plus Norm Ferguson. Again also, supervising animators would be cast by character, such as: Marc Davis for Alice, John Lounsbery for the flowers and the Cheshire Cat, Frank Thomas for the Queen of Hearts, Ollie Johnson for the King of Hearts, Ward Kimball for The White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Mad Hatter, March Hare and The Walrus, Eric Larson for Dinah and the Caterpillar, Milt Kahl for Alice's Sister, and so forth.
Sadly, Alice in Wonderland lost money at the box office. Walt would blame it on the film lacking the warmth of the most popular Disney films and believed he shouldn't have made a film based off a book that he definitely couldn't please many fans of the book.
Review
Considering how hard of books these are to adapt, it is amazing how good this film is. It is full of great artwork, very funny slapstick humor, and complete craziness.
The design work on this film is downright amazing. Those familiar with the work of Mary Blair will notice some of her best work all over this movie. This work is not only beautiful to look at but it draws you into the madness of the film.
Alice may be underwritten compared to her book counterpart, but she is fantastically handled by both excellent animation from Marc Davis, and fantastic voice work from Kathryn Beaumont. These both give a great personality to this version of Alice, and more so than the film's writers gave her.
The humor is excellent the film is simply very funny, and great animation work just brings that to life perfectly. Which makes me wish certain really funny scenes from the books had been included. In fact as a fan of the Alice books and this film, there are so many scenes from the book I wish had been in this film, because I know Disney could have done them quite well.
The biggest fault of this film is that even though it has the most songs put into a Disney film at this point, none of the songs are as memorable as the ones from some other Disney films. However they are pleasant but not up to Disney standards.
Overall this is a great film, that does surprisingly well at adapting, this hard to adapt source material.
Film Credits
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson
Writers: Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Joe Rinaldi, William Cottrell, Joe Grant, Del Connell, Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Milt Banta, Dick Kelsey, Dick Huemer, Tom Oreb, John Wallbridge
Based on the books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carol
Voices: Kathryn Beaumont (Alice), Bill Thompson (White Rabbit, Dodo), Heather Angel (Lorina - Older Sister of Alice), Joseph Kearns (Doorknob), Ed Wynn (Mad Hatter), Jerry Colonna (March Hare), James Macdonald (Dormouse), J. Pat O'Malley (as Pat O'Malley) (Walrus, Carpenter, Tweedledum, Tweedledee), Richard Haydn (Caterpillar), Queenie Leonard (Bird in the Tree), Sterling Holloway (Cheshire Cat), Verna Felton (Queen of Hearts), Dink Trout (King of Hearts), Doris Lloyd (The Rose), Bill Lee (Card Painter), The Mellonmen (Cards), Don Barclay (Card), Larry Grey (Bill), Marni Nixon (Singing Flowers), Norma Zimmer (White Rose)
Producer: Walt Disney
Music: Oliver Wallace
Songwriters: Bob Hilliard, Sammy Fain, Don Raye, Gene de Paul, Mack David, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston, Oliver Wallace, Ted Sears
Production Supervisor: Ben Sharpsteen
Editor: Lloyd L. Richardson
Sound Department: Robert O. Cook, Harold J. Steck, C.O. Slyfield
Effects Animators: Josh Meador, Don MacManus, Gorge Rowley, Blaine Gibson
Special Effects: Ub Iwerks
Color Styling: Mary Blair, John Hench, Ken Anderson, Claude Coats, Don DaGradi
Layout Animators: McLaren Stewart, Tom Codrick, Charles Philippi, A. Kendall O'Connor, Hugh Hennesy, Don Griffith, Thor Putnam, Lance Nolley
Background Artists: Ray Huffine, Art Riley, Dick Anthony, Brice Mack, Thelma Witmer
Supervising Animators: Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Frank Thomas, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Ollie Johnston, Wolfgang Reitherman, Marc Davis, Les Clark, Norm Ferguson
Animators: Hal King, Judge Whitaker, Hal Ambro, Bill Justice, Phil Duncan, Bob Carlson, Don Lusk, Cliff Nordberg, Harvey Toombs, Fred Moore, Marvin Woodward, Hugh Fraser, Charles Nichols
Resourses Used
http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/29-Alice-In-Wonderland
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043274/?ref_=rvi_tt
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart by Scott Eyman
-Michael J. Ruhland
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