Alice in Wonderland (Live-Action)

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Harbinger
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Alice in Wonderland (Live-Action)

Post by Harbinger »

As remakes have become en vogue throughout Hollywood, Disney hasn't been able to capitalize much on some of their most famous films. After all, how do you remake an animated film. Well, not to be left in the dust, Disney is attempting just that. The studio is looking to remake ALICE IN WONDERLAND in a live-action/animated film. One time Disney chairman Joe Roth will produce the film for the studio with Linda Woolverton, who wrote the animated hits LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, currently working on a script. Attempts to remake the "Alice in Wonderland" story have been mostly awful (Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat?!...). Recently Wes Craven and Marcus Nispel (PATHFINDER) were working on a contemporary "horror" version that would've starred Sarah Michelle Gellar. That film seems stuck in development hell however. Should a live action remake of a Disney animated classic be a hit, what might be next? CINDERELLA? SLEEPING BEAUTY?
http://www.joblo.com/live-action-alice
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111796 ... wonderland


I was really hoping for the horror version based on the videogame...
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dalmation134
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Post by dalmation134 »

Hmm. Not sure I'll enjoy this. For the most part all Alice and Wonderland live action movies are bad, and I don't think that even Disney can make one like the original animated classic.
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Post by Leonia »

Didn't the media report Dakota Fanning was attached to do a live-action version of Alice a few years back?
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Post by SpringHeelJack »

Unless they do make the dark Alice based on the video game, I really don't care to see another live-action "Alice". I think this is partly because of something I think Disney realized, that Carroll's wordplay just doesn't always translate successfully to screen without being static or cut in favor of something visually interesting instead.
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Post by blackcauldron85 »

First a live-action "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", then "Aladdin", and now "Alice in Wonderland"??? When will it end? Out of all those, I'd rather see a live-action "Alice in Wonderland". I loved "Adventures in Wonderland" growing up, and I actually watched the NBC (?) TV movie from 1999 (?) starring Tina Majorino. I'd rather see movies based on material we haven't seen on the big screen before, but, out of the three above, I'd rather watch a live-action "Alice".
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Post by goofystitch »

I also think that this would be the better of the three cartoon-to-live action films Disney has on the drawing board at the moment. I've grown up with this story in it's various incarnations. From "Adventures in Wonderland" and the Disney animated classic, to the 80's Warner Bros. films that stayed faithful to both books, to the late 90's Hallmark version. I've always been a fan of the story and I think it's awesome that Disney is considdering doing a live action/animated version. That is the way Walt Disney originally visioned the film. He had even cast several girls to play Alice throughout the years, but it became more feasible to do the whole thing animated so that is how it was done. There are some characters that just should to be animated, such as the Cheshire Cat.

As for the horror version, that always made me mad. I hate when fairy tales are turned into modern horror films. I can understand if somebody wanted to make a film of the original dark versions of these stories, but a horror "Pinocchio" film? Come on, Hollywood! I must admit that out of the possible fairy tales to be adapted into horror films, "Alice in Wonderland" would translate pretty well because of all the bizaar characters she meets, but I still hate the concept. I'm kind of glad that movie is stuck in limbo at the moment.
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Post by PixarFan2006 »

I am sorry, but these remakes have got to stop. I am more worried about remakes ruining hollywood than occupational comedies (Sorry Lazario). I am just sick and tired of remakes that i want to puke.
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Post by disneyboy20022 »

PixarFan2006 wrote:I am sorry, but these remakes have got to stop. I am more worried about remakes ruining hollywood than occupational comedies (Sorry Lazario). I am just sick and tired of remakes that i want to puke.
Well what you Rather have... Disney DTV Sequels or Disney Live Action Remakes :P


I would rather have Disney DTV Sequels depending on the sequel.... and of course they must come with nice pretty slipcovers :P
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Post by PixarFan2006 »

I would take live action remakes in that case. DTV sequels are ruining hollywood worse than remakes are.
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Post by yamiiguy »

Ian McKellen for the Mad Hatter :D
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Post by SpringHeelJack »

I would suggest Eric Idle for the Mad Hatter. I can see that.
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Post by Disneykid »

How the heck can an Alice thread have 10 whole replies before I come onboard, none of which I might add even mentioned me? :P

I heard about the Dreamworks adaptation starring Dakota Fanning years ago. Supposedly that version would be made into two separate films (one covering Wonderland and one covering Looking Glass) and would be very faithful. I guess that project fell by the wayside along with American McGee's adaptation.

I, personally, am looking forward to this on the condition that it doesn't combine both books like 3/4 of Alice movies out there do (most notably Disney's). I really like what Linda Woolverton's done for the studio, so hearing that she may screenwrite this gives me hope that she'll true to Carroll without being so slavishly faithful that it becomes dry. An Alice movie should neither be too faithful or too revised. Of course, there are two exceptions to that. The Disney movie radically changed the book and ended up being an excellent movie so long as you weren't a Carroll purist. On the other hand, the 1985 CBS mini-series was literally line-for-line from the book, with only a few minor additions, and it was always entertaining. Still, I feel a big-budget theatrical Alice movie needs to strike a balance the way P.J. Hogan's 2003 Peter Pan film did. So, basically, here's what I'd want out of this adaptation:

1. Alice must be British.

2. It's been a Hollywood tradition to cast the Wonderland characters as celebrity cameos. Every single cinematic version of the story except for one Russian film does this, even Disney's. It'd be interesting to see new faces. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory featured only a few well-known actors, and it still managed to be a hit. I think the casting process should be on, "Who would be right for this role?" instead of, "What big-name celebrity would be willing to play this role?"

3. Please please PLEASE don't be afraid to be surreal. Alice movies tend to rely so heavily on Tenniel's illustrations that not only do they all look the same, they all look too NORMAL. This is why I've lobbied for a long time for Tim Burton to direct an Alice film. His style would be perfect. The production design needs to set itself apart and give people familiar with the story and its 20,000 film versions a reason to see this in theaters. Suggestions: Don't make Alice blonde with a blue-and-white pinafore dress. In a nice nod to Carroll fanatics, make her hair dark brown and short like a bob the way Alice Liddell had it. As for the dress, try something different, but if you stick with a pinafore, at least make it pink, gold, or beige, common colors from Carroll's era. If you want to be daring, try a pleasing shade of red or green.

4. NO MORALS. In a desperate attempt to give some continuity between segments, a few Alice films such as the 1999 NBC film will add a ham-fisted moral that's tied to each mini-adventure. This destroys Carroll's intentions. He was sick of children's stories always trying to teach kids something about how to live. He wanted Alice to be something that children (and adults) would enjoy, plain and simple. The film should be the same way.

5. Separate Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. It's becoming cliche to combine both books into one film, and in doing so, you wreck the essence of Looking Glass (the whole chess game motif). Do Wonderland first. If it proves successful, then work on Looking Glass. Alice is supposed to be older in the second book, anyway.

6. Branch out. Add bizarre scenarios and ideas. Don't just re-enact the book scene by scene, line by line. In doing so, the only advantage of this film would be the budget, and having a big budget is hardly a reason for a film to exist. Just make sure that what you add is clever, because in some Alice films (like the 1999 NBC one), it can become glaringly obvious even to non-readers what's Carroll prose and what isn't.

7. I pray to God: DON'T MODERNIZE IT. Have a timelessness about the whole thing. No tongue-in-cheek references (unless it blends seamlessly with Carroll's wit). No "girl power!" attitude coming from Alice (come on, she's sassy enough). No starting the film off in the modern day real world (1860s, please). No modern slang like "whatever," "cool," or even "okay" (I've even seen BIBLICAL films be guilty of the last one). If you want to modernize the language (like changing "treacle" to "molasses") keep it timeless.

8. Spring or Fall release, please. The film will die if it's released in the summer or winter. Even in the spring or fall seasons, be wary of what's being released. An Easter release would be ideal, in my opinion, and don't skimp on the ad campaign. Let people know about this film MONTHS in advance. Hold lots of test screenings. Heck, visit select schools (in England?) and screen the film for them early to create word-of-mouth. With big-budget releases of books like Peter Pan, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harry Potter, the granddaddy of them all certainly deserves publicity and attention.

I'm really looking forward to this, but I'll be doing so with extreme caution until I see concept art.
Last edited by Disneykid on Wed Apr 18, 2007 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by slave2moonlight »

It seems this is more likely to be a new adaptation rather than a remake of the animated film. People really shouldn't get that confused. Of course, with Disney it may be harder to make that distinction, but since it's a classic novel...

Personally, I'm always up for a new interpretation of Alice, though I'm sure Walt wouldn't aprove of it. I haven't LOVED any versions besides the Disney animated one, even if it is short on plot, but I have liked some, including one British version I bought as a $1 DVD from Wal-Mart, ha. There are plenty of versions out there, and there are probably a few good ones. I was looking forward to the NBC version, but I only caught a little bit and it was sooooo dull. So many people adore the CBS version. My little sis bought it when it finally came out on DVD, and it's entertaining, but it's too lengthy. There's actually a version out there starring Kate Beckinsale, but I've never seen it. I was greatly looking forward to the horror version based on the American McGee game and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. I had no idea it was in development hell, though I WAS wondering why it was taking so long to come out. Probably won't happen with Gellar now, so I'm REALLY sad to hear that. As for Dakota Fanning, I like her, but they should barr her from making anymore films until she's 18 or something. I mean, they act like she's the only kid actor in Hollywood! They put her in everything! Besides, Alice should be British if you're not going to use Elisabeth Harnois.

Personally, I hope it's a little dark, I hope it's well cast, and I hope they keep it as interesting as the animated version.
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Re: Live-Action Alice in Wonderland?

Post by AwallaceUNC »

Attempts to remake the "Alice in Wonderland" story have been mostly awful (Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat?!...).
That line aside, this article is really exciting. I'm all for Disney moving forward with live-action remakes of some of their animated classics, so long as they are done well. A live-action <i>Alice</i> has a lot of potential. DK laid out some good guidelines. I think Burton would be great for it too.

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Post by slave2moonlight »

Ah, this might be a very good project for Burton. However, I was expecting him to handle Wonka better than he did (I certainly still prefer the 60's version), but I still think he'd be a good choice.
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Post by Prudence »

I'm in agreement with what Disneykid said. Every live-action Alice film I have seen was a boring disaster. My cousins used to turn live versions off in the middle of the movies and put in the Disney video.
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Post by numba1lostboy »

At a glance, Tim Burton would be right at home with this film, but I think he would hold it in a delicate balance. He could very well take the film too over the top and have it be way too stylized and scary.
But of course, if Burton did helm this project, we could very well see Johnny Depp in some form. :wink:

I agree with Aaron. Disney should seriously consider remaking live-action films of their animated classics. 101 Dalmatians did fine in the box office (enough to garner a sequel, anyway). However, I wouldn't have picked Alice. I would've gone with Beauty and The Beast or The Black Cauldron. Those would be cool.

If this does get made, I will be excited. DK's guidelines are great suggestions, too.
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Post by blackcauldron85 »

numba1lostboy wrote:However, I wouldn't have picked Alice. I would've gone with Beauty and The Beast or The Black Cauldron. Those would be cool.
I can't imagine Hen Wen being a real live pig. And, Gurgi would probably go the Gollum route. I think that TBC would make a good live-action film...personally, I'm not even really into that genre, except for Disney's TBC, and the main reason it appeals to me so much is the characters. Without these same animated characters, it wouldn't be as appealing (to me, anyway).

I'm having deja-vu: why bother remaking/re-doing all these films?
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Post by UmbrellaFish »

Hmm.... Might be intresting, but just don't make it a horror film. Please don't....
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Post by slave2moonlight »

numba1lostboy wrote: I agree with Aaron. Disney should seriously consider remaking live-action films of their animated classics. 101 Dalmatians did fine in the box office (enough to garner a sequel, anyway). However, I wouldn't have picked Alice. I would've gone with Beauty and The Beast or The Black Cauldron. Those would be cool.
It would seem odd for them to remake something like Beauty and the Beast as a direct remake of the animated film. I don't know, it would just seem, unnecessary. However, The Black Cauldron would be very cool, especially since many folks feel the original was not good enough.

For Beauty and the Beast, what might be very cool if they did it live-action, would be a movie version of the Broadway musical, like with Phantom of the Opera or The Producers.
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