through the looking glass

After attending the festival, I'm quite excited about the latest Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland, coming out next year. Directed by Tim Burton, famous for his dark, quirky films (Sweeny Todd, The Night Before Christmas and the Corpse Bride), it's a more mature take on the classic, as a 19-year old Alice returns to Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years ago but doesn't remember.


The cast includes newcomer, Mia Wasikowska, who plays the lead character, Alice and frequent Tim Burton collaborators Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter), Stephen Fry (the Cheshire Cat) and Helen Bonham Carter (the Red Queen) are also make an appearance in the movie. Anne Hathaway plays the White Queen, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit and Alan Rickman (Snape from Harry Potter) takes on the role of the Caterpillar.

Johnny Depp is the perfect match as the Mad Hatter. It vaguely reminds me of his character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but dipped in makeup from the MAC counter and wearing a clown wig. While Depp's character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was eerie, Depp as the Mad Hatter looks absolutely scary.

Tim Burton's wife, Helen Bonham Carter, plays the Red Queen. Her head will be digitally expanded to three times its size for the movie. I guess it's to give her that comical outraged bobblehead expression when she screams, "Off with their heads!"

The visual imagery of the above photos are absolutely gorgeous. They look more like pieces of art that should be framed and hung on the wall in your living room. It's all about the fantasy, the exaggeration and the magic that Tim Burton brings to the film, creating a richly textured world full of surprises, darkness and the bizarre.

Take a tumble down the rabbit hole and follow the White Rabbit to another world as Tim Burton's movie, Alice in Wonderland hit theatres on March 10, 2010. Click on the link for the official movie trailer: Don't be late!

Images from www.wired.com