Alice in Wonderland

The new Alice in Wonderland

movie opened yesterday.

And as I had been promising India for MONTHS, 

we saw the movie on opening day.

And as is her habit, 

for any long awaited fantasy film,

she dressed in character.

Sadly, my camera batteries died, so I do not

have any photos.

So, since I had been asked by some friends to give my review of the film,

here goes.

First of all,  I do not feel this is a movie suitable for young children. 

It has a PG rating, but even so, I strongly suggest that 

parents consider the likes, dislikes and fears of their children

before taking them to see this movie. 

After seeing it, I know that our five year old Ahnalin will not 

be watching this film. 

Due to her Sensory Processing Disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress,

she really hates 3D films. She just can not handle them.

Also, she can not handle scary things at all.

So, for Ahnalin, this film is out until she is older.

As I have shared before, both of my girls

are rather obsessed with Alice in Wonderland.

These were their Halloween costumes and both have

worn them several times since Halloween.

Yes, India wears costumes to school on a regular basis. 

For Christmas, we gave India

"The Annotated Alice" by Lewis Carroll

This book is fabulous!!! It has the original 

Alice stories, along with history of Lewis Carroll, 

aka Charles Dodgson.

Another favorite that can keep the girls and I busy for hours is


Princess Alyss of Wonderland 
by Frank Beddor.

In fact, any book by Frank Beddor is pretty good.

According to my India,
this new Alice In Wonderland doesn't really stick
completely to any of the actual Alice stories.

She feels it is closest to the
"Through The Looking Glass" story line.
But she felt best just blocking out all
of her reading of the Alice books
and taking this as a brand new story.

Now realize, I read the original Alice in Wonderland
years ago and since then, I have mostly
read the children's storybooks, most
often they were with Disney Illustrations.

Now, onto what really interested me....

Costumes!

I thought that Alice's blue gown,
in all of it's various sizes of "shrinkage"
was fun and pretty. It was not fabulous like
I was expecting. But it was pretty.

I actually preferred the tiniest version,
when she was shrunk to about 4 inches high,
as it was a pretty strapless version with a higher waist.
I can't find pictures of that, but you will see what I mean
if you see the film.

On the other hand,
the costuming for the Red Queen was FANTASTIC!
I loved the details and the rich fabrics.
Her enormous head only made it that much more
interesting.

Truly, the Red Queen was my favorite character.
I am not saying I liked her, as she is not likable.
But her portrayal was spot on and very
over the top!

The Mad Hatter was very good.
I actually found him to be quite a sympathetic
character and felt sorry for him.
His costuming was amazing!

At one point, he is in a workroom making
hats for the Red Queen, and you see a
variety of beautiful and extravagant hats
designed for her enormous head.

He was sewing them on a hand crank black Singer.
I would have LOVED to been able to wander around that work room
and look at every detail.
 I can't find any images of this scene but
you sewing girlies will love it!

As you would expect, the special effects are
truly amazing. Visually,
the film is spectacular!

The acting is good and casting was
in most cases appropriate.

I found the casting of Anne Hathaway,
whom I normally love, a bit weird for the
White Queen.
Yes, she played a strong, gentle character,
but I never quite believed her.

All of the other actors really fit their roles well.

I can see the set designs and visual elements
of this film having an impact on garment and
fabric design this year.

I know that I was inspired and can't wait to have some time to
sew some goodies for my girls with these
designs and colors.


All in all, I found the film enjoyable and worth the money.

It was a rare treat to enjoy a film with my sweet India.
Back to work for me. I hope to have some fun things to show you soon!