It’s only a dream is an underlying them throughout Disney’s 2010 remake of Alice in Wonderland. For movie lovers everywhere it is a dream come true, if preferences lean toward the book and not toward the warm and fuzzy version Disney first produced. It also feeds the hearts of those who love computer graphics and fantasy fiction, not forgetting Johnny Depp fans everywhere. This particular version is darker than the one of childhood memories, but soothes the soul of the thrill seeking adult mind. It is rated PG-13 so allowing small children to watch it wouldn’t be advisable. It could cause nightmares, depending on the child.
The character development is one of the great things about this movie. The movie starts out with an enterprising man talking with business partners about a truly visionary trade idea that seems mad, this is followed by a touching scene between the same man and his daughter after she has had a nightmare. This sets the tone for the rest of the movie with the characterization of Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska. The movie flows to ten years later with the passing of the father, and the relationship between mother and daughter becomes apparent as does the mother’s very restricted view. This gives a background to how Alice has been raised and explains more about her character. Why she has to fight to fit in and please everyone, but why when she manages it she is terribly unhappy. At the social event that she later discovers is supposed to be her engagement party, it is apparent how different and novel her ideas are compared the society she is raised in. A society where she is told everything is impossible. This clashes with her father’s beliefs, the very same beliefs he raised her to have.
Moving on further into the movie we meet other characters. The one that stands out as most beloved is Hatter, played by Johnny Depp. With this character they spared nothing. When first seen, he appears to be slightly damaged with post-traumatic stress...