Toon Talk: Alice in Wonderland Masterpiece Edition DVD - Jan 27, 2004

Toon Talk: Alice in Wonderland Masterpiece Edition DVD
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Padding out the remainder of the set are an art gallery (including concept art inspired by the original book illustrations by John Tenniel, as well as a scant collection of Mary Blair’s distinctive and highly influential work for the film, plus model sheets, behind the scenes photos and poster art), two theatrical trailers and two Walt Disney TV introductions (both sets of which are virtually identically, coincidentally), as well as a host of deleted materials. As Beaumont herself states in From Wonderland to Never Land: The Evolution of a Song (detailing how Alice’s “Beyond the Laughing Sky�? became Peter Pan’s “The Second Star to the Right�?), Alice, with fourteen numbers, had more songs then any other Disney animated feature, but dozens of other songs were wrote yet discarded, some of which can be heard here with six original song demos.

All in all, this “Masterpiece Edition�? is a nice, if incomplete, representation of Alice in Wonderland, a film that suffers from its episodic nature and flaky characters, yet redeemable with its clever vocal performances (in addition to Beaumont, Wynn and Colonna, we are treated to Bill Thompson’s White Rabbit, Verna Felton’s Queen of Hearts and Sterling Holloway’s Cheshire Cat, among others), catchy tunes and Oliver Wallace’s Oscar nominated score. Even with its apparent flaws, while re-watching the film now, it’s easy to see why, over the years, so many Alice fans, young and old, have followed her down that rabbit hole.

Toon Talk Rating: B


(c) Disney
The Toon Talk Top 10 - The Girls With Something Extra:

In honor of Kathryn Beaumont’s plucky performance as little Alice in Wonderland, we pick our ten favorite young actresses in Disney film history, in chronological order:

  1. Virginia Davis: As the original ever-curious Alice in the “Alice Comedies�?, Davis was the first Disney star. She was named a Disney Legend in 1998.
  2. Luana Patten: The adorable Patten made her film debut with Song of the South, followed by roles in Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, So Dear To My Heart, Johnny Tremain and Follow Me, Boys!
  3. Kathryn Beaumont: In addition to Carroll’s timeless heroine, Beaumont also voiced another British literary leading lady in a Disney adaptation, Wendy Darling in Peter Pan. She was also named a Disney Legend in 1998.
  4. Annette Funicello: The multi-talented Funicello segued from her popular Mousketeer role on The Mickey Mouse Club to features with The Shaggy Dog, Babes in Toyland, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones and The Monkey’s Uncle. She was named a Disney Legend in 1992.
  5. Hayley Mills: Mills made an impressive debut (and won an Academy Award) as the indomitable title character in Pollyanna. She cemented her status as a Disney icon with her dual roles in The Parent Trap. In Search of the Castaways, Summer Magic, The Moon-Spinners and That Darn Cat! followed. She too was named a Disney Legend in 1998.
  6. Karen Dotrice: The sweetly soft-spoken Dotrice made her Disney debut in The Three Lives of Thomasina and also appeared in The Gnome-Mobile, but it was her performance as Jane Banks in Mary Poppins that brought her the most notice.
  7. Jodie Foster: Before her controversial role in Taxi Driver (and two Oscars as an adult, for The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs), Foster starred in such Disney hits as Napoleon and Samantha, One Little Indian, Freaky Friday and Candleshoe.
  8. Kim Richards: Richards feisty performance as Tia Malone in the two Witch Mountain features earned her a devoted following. She also co-starred in No Deposit, No Return.
  9. Lindsay Lohan: One of the finest young actresses in modern movies, Lohan starred in two successful Disney remakes, The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday. She will next appear in Disney's Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, in theaters February 20th.
  10. Daveigh Chase: 2002 was a big year for the diminutive Daveigh Chase: in addition to winning an Annie Award for voicing Lilo in Lilo and Stitch and re-dubbing Chihiro for the English-language release of Spirited Away, she won raves and an MTV Movie Award for her spooky turn in the horror blockbuster The Ring.

Coming Soon:

  • In honor of Black History month, three Disney catalog titles will be released on DVD for the first time February 3rd: Perfect Harmony, Ruby Bridges and Selma, Lord, Selma. Several other catalog titles will also be available that day, including Midnight Madness, Return to Oz, Bon Voyage!, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Those Calloways and Follow Me, Boys!
  • Kurt Russell returns to Disney with the true-life story of the champion 1980 US Olympic hockey team in Miracle, in theaters February 6.
  • Timon and Pumbaa tell “their side of the story�? in The Lion King ½, available February 10 in a DVD Special Edition.

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-- Kirby C. Holt

Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted January 27, 2004

 

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