4K/Blu-Ray Review: "Alice in Wonderland" 75th Anniversary — A Restoration Worth the Wait
In celebration of its 75th anniversary, Walt Disney’s 1951 animated classic Alice in Wonderland receives a brand-new 4K restoration, now available on 4K Ultra HD and Digital (but not Blu-Ray). Becoming the third Walt-era animated classic to receive such treatment (behind Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), the new restoration faithfully returns to the midcentury colors the filmmakers intended. Simply put, this is the most faithful home entertainment release the film has ever received.
Lewis Carroll’s classic characters are reinterpreted as only Walt Disney’s Silver Age animators could do. When young Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole, she falls into the curious world of Wonderland, where nothing is what it seems. Her adventures introduce her to zany characters such as the “not all there” Cheshire Cat, the mad Mad Hatter, storytellers Tweedledee and Tweedledum, plus the headhunting Queen of Hearts (and the king).
An initial box-office disappointment, Alice in Wonderland was long deemed inferior and, unlike Disney’s more successful animated features, was shown in full on TV rather than being re-released in theaters (it became a Christmas tradition). Thanks to the characters’ presence at Disney Parks and the 1970s psychedelic movement, it became one of Disney’s first animated films released on home video in 1981, and it was never part of the vault rotation, making it ever-accessible to generations of kids who would come to revere it as a true classic, one deserving of a deluxe anniversary restoration.
Video
The new 4K restoration is a real beauty, which I got to see debut on the big screen at the TCM Classic Film Festival ahead of this release. The transfer is pristine; the most accurate home video release the film has ever had. Grain is lightly preserved, pleasing film purists, while line art detail is clearer than ever before, without looking artificially sharpened. Colors are restored to the filmmaker’s intentions, more closely matching the promotional art and surviving cels as they would appear through the Technicolor film process. With an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, this new transfer also displays slightly more artwork on the sides of the frame, which has never been seen at home before.
The included Blu-Ray disc, despite having cohesive disc art that matches this release, is an identical copy of the 2011 release. Disappointingly, this means the new restoration is not available on Blu-Ray, despite that disc’s inclusion in this release. On Blu-Ray, fans revisit the artificially brightened, oversaturated previous release, which generally flattens the illusion of depth and sometimes even highlights blank background space that was meant to be in shadow. This version is in the 1:33:1 aspect ratio, so some of the artwork revealed by the new restoration is not visible.
Audio
For the primary 4K audio mix, Alice in Wonderland reuses the 2011 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which was excellently created. It adds a nice bit of space to the track without feeling out of step with the era. For purists, the original mono mix is also on the 4K disc, which pairs well with the authentic restoration. Additional audio options include an English 2.0 Descriptive Audio mix, as well as French, Spanish, and Japanese 5.1 tracks.
The Blu-Ray disc includes the same audio options, minus the descriptive audio mix and the Japanese language option.
Bonus Features
* Included on the Blu-Ray disc and through various digital retailers.
- Backstage Disney
- Through the Keyhole: A Companion's Guide to Wonderland (1:16:16) - Kathryn Beaumont introduces this 2011 video commentary feature, featuring historical analysis from Disney/animation historians Brian Sibley, Charles Solomon, Paula Sigman Lowery, and Ron Barbagallo; Lewis Carroll expert Morton N. Cohen; former Imagineer Daniel Singer, and animator Will Finn.
- Reference Footage: Alice And The Doorknob (1:33) - Kathryn Beaumont introduces a brief clip of her live-action reference footage for the film. The footage itself is available with audio commentary by Beaumont, or with picture-in-picture of the animated result.
- Pencil Test: Alice Shrinks (0:54) - A short, rare animation test prior to the sequence moving to Ink & Paint, introduced by Kathryn Beaumont.
- Family Play
- Walt Disney Color TV Introduction (1:15) - From a 1959 TV showing of Alice in Wonderland from the Disneyland show,
- Games & Activities: Painting the Roses Red Game - A BD-Rom puzzle game that helps the cards correct their gardening mistake.
- Classic DVD Bonus Features
- Reflections on Alice (13:27) - A brief featurette created for the 2010 “Un-Anniversary Edition” DVD release, featuring actress Kathryn Beaumont, animator Frank Thomas, and storyboard artist Floyd Norman, plus commentary by historians (Charles Solomon, Stacia Martin, Paula Sigman Lowery, John Canemaker, and Lella F. Smith) and contemporary animators (Eric Goldberg, Andreas Deja).
- Operation Wonderland (10:59) - A 1951 behind-the-scenes promotional piece that aired as part of the Ford Star Review TV show, featuring Walt Disney showing off storyboards, live-action reference footage, and a first flook at the final film (in black and white).
- "I'm Odd" Newly Discovered Cheshire Cat Song (3:56) - “Newly discovered” for the 2010 DVD release, but the title still sticks. An audio recording is paired with concept art and footage from the film, with an introduction by Kathryn Beaumont.
- "Thru the Mirror" Mickey Mouse Animated Short (8:49) - One of Mickey Mouse’s most well-known shorts drew inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s classic books, finding the littler personality becoming mouse-sized on the other side of the mirror where his playful antics include a memorable dance with a deck of cards.
- One Hour In Wonderland (59:26) - Walt Disney first introduced audiences to his version of characters from Alice in Wonderland in this Christmas TV specia (sponsored by Coca-Cola) that also happened to set a blueprint for the Disney anthology TV series and its annual holiday clip shows.
- An Alice Comedy: Alice's Wonderland (8:06) - The 1923 short that gave birth to The Walt Disney Company, made in Kansas City and starring Virginia Davis as Alice in this live-action/animation experimental short.
- Original Theatrical Trailers
- 1951 Original Theatrical Trailer (2:02)
- 1974 Theatrical Rerelease Trailer (1:53)
- TV Introductions
- 1954 Introduction (1:21) - black and white
- 1964 Introduction (1:09) - color
- The Fred Waring Show Excerpt (30:57) - Walt Disney, Kathryn Beaumont, and Sterling Holloway introduce viewers to songs from the upcoming film in this 1951 variety show episode.
- Deleted Materials
- Deleted Scene: Pig And Pepper (3:12) - Ron Clements and John Musker narrate this storyboard sequence from Disney’s 1939 attempt at adapting the story.
- From Wonderland to Neverland: The Evolution of a Song (6:49) - Kathryn Beaumont introduces two demos for “Beyond the Laughing Sky,” a song that was eventually replaced by “In a World of My Own” and later reused as “The Second Star to the Right” in Peter Pan.
- Deleted Storyboard Concept: Alice Daydreams In The Park (2:21) - Concept art for an alternate opening of the film where Alice’s daydreams were even more fanciful.
- Original Song Demos - Static cards with credits and concept art while the songs play.
- "Beware The Jabberwock"
- "Everything Has A Useness"
- "So They Say"
- "Beautiful Soup"
- "Dream Caravan"
- "If You'll Believe In Me"
- Interactive Art Gallery - A gallery of 81 pieces of art used in the making of the film, including concept art, storyboards, and backgrounds from the film.
Packaging & Design
Alice in Wonderland’s 75th Anniversary release comes home in a standard black 4K Blu-Ray case, with a matte slipcover with foil accents. The artwork cohesively pairs with the 4K releases of Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, making the Walt-era animated classics feel cohesive in this format.
Both discs contain new disc art, with the Cheshire Cat and Caterpillar on the 4K disc, Alice and the Queen of Hearts on the Blu-Ray. The only insert is a digital copy code, redeemable through Movies Anywhere.
The 4K disc reuses the 2011 animated menu, which features a changing frame bordering zooming animation of the film’s locales, set to score. The Blu-Ray disc’s contents are an exact copy of the 2011 release, even retaining outdated ads for the Blu-Ray 3D format, the theatrical release of Winnie the Pooh, and the then-upcoming Diamond Edition release of Bambi.
Final Thoughts
While Alice in Wonderland had to earn its classic status through unconventional means, generations of fans who have always held it in high regard can finally see it as it was intended, thanks to this beautiful new 4K restoration. The only downside to this release is the lack of the new restoration’s availability on Blu-Ray, forcing fans without a 4K player towards the digital copy.
Purchase Options
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