Alice in Wonderland in film

Alice in Wonderland

Cinema, TV and Video representations

Compiled by Michael Organ

Lewis Carroll's two books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) have been presented in numerous film and television versions over the years since 1903 when Percy Stow and Cecil Hepworth's 9 1/2 minute black and white silent film was released in Britain. Below is a list of the known major filmic, television or video productions of Alice's adventures, compiled from a variety of online and published sources. Some of these are patchy, not complete and of low quality, whilst others are highly detailed. A star rating out of 5 is given for each film, where the version has been seen by the compiler - the rating is primarily based on adherence to the original Carroll texts, quality of the production and the compiler's personal taste. Numerous sites also list aspects of the various filmic versions:

Matt Patches, The Mad History of Alice in Wonderland, UGO, March 2010.
Fiona, Alice in Wonderland Through the Ages, Filmfilia, March 2010.
Kenneth Rougeau, Alice in Wonderland: A Cinematic History, Uncommon Nonsense: news from the world of Wonderland, September 2010.
Internet Movie Database. Lists most versions of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Tapirr, Alice in Wonderland (Russian), 2010.

	Picture	History
1903		Alice in Wonderland UK. Dir: Percy Stow and Cecil Hepworth. May Clark as Alice. Silent. A landmark, as this is the first filmed version of Alice in Wonderland. The short survives in near complete form, though the film is damaged in parts. It has been restored by the British Film Institute National Archive. The production is a simple, flat, presentation containing only a few elements of the first book. It is available on YouTube and in numerous DVD editions. B/W (tinted), film, 9.32 minutes. ***
1910		Alice's Adventures in Wonderland US. Dir: Edwin S. Porter. Thomas A. Edison Productions. Alice - Gladys Hulette. Silent. B/W, film, 14.10 minutes. Higher quality, shorter version available here: https://youtu.be/b4Pu5vX1i3Y.
1915		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: W.W. Young. Alice - Viola Savoy. Silent. This is a film version incorporating elements of both books. B/W (tinted), film, 1.25.53 minutes. A shorter, higher quality version is available here: https://youtu.be/ELNW3XWiKUs. ***
1928		Alice through the looking glass US. Dir: Walter Lang. Silent. Five reels of this film have been identified by a US collector, and 15 minutes are publically available on YouTube. Apparently some of the sets and costumes were shared with the 1915 film version by W.W Young. B/W, film, 75+ minutes.
1931		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: Bud Pollard. Alice - Ruth Gilbert. This is the first sound and musical version. The image on the left is the original stone lithograph poster issued for the initial US release in 1931. For a more detailed description of the film see here: Alice in Wonderland at kiddiematinee.com. B/W, film, 55 minutes. [Not viewed]
1933		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: Norman McLeod. Alice - Charlotte Henry. Paramount. This is the first production by a major Hollywood studio. It sticks closely to the books, though it is a noisy production with not much heart. B/W, film, 90 minutes. ***
1936		Through the mirror US. Dir: Walt Disney. A short featuring Mickey Mouse as the Alice figure going through a looking glass mirror, though his subsequent adventures do not mirror those of Alice in the book. Copy available on dvd of 1951 Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. Colour, cartoon, 8.39 minutes. *
1946		Alice in Wonderland UK, BBC. Dir: George More O'Ferrall. Alice - Vivian Pickles. Selected scenes from a West End production. According to Television Heaven: Very early BBC TV outing for Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy produced by George More O'Ferrall and transmitted live as a Christmas treat on 21st December 1946. Subtitled 'Some of her Adventures in Wonderland' this 40 minute broadcast was shown twice (performed live) before disappearing into the ether forever. Vivian Pickles played Alice and supporting cast included Erik Chitty -twenty years before he appeared as 'Smithy' in 'Please Sir! -and a young Miriam Karlin years before she starred as the stroppy shop steward who became something of a national institution in 'The Rag Trade'. 2 showings - 40 minute duration. BBC TV. First broadcast 21/12/1946. B/W, TV, 40 minutes. [Not viewed]
1950		Alice in Wonderland / Alice au pays des merveilles UK / France. Dir: Lou Bunin. A mixture of live action and stop motion animation. The release of this film was heavily impacted upon by the Walt Disney studios, in anticipation of their own release the following year. For a more detailed description of the film and images see here: Alice in Wonderland at kiddiematinee.com. Colour, film, 96 minutes.
1951		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: Walt Disney. Cinema release cartoon. Perhaps the most well known and easily accessible version of Alice. Stays relatively close to the text, though mixes up the narrative and inserts jokes and songs. Colour, cartoon, 75 minutes. ****
1951		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: George Schaefer. A live television adaptation of the 1932 Broadway version of the novel, co-written by Eva LeGallienne and directed by George Schaefer for the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Alice - Gillian Barber. B/W, film, ? minutes. [Not viewed]
1966		Alice in Wonderland UK. Dir: Jonathan Miller. BBC. The Wednesday Play series. Uses Carroll's exact words and unmasked characters to present a trippy mid sixties version of the book. B/W, TV, 76 minutes. *****
1966		Alice in Paris Rembrandt Films, France / UK. A strange mix of the Alice stories with the French cartoon character Madeline, where Alice goes to Paris. Low quality animation on video tape. Colour, cartoon , 51.30 minutes. **
1966		Alice in Wonderland, or What's a nice kid like you doing in a place like this US. Dir: Alex Lovey. Cheshire cat voice - Sammy Davis Jnr. NBC. According to blog kerrytonz: "Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?) is a one-hour animated TV-movie, produced by Hanna-Barbera, and broadcast on the ABC network on March 30, 1966. This adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland differs from most others in a number of ways; e.g., Alice falls into a TV set instead of a rabbit hole. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble appear in this movie as a two-headed caterpiller, and Hedda Hatter (a new character) is a female counterpart of the Mad Hatter. Rexall and Coca-Cola sponsored this feature, and characters from the movie appeared in the Rexall commercials. After the movie was broadcast, Hanna-Barbera Records put out a soundtrack album, which is currently out of print. Although Sammy Davis, Jr. supplied the voice of the Cheshire Cat in the movie, the song What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? was performed on the album by Scatman Crothers, due to the fact that Davis was under exclusive contract to Reprise Records at the time. Colour, TV , 60 minutes. [Not viewed]
1966		Alice through the looking glass US. NBC. Alice - Judi Rolin.Features an all-star cast including Agnes Moorehead, Ricardo Montalbán, Nanette Fabray, Jack Palance, The Smothers Brothers, Jimmy Durante, Broadway's Robert Coote (Camelot), London's Roy Castle (Singin' in the Rain) and great character actors like Iris Adrian and Jackie Joseph. Alice father is played by Richard Denning, who played Lucille Ball's spouse on radio's "My Favorite Husband" and lost Deborah Kerr to Cary Grant in the movie "Affair to Remember." The Emmy-winning costumes were co-created by Bob Mackie. Moose Charlap, who wrote most of the music for the Broadway "Peter Pan," did the same for this. The score includes the "Backwards Alphabet," which was also recorded as a single by Soupy Sales. The score from the special was also released on RCA Records on vinyl. Colour, film, 1.18.15 minutes. [Not viewed]
1972		Alice in Wonderland UK. Musical version. Alice - Fiona Fullerton. Features a wonderful Mad Hatter's tea party scene with Robert Helpman, Peter Sellers and Dudley Moore. Adhere's closely to the books, with an introductory riverboat scene. Score by John Barry. Colour, film, 101 minutes. ****
1974		Alice through the looking glass UK. BBC. Dir: James McTaggart. Alice - Sarah Sutton. Colour, TV, ? minutes. [Not viewed]
1976		Alice in Wonderland Argentina. Dir: Eduardo Pla. Colour, film, 73 minutes. [Not viewed]
1976		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: Bud Townsend. Alice : Kristine DeBell. X-rated musical version, 91 minutes. [Not viewed]
1981		Alice at the Palace US. Dir: Elizabeth Swados. Musical. Alice - Meryl Streep. Film of a live theatre performance. Colour, TV , 81 minutes. [Not viewed]
1982		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: Kirk Browning. Film of modern version of the 1932 Broadway musical. Alice - Eve Arden. White Knight - Richard Burton. Colour, TV , 87 minutes.
1982		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: John Clarke Donahue & John Driver. Film of production by Childrens Theatre Company and School of Minneapolis. Alice: Annie Enneking. Colour, TV [Not viewed]
1983		Alice in Wonderland Japan. Nippon Animation. Colour, cartoon, 21+ episodes, approx. 24 minutes each.
1985		Alice's Adventures in Wonderland UK. 5 part series. Anglia TV Colour, TV, 5 episodes - 100 minutes.
1985		Alice in Wonderland US. Alice - Natalie Gregory. Two part, Irwin Allen production. Colour, TV , 187 minutes. *****
1986		Alice in Wonderland UK. BBC series. Dir: Barry Letts. Colour, TV , 120 minutes. [Not viewed]
1988		Alice in Wonderland Czech. Dir: Jan Svankmajer. Strange, surrealistic, stop motion and live character version. Colour, TV, 86 minutes. ****
1988		Alice in Wonderland Australia. Burbank Films. Dir: Richard Trublood. Alice - Olivia Martin. Low quality videotape animation. Colour, cartoon, 51 minutes. ***
1980s		Alice in Wonderland US. Low quality videotape animation. Does not adhere to the book. Colour, cartoon, 73 minutes. *
1991-5		Alice in Wonderland US. TV series. Alice - Elizabeth Harnois. Disney Production. 1991-1995. Colour, TV, ? minutes. [Not viewed]
1991		Alice in Wonderland Japan. Colour, cartoon , 27 minutes. [Not viewed]
1995		Alice in Wonderland US. Jetlag Productions / Japanese animation team. Producers - Cayre Brothers. Low quality video animation. Looks like it was made during the 1970s. Language dumbed-down though it does attempt to follow the book. Colour, cartoon , 45 minutes. **
1998		Alice through the looking glass UK. Dir: John Hendersen. Alice - Kate Beckinsdale. A fairly faithful and intelligent presentation of the second Alice book. Colour, film, 86 minutes. ****
1999		Alice in Wonderland US. NBC television production. Martin Short as Mad Hatter. Alice - Tina Majorino. Colour, TV, 131 minutes. ****
2009		Alice US. Dir: Alex Lovey. Sci-fi futuristic loose adaptation of Through the Looking Glass. Alice - Kathy Bates. Colour, TV, 175 minutes. ***
2010		Alice in Wonderland US. Dir: Tim Burton. Eclectic adaptation of the Lewis Carroll books, though extremely well done and very popular, bringing in over $1B for Disney Productions. Alice - Mia Wasikowska. Colour, film, 108 minutes. ****