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Adaptations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
DIRECTOR: Jan Svankmajer

TITLE: Alice

PUBLICATION DATE: 1988 (Original Theatrical Release) OR DVD release 2003

RUNNING TIME: 86 minutes

PLOT SUMMARY: A combination of live action and stop animation, Alice is a much darker interpretation of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Alice's stuffed rabbit comes to life, she follows him and is seemingly transported from the confines of her bedroom to a vast dirt hill. Chasing the rabbit, Alice follows the creature inside the drawer of a writing desk before stumbling down an elevator shaft that leads to Wonderland. Alice encounters a series of mysterious and often frightening animals constructed out of skeletons and household materials.

SUBJECT HEADINGS: Švankmajer, Jan, Surrealism, Czechoslovakia, Adaptation, Animation, Imagination, Children

SIMILAR DIRECTORS: Guillermo Del Toro, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam

APPEAL: dark and creepy, surreal, spectacular animation brings characters to life, cult classic

AUTHOR: Beddor, Frank TITLE: The Looking Glass Wars BRIEF SUMMARY: A chance encounter in the British Museum reveals the "true" story of Alice in Wonderland. Princess Alyss Heart of Wonderland is the heir to the Queendom and her seventh birthday marks the beginning of her studies to become Wonderland's next monarch. But on her birthday Wonderland is invaded by the forces of Alyss's Aunt Redd who was once in succession to rule the Queendom. Redd's fascination with 'black imagination' provoked Heart Palace to remove her from the succession line years earlier, instead leaving the Queendom to Alyss's mother. Redd's takeover of Wonderland forces Alyss and her mentor and protector, Hatter Madigan, to flee through the Pool of Tears to 19th Centruy Europe. Separated on their journey, Hatter Madigan combs the world in search of the young princess he is bound to protect.

COMPOSER: Waits, Tom TITLE: Alice BRIEF SUMMARY: Songs written for the musical Alice, the album is Waits' 18th release and third collaboration with avant-garde playwright Robert Wilson. Songs are recorded in Waits' signature styles -- a mix of sentimental ballads and dark and cacophonous tracks, and interspersed with a taste of the carnivalesque. While references to Alice in Wonderland remain subtle, Waits' characters remain true to the imaginative spirit of the novel.