Alice In Wonderland
Foreign title: Alice Au Pays Des Merveilles (French)
- Studio
- Walt Disney Studios
- Distributor
- RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Synopsis
On a lazy, sunny afternoon, young Alice is dreamily ignoring a lesson when she is surprised to see a white rabbit, running briskly and looking at his pocket watch. She pursues him and falls down a rabbit hole, entering a magic land where she encounters a number of crazy characters including Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat and the Queen of Hearts. After a series of escapades in Wonderland, Alice escapes to find that the entire adventure has been a dream.
Characters
Alice, White Rabbit, Dodo, Lorina - Older Sister of Alice, Doorknob, Mad Hatter, March Hare, Dormouse, Walrus, Carpenter, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, Caterpillar, Bird in the Tree, Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, The Rose, Card, Bill, Singing Flowers, White Rose, Card Painters
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske (as Hamilton S. Luske), Wilfred Jackson
Producing
- Producer
- Walt Disney
- Production Supervisor
- Ben Sharpsteen
Writing
- Writer
- Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Joe Rinaldi, William Cottrell (as Bill Cottrell), Joe Grant, Del Connell, Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Milt Banta, Dick Kelsey, Dick Huemer, Tom Oreb, John Wallbridge
- Books "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", "Through the Looking Glass"
- Lewis Carroll
Animation
- Animator
- Hal King, Judge Whitaker, Hal Ambro, Bill Justice, Phil Duncan, Bob Carlson, Don Lusk, Cliff Nordberg, Harvey Toombs, Fred Moore, Marvin Woodward, Hugh Fraser, Charles Nichols
- Directing Animators
- Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball (Cheshire Cat), Frank Thomas, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, Marc Davis (Alice), Les Clark, Norm Ferguson
- Effects Animators
- Josh Meador, Don MacManus, Gorge Rowley, Blaine Gibson
Voices
- Voice
- Kathryn Beaumont (Alice), Bill Thompson (White Rabbit, Dodo), Heather Angel (Lorina - Older Sister of Alice), Joseph Kearns (Doorknob), Ed Wynn (Mad Hatter), Jerry Colonna (March Hare), James Macdonald (Dormouse), J. Pat O'Malley (as Pat O'Malley) (Walrus, Carpenter, Tweedledum, Tweedledee), Richard Haydn (Caterpillar), Queenie Leonard (Bird in the Tree), Sterling Holloway (Cheshire Cat), Verna Felton (Queen of Hearts), Dink Trout (King of Hearts), Doris Lloyd (The Rose), Bill Lee (Card Painter, as The Mellomen), Thurl Ravenscroft (Card Painter, as The Mellomen), Max Smith (Card Painter, as The Mellomen), Bob Hamlin (Card Painter, as The Mellomen), Don Barclay (Card), Larry Grey (Bill), Marni Nixon (Singing Flowers [uncredited]), Norma Zimmer (White Rose [uncredited]), Stan Freberg (uncredited)
Music
- Music
- Oliver Wallace
- Songs
- Bob Hilliard, Don Raye, Mack David, Sammy Fain, Gene DePaul, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman
- Vocal Arrangements
- Jud Conlon
- Orchestrations
- Joseph Dubin
- Music Editor
- Al Teeter
Editing
- Editor
- Lloyd L. Richardson
Crew
- Color Styling
- Mary Blair, John Hench, Ken Anderson, Claude Coats, Don DaGradi
- Layouts
- McLaren Stewart, Tom Codrick, Charles Philippi, A. Kendall O'Connor, Hugh Hennesy, Don Griffith, Thor Putnam, Lance Nolley
- Backgrounds
- Ray Huffine, Art Riley, Dick Anthony, Brice Mack, Thelma Witmer
- Special Processes
- Ub Iwerks
- Sound Director
- C.O. Slyfield
- Sound Recording
- Robert O. Cook, Harold J. Steck
Companies and other credits
- Directing Animators: Ollie Johnston (as Oliver M. Johnston Jr) as Ollie Johnston (as Oliver M. Johnston Jr)
Production notes
Walt had been toying with this story for a long time. He produced Alice's Wonderland, the first in the Alice Comedies series he did for M. J. Winkler in 1924. Never happy with that first attempt, Walt kept reworking Alice, and even considered it as an option for his first feature animated film.... of course, he went with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs instead.
After the success of Snow White, Alice was next up on Walt's list. He officially registered the title with the Motion Picture Association of America. He hired Al Perkins and David S. Hall to develop the film. A story-reel was even complete in 1939, but Walt felt that Hall's drawings resembled Tenniel's drawings too closely, making them too difficult to animate. he felt the overall tone of Perkins' script was too grotesque and dark, and dropped the project.
The project popped back up again after World War II, with the studio hiring author Aldous Huxley to re-write the script. Mary Blair submitted some concept drawings that helped move the project away from Tenneil's sketchy illustrations by taking a modernist stance, using bold and vibrant colors and thick lines. This turned out to be the kick in the pants the production needed, and the script was re-worked to be more up-beat, and to focus more on comedy, music, and the whimsical side to Carroll's book.
On November 3, 1954, "Alice in Wonderland" was broadcast on the ABC television show "Disneyland," which debuted earlier that year. This marked the first appearance of an animated feature film on television.
This was the 13th film in the official Disney list of animated films.
After the success of Snow White, Alice was next up on Walt's list. He officially registered the title with the Motion Picture Association of America. He hired Al Perkins and David S. Hall to develop the film. A story-reel was even complete in 1939, but Walt felt that Hall's drawings resembled Tenniel's drawings too closely, making them too difficult to animate. he felt the overall tone of Perkins' script was too grotesque and dark, and dropped the project.
The project popped back up again after World War II, with the studio hiring author Aldous Huxley to re-write the script. Mary Blair submitted some concept drawings that helped move the project away from Tenneil's sketchy illustrations by taking a modernist stance, using bold and vibrant colors and thick lines. This turned out to be the kick in the pants the production needed, and the script was re-worked to be more up-beat, and to focus more on comedy, music, and the whimsical side to Carroll's book.
On November 3, 1954, "Alice in Wonderland" was broadcast on the ABC television show "Disneyland," which debuted earlier that year. This marked the first appearance of an animated feature film on television.
This was the 13th film in the official Disney list of animated films.
Awards
Academy Award Nominee, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, 1952
Pictures
Reviews
A Charming Girl And A Cute Mouse
I first saw this film on betamax when I was very young, thanks to my siblings who were such movie fanatics. I even had a small book of the film. But only a few weeks ago, I renewed my interest in it after having a brief view of a much later adaptation. The film itself is based on Lewis Carroll's first book, although some elements from his second book are included.
Throughout many versions, Alice wears a dress of different color. But if there's anything she often retains, it's her trademarked Mary Jane shoes.
The Dormouse has so many incarnations from one adaptation to another. But the Dormouse in this film is perhaps the only one that qualifies as cute. If ever the filmmakers would use this Dormouse again, I sometimes wish they give the character a more important role.
This is certainly one of Disney's most famous films.
Alice in Wonderland
I note that it was 49 years ago on this date (November 3, 1954) that is appeared on TV!
The cast was full of well-known people, which bakc then was totally different as they were radio personalties, and helped actually to form the characters, and gave unique influence to the aninators..with regard to the first reviewer's comment, the only criticism seems to be the so-called tampering.
The performers (Ed Wynn, Sterling Holloway, Jerry Colonna and the many others) really provided a major breakthrough for Disney voicing of the 1950s-1970s.None of the house studios' 1980s-2000s films cna match it.(Pixar, though, can)SC, 11/3/2003
Alice in Wonderland
great film. don't worry about it influencing your kids. Hookahs won't hurt anyone. The story is a wonderful "adaptaition" of Lewis's books...however parental guidance is recommended. Unfortunatly some people think that a film that needs parental guidance should not be viewed by kids. It should be! Think about it as quality time with them...take a minute to explain the violence and the drug use if they ask. Alice In Wonderland is a perfect learning experience for children and a must see, also its a must see again for the parents. amy elizabeth