Alice in Wonderland is a 1933 fantasy film by Paramount Pictures. The story of the movie was adapted from novels by Lewis Carroll. Stars include W. C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty, Edna May Oliver as the Red Queen, Cary Grant as the Mock Turtle, Gary Cooper as The White Knight, Edward Everett Horton as The Hatter, Charles Ruggles as The March Hare, Baby LeRoy as The Joker, and Charlotte Henry in her first leading role as Alice.
The film features Dinah and Alice living peacefully until they chase a White Rabbit into a hole. After falling in, Alice is transported to various doors. When she drinks a bottle that reads “Drink Me, Not Poison,” she grows big. Her tears flood the room while weeping. She eats a cookie and turns tiny. She meets two strange men named Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum while swimming in her tears. She encounters the Mad Hatter and March Hare during her journey at a tea party. After meeting the Cheshire Cat, she meets Humpty Dumpty, who explains what an unbirthday is. After leaving, she meets a caterpillar and changes its size again. The Queen of Hearts is waiting for Alice when she returns to her normal size and runs away from the caterpillar. They play croquet by grabbing a flamingo by the neck. As Alice realizes she is the Queen or Princess of the land, she is welcomed to a castle. There is a mad rush in Wonderland. She wakes up in her room after being choked by the Queen and lives happily ever after.
There is a great deal of detail in the costumes and sets in this film. Several efforts were made to make the characters resemble John Tenniel’s illustrations. Charlotte Henry plays Alice with a lot of spunk and determination, standing up to a supporting cast of seasoned veterans and inveterate scene stealers. The sets have a cartoonish 2-D feel that matches perfectly with the animated footage incorporated into the live-action.
