Art Direction Alert: Quickie Look at Burton’s Alice
Slashfilm rousted out a scan from D23 with some pics of what Tim Burton’s 3-D spectacular Alice in Wonderland, “Through Tim Burton’s Looking Glass.”
Says Burton, “it’s kind of a mixture of some distorted live action and animation. I can’t relate it to anything because I’m not sure what to relate to.”
Burton’s films can be counted upon to be top notch in all of the tech categories, especially costume and art direction. The film is currently in post-production with a release date of March 5, 2010, which would take it out of the Oscar race for 2009. That is, unless there is some kind of qualification run.
JK says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 8:12pm
Not much of the real thing… And I don’t know if I’m sold on Mia Wasikowska as Alice, but it’s Tim Burton, so I’ll wait for the best….
Anna says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 8:40pm
I thought Mia was a fresh face in Defiance. I could definitely see her in the role of Alice.
The visuals look very burtonesque. I’m more excited about this being 3D than anything else.
srh1son says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 8:46pm
Mia was devasating as one of Gabriel Bryne’s patients on HBO’s “In Treatment”. Looking forward to this film.
Danny says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 8:51pm
Definitely intriguing… I’m really hoping Danny Elfman is going to score. He achieved such a unique sound with Milk and I really think he is at the top of his game with movies a bit more serious like Big Fish and Sleepy Hollow (as opposed to stuff like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Anyway, Alice looks good, but I’ll reserve judgment til I see her do a little acting. This movie’s gonna be in post production for a whole year! They must have a lot planned.
Afrika.. says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 9:19pm
That alice seems kinda old and man-looking…but then again it might just be bad lighting.
My choice for Alice would have been someone unexpected and a surreal/supernatural “creature”…someone like GEMMA WARD!!
Nyc Oscar Buff says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 9:35pm
That’s pretty crazy “a qualifying run”. It has a March release date. It’s not coming out on Jan. 10 so there’s no way a qualifying run would happen unless the release date gets change to limited in Dec ’09 and wide the first couple weeks in January which doesn’t make much sense.
k says:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 10:29pm
I’m excited for this.
Daniel says:
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 12:15am
I think this should at least be entertaining. I will always been excited for any up and coming Burton project (especially when it involves Johnny Depp).
billybil says:
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 8:27am
I think the art direction looks quite wonderful – not as wierd as I was afraid it was going to be – but more fanciful and, dare I say it with regards to a Tim Burton film(?) – traditional.
Alice can be an interesting part to cast. I think many people assume a sweet, pretty blonde girl but the role is rather petulant and feisty.
It’s good to hear several people say good things about performances Mia Wasikowska has already delivered. She was an unknown to me. Afrika – I do get a kick out of your comments on the way this photo makes her look – lol.
regina says:
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 1:10pm
when i child alice is my favorite child books.im glad tim burton direct alice and im happy with cast.
Hans says:
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 8:32pm
Having been in the play and watched the movies (I love the quirky WEIRD-ASS 1999 tv movie version) and read the books growing up, this is definitely hotly anticipated for me. The release date is rather awkward for either the ’09 or ’10 Oscar race, so I hope its not completely left out.
And GOD, what a CAST! It’ll be interesting to see Depp in a supporting role here, I don’t think he’s done that yet in a Burton film. He’s proven he can definitely bring on the camp (he was unrecognizable as Willy Wonka, IMO), and the Mad Hatter is nothing but camp, so that’ll be fun. The hardest cast member I’m trying to fit in with everyone else is Anne Hathaway. Everyone else seems perfectly suited for their roles (Crispin Glover as the Knave? GENIUS.)
RRA hates Tea Parties says:
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 9:18pm
Whoa, Glover AND Depp is in this?
That’s it, I’m sold.
Cliff says:
Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 9:32am
imdb is incorrect. this film is NOT in post-production. they haven’t finished principle photography yet.
Kayla says:
Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 5:27pm
I did not think he was unrecognizable in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp has overdone the campy thing in alot of his movies. I have a feeling his performance as The Mad Hatter will be similar to tone and in the same category as that. His voice and facial expressions that he used in that movie reminded me of what he did in Ed Wood. Somebody brave pointed out on another post that Depp bascially has three distinct styles and he adapts whatever characterization in a movie to either one of them or a combo of them. I am starting to see the truth in that. His range and complexity is not as impressive as the media, industry, and his die-hard fans paint it to be.
I wish they had more creative casting and picked somebody else besides Depp. Tim Burton needs to step out of his comfort zone more and work with more actors. He should cast against type, instead of somebody who will give a predictable performance. I heard rumors about Depp possibly be cast as The Riddler in the next Batman movie. I hope they go with Guy Pearce or somebody else instead.
I am still excited about seeing this movie. If it gets released this year, possible noms: Best Visual Effects, Art Direction, Makeup, Wardrobe, Original Score, etc. It has some animation too. I was also disappointed with the casting of Alice. I know this is shallow but I imagined Alice as very pretty and innocent-looking.
Mia doesn’t fit the image I had of Alice. I think Anna Sophia Robb would have
been a good choice.
Afrika says:
Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 6:40pm
“Tim Burton needs to step out of his comfort zone more and work with more actors. He should cast against type, instead of somebody who will give a predictable performance.”
- Kayla
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Depp always delivers mind blowing performances…especially in these quirky roles. Why should Burton try new actors when Depp is always a guaranteed home run?
Mix says:
Monday, March 16, 2009 at 11:02am
I think Tim Burton should try new actors too. Depp is a guaranteed home run in terms of box office, critical acclaim, and hype. I don’t think Depp always delivers mind blowing performances. In fact, he has never blown my mind with anything he has done. He is always satisfactory and solid but I never thought he was an amazing actor. He has his niche and he owns that well. Depp used to be a “rebel”, then he turned into the ultimate press and public favorite thanks to the POC franchise. I always thought he was overrated, then in 2003 practically everybody chose to ride the Depp train. He uses great strategy when it comes to picking roles to make people think he is a much better actor than he really is. He also knows how to make himsef look much more interesting than he really is. He passively and expertly played the same celebrity game as his peers yet he gets painted as the private one who has no interest in fame when you can tell he enjoys his phenomenal popularity if you can see through him.
He will probably get nominated for Public Enemies. It is a case of the right time to recognize not just Depp but Michael Mann from the industry vibes I have been getting. It will probably shut out more deserving actors and movies. The clips of him in Public Enemies oddly reminded me of Sweeney Todd, Blow, The Libertine, and The Astronaut’s Wife. If he gets nominated, he will probably have the most people rooting for him in the wrong performance.
I loved Alice and Wonderland growing up. It was my favorite disney movie as a kid. The books and other film adaptations weren’t as charming and delightful. Tim Burton is the perfect choice to direct this movie. I think Ewan McGregor or Cillian Murphy would have been a more compelling choice for The Mad Hatter. Or he could have picked somebody unexpected for this part.
Mix says:
Monday, March 16, 2009 at 11:10am
It would have been cool to see somebody like Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Daniel Day-Lewis, Matt Damon, or Edward Norton surprise everybody by delivering a great performance for a quirky role like this. I rolled my eyes when I heard about the casting of Depp. I don’t want people to think I hate Depp because I don’t. The man just gets too much love and praise. I am relieved they didn’t pick Dakota Fanning as Alice. She is a good actress but I am tired of seeing her all the time. This child/teenager needs a break. I wonder if she has much of a life outside of acting.
expert says:
Monday, March 16, 2009 at 4:14pm
Johnny Depp is the best actor ever.