USAToday, has another of their visually elaborate movie features, and this time Tim Burton’s ‘Wonderland’ gives them plenty of splashy artwork worthy of the complex layout. (Thanks to Kay for spotting the story.)
The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.
Among those who welcome her back is the Mad Hatter, a part tailor-made for Johnny Depp as he collaborates with Burton for the seventh time. “This character is off his rocker,” Zanuck says.
Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska, 19, best known for HBO’s In Treatment, has the coveted title role. “There is something real, honest and sincere about her,” Zanuck says. “She’s not a typical Hollywood starlet.”
It’s too bad the baroque design is already being described as “the usual Burton-esque ghoulishness” — as if consistent inventive flair and a signature style should be taken for granted. When environments as beautifully surreal as these can be called “usual” no wonder a lesser talent like Roland Emmerich has to blow shit up to get a reaction. You’ll find a couple more widescreen scene recreations after the cut.
A dark vision is just what Alice in Wonderland always needed. My earliest memories of its trippiness were pretty frightening. You can click on any of these photos to supersize them, but for the full immersive effect USAToday lets you go for a leisurely scroll around Wonderland, in zoomable panoramas.
39 Responses for "Walking in a Burton ‘Wonderland’"
Just doin’ my job, as I frequently say. Anyway Anne looks like a fierce betch in her photo, http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos/2009/06/22/whitequeenx-large.jpg
the rest are blah, though
You won’t be thinking blah when the White Rabbit hops out of the screen and drops 3-D rabbit pellets in your lap.
He really does look like Madonna. Someone on another site said it and now I can’t stop thinking it.
From the looks of it, this should be an amazing film. I hope so anyway.
yikes! Antoinette!
Looks absolutely awesome! But I’ve been hooked on Burton since Beetlejuice.
THAT’S who Johnny reminded me of. I couldn’t figure it out, and now I think I’d rather not have known
Ann looks gorgeous, but I think they should have dyed her eyebrows.
lol, Johnny soooo looks like Madonna!
Morphing the two photos from comment #5 together gives us Donatella Depp. (aka Madeline Kahn?)
… or Tim Burton’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”. NOW I can see him actually winning Best Picture and Best Director for this, Depp for Supporting Actor. This looks awesome and we know how good and prestigious the story is…
This looks like the movie Tim Burton was born to direct.
Wow! So excited to see Mr. Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest) in this! Burton can do no wrong in my book. I wonder if Alice will have a complex and troubled relationship with her father in this version??
It’s the gap.
LOVE IT!
Want it. Now.
T.
…hmmm…it’s growing on me. Anyone else?
Since when was Johnny Depp Elijah Wood?
Oscar for Best Makeup
Oscar for Art Direction.
It`s stylish for sure but I really don`t think Burton is a great director. I liked Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood but Charlie and Chocolate factory was terrible and I couldn’t sit through his other stuff as well (Big Fish, those cartoons, Batman movies – so overrated, nice work by Pfeifer and Nicholson but the rest blah and mah).
The pictures are nice but I`m afraid the movie will be like candy store – nauseating after a while. That and overload of campy, OTT acting. Hope I`m wrong.
“When environments as beautifully surreal as these can be called “usual” no wonder a lesser talent like Roland Emmerich has to blow shit up to get a reaction…”
Well put Ryan, damn well put.
You all realize that with one more project after this, Depp and Burton will have tied Scorsese/DeNiro?
Remember when Burton had to fight studios to get Depp casted in his movies? Man that was a long time ago.
““When environments as beautifully surreal as these can be called “usual” no wonder a lesser talent like Roland Emmerich has to blow shit up to get a reaction…”
Despite the possible backlash dare I propose another theory? Not to be a hater but I believe that there is a sort of genericness to the images I’m seeing (so far). May that’s what people are reacting to?
I’m not a believer in darkness for the sake of darkness but I’m not detecting any darkness here either. I liked Depp’s Mad Hatter more when he was more monochrome.
And, someone has to say it but… Those flower faces look like bad photoshop jobs… I guess they look better on a big screen.
Obviously, these are just early images which don’t necessarily give a correct impression of a final product. I’m staying optimistic.
And what’s this about Emmerich being a “talent”?
I watched all Emmerich movies. I couldn`t sit through many Burton stuff. Emmerich may be a hack but his movies are fun. Burton, OTOH, with all the hype about being mad genius or something made at least one movie that is worse than anything Emmerich ever made – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That movie is abomination on all levels imaginable and my contender for the worst movie of the decade. I couldn`t sit through Sweeny Todd and since I couldn`t finish it, I have no right to pass a judgement on it except that I found it unwatchable.
The difference is that one doesn`t expect greatness from Emmerich but does from Burton and I respect Burton fans but he is an epic fail in many cases with me. Mars Attacks! is also on my super-terrible crap list. And don`t get me started on Planet of the Apes remake. As a huge, huge fan of the original movie, I can hardly find words to describe the remake`s shitness. Also, as much as I love HBC`s wackiness in Harry Potter (she`s perfect Bellatrix), Burton takes her crazy impulses in the wrong direction. I just don`t like her in his movies.
So for me, Alice in Wonderland can go either way. I`m very cautious with expectations. Hoping for the best, though.
It always amazes me when a film garners mostly good reviews from critics, but then the internet movie nerd community downright hates it. This has happened notably three times in the past decade, and all three films were update/reboots of classic movie/franchises. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Superman Returns, and Indy IV. Perhaps people just need to let go of their childhood memories and accept new shit.
bambi’s 1st idea actually nailed the Emmerich vs Burton comparison. The worst Emmerich movie I’ve seen – 10,000 BC – isn’t still as pretentious as Burton’s worst – Mars Attacks! or Planet of the Apes, you choose. When Burton nails it, he’s a genius. When his ego magnifies, he’s unbearable. At least with Emmerich I know I’ll have a fun times at the movies, when he fails, he’s still funny.
“This looks like the movie Tim Burton was born to direct.”
Or as a girl friend usually says, Alice in Wonderland fits Burton “como polla al culo”.
well, I’m excited for this.
“como polla al culo”
ha! iggy!
On which end of that phrase do we want Johnny Depp?
Yeah, screw what everyone says about Burton’s “tired” whimsical style. One of my favorite tech cats at the Oscars is Best Art Direction, an award Burton’s films have rightfully won three times in the last 20 years (Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, and Batman).
That’s a hard decision, Ryan. After all, if Depp is known for his versatility, who are we to put him limits?
I wanted the first part in Pirates and the second one, for safety reasons, in Edward Scissorhands, but I haven’t made my mind about this one yet.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Superman Returns, and Indy IV. Perhaps people just need to let go of their childhood memories and accept new shit.”
Haven`t see original CatCF so I can`t say. Liked old Superman (never got through sequels) but not to the point of thinking it`s a sacred cow. Also, Raiders were great but, again, I did not have much emotional investment in the franchise. That said, Burton`s CatCF is standalone disaster and Superman Returns is just boring and miscast (Bosworth as a single mum – nuff said!) which is how I feel about King Kong remake as well save for watts`s wonderful performance (still remember Philipa Boyens` elephant foot in the mouth that “all directors will give up when they see King Kong ” – ugh, shudder, unless it meant give up making shitty remakes). As for Indy 4, I have no hate for this movie. It was silly and seemed as if it borrowed from Raiders knock-offs National treasure and The Mummy but it was fun. And gave us cool “nuke the fridge” phrase. And cate Blanchett was fun and silly for once and I liked her a lot in that OTT campy role.
“como polla al culo”
Should become an offical phrase. Perfection.
I’ll be really happy if this somehow turns out to be the film that takes Burton to the Oscars in a prominent way, but at the same time there will be some woe involved because that film should have been Sweeney Todd (which, despite the opinions of many, I still hold to be a masterpiece in every way).
Burton has been responsible for 5 incredible films: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Nightmare Before Christmas, Big Fish and Sweeney Todd; he’s also made many other very good/good ones. I think we can forgive him for a couple mistakes (CatCF and PotA are, IMO, his only bad films… I still can’t believe so many people miss the point of Mars Attacks! and call it a disaster, but I guess that helps to reinforce genius that went into it).
Burton is one of a kind. He definitley is one of the best out there. I’ve enjoyed all his films, except his remakes of Planet of the Apes and Willy Wonka, but I have a good feeling about Alice in Wonderland.
Bambi: Agree with you on Indy IV, fun movie that puts fanboys in a fit because of merely one or two silly moments (the fridge, swinging monkeys). CATCF was an improvement over the original for me, more faithful to the source material and Depp was entertaining, not to mention the gorgeous production design. Superman Returns is misunderstood. It contains all of the heart and character development of your typical “prestige pic,” yet people call it boring because it’s a superhero movie and I guess it’s not allowed to be cerebral.
Sweeney Todd got royally robbed on all levels; I liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a lot better than the original! Gene Wilder’s portrayal was good but he gave me the creeps.
“I liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a lot better than the original! Gene Wilder’s portrayal was good but he gave me the creeps.”
I hope you are joking. Burton’s version was awful.
Yellow Rose`s face looks just like Perez Hilton`s! You know, from this video where he`s crying after receiving a beating from Black Eyed Peas manager.
Bambi – I liked how Perez was texting about how he got beaten and his eyes about fell out…and I think: “those kids in Tehran getting their eyes and heads bashed in have it a tad tougher, shithead.”
Really, Perez may have finally got nailed, especially when GLAAD got on him, which is a good thing.
The dude is a parasite. Wasn’t he the same guy who posted the pics from the Dustin Lance Black sex tape?
That`s the same guy. Mario aka Perez is a major drama queen. I was ROTFLMAO through this video especially when he started crying FOR REAL! Better actor than 90% of Hollywood to be sure. Although he made some good points about why Carrie prejean lost Miss America. Stupid bitch comment aside, he was spot on on what Miss America should and should not be.
Mars Attacks! is schlock genius – the crap graphics on those burning cows in the start?! come on!! awesomeness.
Hmm… Instead of Madonna, I’m thinking that Depp’s mad hatter is the splitting image of Bryce Dallas Howard..!
Anyone? Anyone?
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