Alice in Wonderland (1951 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alice in Wonderland
1951 original theatrical release poster
Directed by	Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson Hamilton Luske
Produced by	Walt Disney
Story by	Milt Banta Del Connell Bill Cottrell Joe Grant Winston Hibler Dick Huemer Dick Kelsey Tom Oreb Bill Peet Erdman Penner Joe Rinaldi Ted Sears John Walbridge
Starring	Kathryn Beaumont Ed Wynn Richard Haydn Sterling Holloway Jerry Colonna Verna Felton J. Pat O'Malley Bill Thompson Joseph Kearns Dink Trout James MacDonald
Music by	Oliver Wallace
Editing by	Lloyd Richardson
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date(s)	July 26, 1951 (1951-07-26) (London, premiere) July 28, 1951 (1951-07-28) (New York City, premiere)
Running time	75 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million
Money made	$5.6 million (US, 1951)

Alice in Wonderland is a classic animated musical fantasy film from 1951. It was made by Walt Disney Productions. The movie is based on the famous Alice books by Lewis Carroll. It was the 13th animated feature film released by Disney.

The film first came out in London on July 26, 1951. Two days later, it premiered in New York City. The main character, Alice, is voiced by Kathryn Beaumont. Other famous voices include Sterling Holloway as the Cheshire Cat, Verna Felton as the Queen of Hearts, and Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter.

Walt Disney had wanted to make an Alice movie since the 1930s. He tried again in the 1940s. At first, it was planned to mix live-action and animation. But in 1946, Disney decided to make it a fully animated film.

When it first came out, the movie was not a big hit. So, Walt Disney showed it on his TV show, Disneyland. It became very popular on television. Later, when it was shown in theaters again, it was a huge success. The film also became popular through toys, games, and home video releases.

Even though critics didn't like it much at first, Alice in Wonderland is now seen as one of Disney's best animated movies. Many people consider it a cult classic and one of the best film versions of Alice.

There are also live-action movies based on Carroll's books and this animated film. Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton, came out in 2010. A sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, was released in 2016.

What Happens in the Story?

Alice is bored with her sister's history lesson. She dreams of having an adventure. Suddenly, she sees a White Rabbit wearing a waistcoat. He is exclaiming that he is "late for a very important date!"

Alice follows the Rabbit down a large hole. She sees him go through a tiny door. A talking doorknob tells her to drink from a bottle to shrink. She drinks and becomes tiny. Then she floats out into a sea of her own tears. She had cried these tears after eating a biscuit that made her grow very large.

As she chases the Rabbit, Alice meets many strange characters. These include Tweedledum and Tweedledee. They tell her the story of "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

Alice's Size Changes and New Friends

Alice finds the Rabbit's house. He thinks she is his maid and sends her to get his gloves. Inside, Alice finds another cookie marked "Eat Me." She eats it and grows huge, getting stuck in the house! The Rabbit thinks she is a monster. He asks the Dodo to help get her out.

The Dodo decides to burn the house down. Alice escapes by eating a carrot, which makes her shrink to three inches tall. She keeps following the Rabbit. Next, Alice meets a garden of talking flowers. They sing to her at first. But then they are rude about her looks and tell her to leave.

Alice then meets a Caterpillar. He gets angry when Alice complains about being small, just like him. The Caterpillar then turns into a butterfly and flies away. Before leaving, he tells Alice to eat a piece of a mushroom. One side will make her taller, and the other will make her shorter. She uses it to return to her normal height and continues her chase.

The Mad Tea Party and the Cheshire Cat

In the woods, Alice gets lost on many paths. She meets the Cheshire Cat. Alice asks him which way to go. He tells her it depends on where she wants to go. Alice says it doesn't really matter. The Cat grins and suggests she ask the Mad Hatter or the March Hare.

She finds them, along with the Dormouse, at the Hare's house. They are having a mad tea party. They are celebrating their "unbirthdays." The Hatter and Hare ask Alice to explain her problem. But they keep interrupting her with silly logic.

The Rabbit appears, still saying he's late. The Hatter looks at his watch. He says it's "two days slow." He tries to "fix" it with food and tea, but he breaks it. The Rabbit is sad because it was an "unbirthday present." The Hatter and Hare sing "The Unbirthday Song" to him. Then they throw him back into the woods. Alice is tired of the nonsense and wants to go home. But her surroundings change, and she gets lost. She cries, thinking she's lost forever.

The Cheshire Cat appears again. He tells Alice to ask the Queen of Hearts for directions home. He shows her a "shortcut" to the King and Queen's castle.

The Queen of Hearts' Trial

The Queen orders the beheading of three card gardeners. They planted white roses instead of red ones. They were trying to paint them red. The Queen then invites Alice to play croquet. They use live flamingos, card guards, and hedgehogs as equipment. The game is rigged so the Queen always wins.

The Cat appears again and plays a trick on the Queen. She falls over. The Cat disappears, making it look like Alice did it. Before the Queen can order Alice's execution, the King suggests a trial.

At Alice's trial, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse are witnesses. They briefly celebrate the Queen's unbirthday. They give her a headpiece that turns into the Cat. The Dormouse gets scared when Alice points out the Cat. He runs around the courtroom, causing chaos.

The Queen orders Alice's execution. But Alice eats a piece of the Caterpillar's mushroom she saved. She grows large again. The King and Queen tell her to leave. Alice refuses and insults the Queen. As she does this, she shrinks back to normal size. The Queen orders her execution again!

Alice runs away. The Queen, King, card guards, and other characters chase her. Alice reaches the small door she saw earlier. The doorknob shows her that she is actually outside, asleep. Alice yells at herself to wake up. She does, thanks to her sister. They go home for tea.

Who Are the Voices?

Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters in Alice in Wonderland:

How the Movie Was Made

Writing the Story

When writing the script, many parts from Lewis Carroll's books were considered. Some were added, and some were taken out. Disney wanted to keep the scenes close to the book. He felt much of the humor came from Carroll's original writing.

Some scenes were planned but later removed. One scene from 1939 took place outside the Duchess' manor. Alice would have seen the Fish Footman and Frog Footman. She would then sneak into the kitchen. There, she would find the Duchess' Cook throwing pepper everywhere. The Duchess was nursing her baby, and everyone was sneezing. Alice would rescue the baby, but it would turn into a pig and run away. This scene was cut to keep the movie moving faster.

Another deleted scene was in Tulgey Wood. Alice would meet a scary-looking Jabberwock. It would then turn out to be a funny dragon-like creature with bells. A song called "Beware the Jabberwock" was also written for this part. However, this scene was replaced by the "Walrus and the Carpenter" poem.

Other characters like The Mock Turtle and the Gryphon were also removed. This was done to help the movie's pace.

Music in the Film

Disney wanted to use Carroll's poems in the songs. So, he hired famous songwriters to create music for them. Over 30 songs were written for the movie. Many of them were used, even if only for a few seconds. This movie has the most songs of any Disney film.

In 1939, Frank Churchill wrote songs for the film. None of his songs were used in the final movie. However, the tune for "Lobster Quadrille" was later used for "Never Smile at a Crocodile" in Peter Pan.

When work on Alice started again in 1946, Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston wrote songs. They had just worked on Cinderella. But only one of their songs, "The Unbirthday Song," made it into the film.

Sammy Fain and Bob Hilliard also wrote songs for Alice in Wonderland. They wrote "Beyond the Laughing Sky" and "I'm Odd," which were not used. The music for "Beyond the Laughing Sky" was later used for the song "The Second Star to the Right" in Peter Pan.

The main song, "Alice in Wonderland", became a popular jazz song. Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck adapted it in 1952.

Soundtrack Album

The movie's soundtrack was first released on LP record on July 28, 1951. It was later re-released on Audio CD on February 3, 1998.

All lyrics written by Bob Hilliard, unless indicated otherwise, all music composed by Sammy Fain, unless indicated otherwise.

Songs Not Used in the Film

Several songs were written for Alice in Wonderland but were not included in the final movie. Some of these tunes were later used in other Disney films.

• "Beyond the Laughing Sky" – This song for Alice was replaced by "In a World of My Own." Its melody was later used for "The Second Star to the Right" in Peter Pan.
• "I'm Odd" – This song was meant for the Cheshire Cat. It was replaced by "'Twas Brillig."
• "Beware the Jabberwock" – This song was for a deleted character, the Jabberwock.
• "The Lobster Quadrille (Will You Join the Dance?)" - This song was for the deleted character, the Mock Turtle.

How the Movie Was Released

Alice in Wonderland first showed at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on July 26, 1951. When it first came out, it was shown with a short documentary called Nature's Half Acre.

Because the film wasn't very popular at first, it wasn't shown in theaters again for many years. Instead, it was sometimes shown on television. Alice in Wonderland was the second episode of the Walt Disney's Disneyland TV series. It aired on ABC on November 3, 1954. This TV version was much shorter than the movie.

Later Success and Re-releases

In the 1970s, the film became very popular on college campuses. It was often rented out in many cities. Then, in 1974, Disney re-released Alice in Wonderland in theaters. They even advertised it as a film that fit the "psychedelic times". They used radio ads with the song "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. This re-release was so successful that it was shown in theaters again in 1981. Its first re-release in the UK was on July 26, 1979.

Promoting the Film

Disney used television to help advertise Alice in Wonderland. In 1950, Walt Disney talked to his brother, Roy, about a TV show. This show would feature Disney's animated shorts. They also talked to Coca-Cola about sponsoring a Christmas TV special. This special, called One Hour in Wonderland, aired on NBC on Christmas Day 1950. It included cartoons and a scene from the upcoming Alice movie.

A short film about making Alice, called Operation: Wonderland, was also made. It was shown in theaters and on TV. Walt Disney, Kathryn Beaumont, and Sterling Holloway also appeared on The Fred Waring Show to promote the movie.

Home Video Releases

Alice in Wonderland was one of the first movies available to rent or buy on VHS and Beta. It was released on October 15, 1981, on VHS, CED Videodisc, and Betamax. It was released again on May 28, 1986, on VHS, Betamax, and Laserdisc.

In January 2000, Walt Disney Home Video released the "Gold Classic Collection." Alice in Wonderland was re-released on VHS and DVD on July 4, 2000. This DVD included the Operation: Wonderland film, sing-along videos, a storybook, a trivia game, and the movie's original trailer.

A fully restored two-disc "Masterpiece Edition" came out on January 27, 2004. It had the full hour-long Disney TV episode that promoted the film. It also included computer games, deleted scenes, and more. Disney released a "Un-Anniversary" edition DVD on March 30, 2010. This was to promote the new Tim Burton movie.

The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 1, 2011, for its 60th anniversary. It had a new high-definition restoration and many bonus features. Disney re-released it again on Blu-ray and DVD on April 26, 2016, for its 65th anniversary. The film became available on Disney+ on November 12, 2019.

What Did People Think?

When Alice in Wonderland first came out, it got mixed reviews. Bosley Crowther from The New York Times said it was entertaining, especially for kids. He liked the mad tea party and the caucus race. Variety said the film had charm and beauty. But they felt it lacked the "heart or warmth" of other Disney cartoons.

Mae Tinee of the Chicago Tribune felt the characters lacked magic. She thought they seemed more like Pluto than Carroll's ideas. Time magazine said the movie didn't have a strong story. But they noted it had "plenty to delight youngsters."

Many fans of Lewis Carroll and British critics didn't like the film. They said Disney had "Americanized" a great work of English literature. Walt Disney was not surprised by this. He made the movie for families, not for literary critics. Despite all the work, the film didn't do well at the box office at first. Disney himself later said the film failed because it "lacked heart."

However, since the film became popular again in the 1970s, critics have changed their minds. It is now seen as a classic. On the website Rotten Tomatoes, Alice in Wonderland has an 81% approval rating. This means most critics liked it. The website says it's a good introduction to Lewis Carroll's story. It also notes the film has some of Disney's most "surreal and twisted images."

Awards and Recognition

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. However, it lost to An American in Paris.

Alice in Other Disney Works

Stage Version

Alice in Wonderland has been made into a shorter stage version called Alice in Wonderland, Jr.. This version is for middle and high school plays. It includes most of the movie's songs. It also adds songs like "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and new songs like "Ocean of Tears."

Appearances in Other Films and Shows

• In Donald in Mathmagic Land, Donald Duck wears Alice's dress.
• Bill the Lizard appears in The Great Mouse Detective.
• Alice and other characters were guests in House of Mouse. The Queen of Hearts was a villain in Mickey's House of Villains.
• The Mad Hatter and March Hare appeared in Bonkers.
• Bill the Lizard, Tweedledum, Cheshire Cat, and the doorknob appear in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
• In Aladdin, the peddler tries to sell a hookah like the Caterpillar's.
• In Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the Genie turns into the White Rabbit.
• Weebo shows clips of the film in Flubber.
• An episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is called "Mickey's Adventures in Wonderland."
• In Disney's Pinocchio, the Alice in Wonderland book can be seen on a bookshelf.

Video Games

• In Disney's Villains' Revenge, the Queen of Hearts tries to change the story's ending.
• Mickey Mousecapade features characters from the film.
• A video game version of the film was released for Game Boy Color in 2000.
• Wonderland is a playable world in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Alice is a key character in the first game.
• In Toy Story 3: The Video Game, you can put the Mad Hatter's hat on characters.
• In Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Alice, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts appear.
• Characters like the cards, Alice, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, and Queen of Hearts appear in the Epic Mickey games.

Theme Park Attractions

Alice at Disneyland, 2012.

You can often see costumed characters like Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts at Disney theme parks.

• Disneyland has a special ride where you travel through Wonderland in a Caterpillar-shaped vehicle.
• All five Disneyland-style theme parks have the Mad Tea Party ride. This is a teacups ride based on the movie.
• Alice in Wonderland characters are often in Disney parades and shows.
• Disneyland Paris has a hedge maze called Alice's Curious Labyrinth.

Images for kids

• 

  Alice as shown in the film's trailer

See also

In Spanish: Alicia en el país de las maravillas (película de 1951) para niños