Starring Tina Majorino, Martin Short, Miranda Richardson, and Whoopi Goldberg
Directed by Nick Willing
Music by Richard Hartley; Lyrics by Peter Barnes and Lewis Carroll
This adaptation was a big deal when it debuted in February 1999. NBC heavily advertised it in the weeks leading up to its debut. I wasn't the only one who was excited about it, either. Half the residents of my dorm had it on; I remember hearing at least one boy yell "It's Willy Wonka!" during the Mock Turtle sequence. Does this musical version of the beloved novels still work, or should it be put on trial with the Knave of Hearts (Jason Fleyming)? Let's begin with Alice (Majorino) and an enormous metronome in her mind and find out...
The Story: Alice is supposed to sing "Cherry Ripe" in front of an audience of her parents' friends, but she has terrible stage fright. Rather than confront them, she hurries out of the house to hide in the woods. Following a White Rabbit (Richard Coombs) down a rabbit hole leads her to Wonderland, a strange world filled with truly unique creatures who have no difficulty performing. They eventually teach her about the delights of being onstage, about courage, and how to have confidence when you're around strangers. Alice makes use of what she's learned when she's called to be a witness in an unfair trial run by the demanding Queen of Hearts (Richardson), and she's the only one who'll speak out for the Knave of Hearts (Jason Flemying).
The Song and Dance: Great cast makes the most of Emmy-winning special effects and adorable songs, many taken directly from Carroll. Majorino is a sharp and funny little Alice, especially in the end when she's confronting the nasty Queen at the trial. Other stand-outs include Whoopi Goldberg as the ever-grinning Cheshire Cat, Martin Short as a very Mad Hatter, Flemyng as the extremely sarcastic Knave, and all-above Richardson as one of the most shrill, demanding, and delightfully nasty Queens of Hearts ever on TV.
Favorite Number: The stuffy Mouse (Ken Dodd) rambles on among books as he asks Alice "What am I Going to Talk About?" The Duchess (Elizabeth Briggs) croons "Speak Softly to Your Boy," but her idea of a lullaby comes off more like a dirge as she rattles her "son" around. "Auntie's Wooden Leg" is the wacky music hall-esque number at the Mad Tea Party for the Hatter (Short) and March Hare (Francis Wright), which goes directly into "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" for the Mad Hatter. The ever-sobbing Mock Turtle (Gene Wilder) controls his emotions long enough to teach Alice about the Lobster Quadrille and encourage her to "Come and Join the Dance."
What I Don't Like: First of all, this isn't a 100 percent perfect adaptation. It does wind in several characters from Through the Looking Glass, including the White Knight (Christopher Lloyd) and Tweedledee (Robbie Coltrane) and Tweedle Dum (George Wendt), who seem a bit out of place. The special effects, especially the Jim Henson Workshop puppets, can look too uncanny or dated nowadays, and in a few cases (like Goldberg) may be more likely to give kids nightmares than fantasy dreams. It's also long for an Alice adaptation; once again, some of her encounters probably could have been cut or trimmed.
The Big Finale: Sill charming and fun, even after all this years, if you have kids who love Alice and can sit through it, or remember when it debuted on TV, this is recommended as a fun rainy-day watch for the whole family.
Home Media: Currently listed on Amazon with three other Hallmark fantasy adaptations for a not-bad price. Can also be found streaming in several places, including for free on Tubi.
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