Disney+ Billion-Dollar Blockbuster Is A Great Unexpected Halloween Creepfest

I would even venture to say that Alice in Wonderland is alone in its ability to be both beautiful and disturbing in this particular way. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is terrifying to watch with her giant head, her cupid bow mouth, and her willingness to murder anyone who displeases her.

She’s a slave driver who hates animals, so she has subjected them to servitude, and she’s on the hunt for anyone who dares to disagree with her so she can yell, “Off with her head!”

At the same time, her sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) is no less criminal. She’s the epitome of the expression, “sweet but a psycho.” Hathaway was originally considered for the role of Alice, but actually fought for the chance to play this devilish, banished queen. 

The conflict between the queens becomes the heart of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Alice makes friends with the usual suspects, the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), Absolem the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), and, of course, The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp).

Each of these creatures lends an air of creepiness to the story. The voice work is magnificent, giving hints of mystery, danger, and even anxiety. And, in my personal opinion, Johnny Depp is at his absolute best in this role. He’s certainly not the best Wonka.

I’m not a huge Depp fan, but this role really offers an opportunity for him to explore the depths of character, lean into back story, and deliver a Hatter that is both odd and off putting as well as endearing and charming.

The makeup and costume, not to mention the Futterwacken dance The Hatter performs in the end take this film into truly bizarre territory, in the best, wackiest ways. Watching him and Alice befriend each other and find their way to victory is the soul of Alice in Wonderland.

Mia Wasikowska auditioned hard for the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and we should be so glad she did. This was the breakout film role of her career, and she brings the perfect balance of sweet but tough, feminine with a slightly hard edge, and entirely, humanly real in this surreal, dark, creepy take on the original book.

Tim Burton took on the task of adapting it to his style, and he did such a wonderful job, alongside Woolverton, that the film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and nominations for several other categories. Indeed, this film is visually stunning. 

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Interestingly, this blockbuster, which made over a billion dollars while still in theaters and won awards, has left critics and audiences less than impressed in reviews. Rotten Tomatoes has it at only 50 percent and 55 percent positive for critics and audiences, respectively. They call it lame, tepid, loud, offensive, meandering, and pointless.

I’d argue this might be the kind of art that only gets appreciated from a distance. And it certainly gives us plenty of costume ideas for Halloween. Stream Alice in Wonderland on Disney+ to see for yourself.