Alice in Wonderland

Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

We took the family to see Alice in Wonderland yesterday. I was a little nervous since some of the reviews are saying it’s not for young children. My kids don’t usually have a problem with scary things, so we braved it an took them. It was wonderful! The landscapes of Wonderland were just gorgeous! Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp stole the show!

The only scary parts were the jabberwocky at the end, and there were two kind of gross parts – one where an animal’s eye gets plucked out (no blood or anything) – and another where – well, I might spoil the ending, but no blood or gore there, either. Madeleine loved it! Ephraim got a little bored and didn’t want to wear his 3-D glasses. However, I don’t regret taking them and don’t think there was anything inappropriate for their age.

The only thing I didn’t like was the White Queen. I didn’t like the way Anne Hathaway portrayed her. She seemed flighty and superficial. I would not have wanted her as my queen. She needed more substance, more – well, more muchiness! The Red Queen was obviously evil – using people and animals alike to get whatever she wanted. The White Queen, however, did not really show me how she was good.

In the movie, Alice returns to “Underland” as a 19-year-old and doesn’t remember being there as a child. Alice questions her identity throughout the story, being told by the Mad Hatter that’s she’s lost her muchiness. One of my favorite lines was when Alice has begun to accept who she is a develop a backbone. She goes to the Red Queen’s castle to try to save the Mad Hatter (who’s been captured), and as she crosses the moat, she says, “Lost my muchiness, have I?” This story is about believing in the impossible and believing in oneself. I’ve always loved this story and came away from the movie inspired to believe in the unbelievable!