Production stills from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Hell yeah: production stills from Tim Burton's lush-looking Alice in Wonderland adaptations!

Update: New Images From Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland! (via Tor.com)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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feltmountain

@surreality

How about this illustration for the Jabberwocky? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheJabberwocky.jpg

It was in the books when I was a kid.
Editz

Is this Burton or Tarsem?
Marchhare

_Alice in Wonderland_ and _Through the Looking Glass_ are two marvelous books. Lewis Carroll was a very good philosopher, and it shows through frequently in the books.

Indeed, perhaps you can tell from my nick that I like him!
nanner

I’m with the “slightly terrified this could suck, please don’t f-it-up Mr Burton” camp. ;p

The stills are gorgeous, could be series of photos and i would be content. I do think Johnny Depp looks a bit too made-up, hopefully it looks less make-uppy in the movie. That synopsis sounds totally lame :( “girl power” you say?

as far as the original text/illustrations… I think in it’s absurdity and surrealism it can take on a dark feeling. They are all rather mad at the tea party. Many of the elements are still coming from Disney though (like Alice in blue dress and blonde hair) oh wait…this is a Disney picture. hmmm.
Anonymous

Knowing how Depp likes to pattern each of characters on real people (Keith Richards for Jack Sparrow as an example) it’s not too big a leap to see that photo of him and immediately say: “OMFG it’s Madonna!”
Mojave

Looks AMAZING…can’t wait. Who is playing Alice?
steauengeglase

Man, Burton is repetitive. He has been dressing Johnny Depp up in roughly the same makeup since 1990. News flash, 1990 was 19 years ago. Sure the hues may have changed, but the scheme is generally the same. Now I know Edward Gorey did roughly the same thing for his entire career, but I’m not looking at single Gorey illustrations for two hour stretches.

Then again I can’t imagine the levels of cynicism that Mr. Burton must have reached at the point (say 10 years ago). Maybe the creative spirit is dead.
webmonkees

#6, clunkers: Planet of the Apes 2K?

Maybe someone should produce a parallel movie using the sets and actors when Burton’s done shooting, for those of us used to a more classical style.

The sets and props are often superb. If we could friggin’ see them.

But I’m picky, I’d also like a version of the new Star Trek with stable cameras and flare-less lighting.
genericvox

Most of the other images didn’t bother me too much, but really, the Depp-Burton collab shtick is really wearing itself thin.

The mad hatter looks extremely overdone, like Carrot Top and Madonna’s future love child. The flowers scene looks nice though.

I understand this is supposed to be a darker, crazier interpretation of the books as opposed to, say, the Disney animated film, but really… really?
Teej

Holy Mackerel. It’s all sinking in.

Wish I’d brought some shrooms home from Bonnaroo…
Vesparosa

To me it’s blatant disregard to the actual story. Why is he using a 20 year old to play the part of Alice? Alice is supposed to be a little girl – 10 years old. I don’t hate Tim Burton. I’ve enjoyed many of his movies. But if you’re going to retell a classic, retell the classic. Don’t make up nonsense about a runaway bride. At least honor the original plot. There’s a tremendous amount of backstory.
teufelsdroch

Those arguing for Burton clunkers—it’s AMAZING how well-versed you are in Burton’s movies! It’s almost as though you’ve seen EVERY ONE!

Bottom line: I’ll go see this, even if I know it’ll suck. I did give Chocolate Factory a pass, that was clearly a bland remake. At least this gives it a little spin.

Incidentally, they’re also remaking Videodrome.
Brainspore

I can’t name a clunker yet.

His version of Planet of the Apes was the first movie my wife and I saw together and I still can’t muster any nostalgia for it.

Burton still has some great visual style, but he’s been coasting on that alone for some time now.
thekinginyellow

huff…enough already mr.burton. you peaked with beetlejuice, scissorhands and ed wood. not cool anymore. the last batch of films you’ve made are absolutely horrid and unbearable to watch. seriously, tim, just stop. retire already.
Anonymous

`So here’s a question for you. How old did you say you were?’

Alice made a short calculation, and said `Seven years and six months.’

`Wrong!’ Humpty Dumpty exclaimed triumphantly. `You never said a word like it!’

`I though you meant “How old are you?”‘ Alice explained.

`If I’d meant that, I’d have said it,’ said Humpty Dumpty.

Alice didn’t want to begin another argument, so she said nothing.

`Seven years and six months!’ Humpty Dumpty repeated thoughtfully. `An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you’d asked my advice, I’d have said “Leave off at seven” — but it’s too late now.’

`I never ask advice about growing,’ Alice said Indignantly.

`Too proud?’ the other inquired.

Alice felt even more indignant at this suggestion. `I mean,’ she said, `that one can’t help growing older.’

`One can’t, perhaps,’ said Humpty Dumpty, `but two can. With proper assistance, you might have left off at seven.’
Anonymous

oh people,
the problem with the internet is that it gives every tom dick and harry a voice and suddenly everyone is a profeesional film critic.

i am a burton and depp fan. Nightmare before christams, sleepy hollow and edward scissor hands are among my personal favs. i can’t wait to see Alice! lets all remember that tim burton is doing what he does to entertain people. if you like his work, great! if you dont, thats fine too, don’t waste your money.

i think his movies are an exciting change from the cookie cutter acton or teen sex romp movies everyone and their brother seems to be able to get made these days!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK MR. BURTON!!!
reginald

as long as it is in 3D
Anonymous

i read some were that they are saying that there comparing this movie to beowolf? im not sure how…
Trent Hawkins

#28 A good director should avoid two things. Children and dogs.
Nylund

I think the stills looked great, but I can’t say I’ve thought much of Tim Burton’s last few films though, other than they’ve looked great.

I’m a bit scared it’ll end up being about the same quality of a film as Willy Wonka.
Antinous / Moderator

I was already trying to figure out how not to have a nightmare about that picture of Helena Bonham-Carter.
EH

Holy Chowder, this is going to be awesome. I’m not even a huge Alice or Burton fan and all I know is what I’ve seen at the link just now, but it appears breathtaking to me.

I’m starting to think of Burton as the anti-Pixar. Where Pixar is touching real life with cartoons Burton is touching cartoons with live action.
Phrosty

Color me unimpressed. I’ve seen better stills at DeviantArt. As for Burton, good god man, find some originality for once. He’s sliding further and further down the hill.
Gareth Branwyn

Oh fuck yeah. That looks amazing to me. Can’t wait.
Xenu

I’m terrified that this is going to suck. Burton has been on a downhill slide for years.

Still, it looks awesome.
Anonymous

This is true #48. I think that Burton can do what he wants, and if he wants to make a movie in his style, “bad plot” and all, then that’s his prerogative.
Whatever version of Alice, Looking Glass or Wonderland, you prefer, then stick with that. It’s sad if you let one version out of many get you all riled up.
Just think of it this way: If Tim Burton wasn’t so popular, what would you think of the movie? That’s how I approach his films, and I’m usually entertained and hoping I can see it again.
mdh

Burton has been on a downhill slide for years.

I disagree. I can’t name a clunker yet.

Oh, you go to a visionary directors movies for their plot?
Anonymous

As enthralling as Burton’s projects usually are, this one (in particular) owes an enormous debt visually at least to American McGee’s Alice Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_McGee%27s_Alice

You can Google stills from the game…or i can do it for you (forgive the TinyURL badness, but the Google image search was just too long) http://tinyurl.com/l3psyc
EeyoreX

As for adaptations in general, I’d say there is hardly any point in doing them unless you’re gonna bring something new and unique to the table, i e show us something that we can’t get ourselves by just reading the book.
What allways cracks me up is whenever people compair new versions of “Alice” to the 1955 Disney because they assume that verison is faithful to the novel, when in fact it’s a absolute mashup version.

Burtons take seems to be on the direct opposite side of the scales from the aforementioned Jonathan Miller ( wich I rather liked: it was different in that it downplayed the visuals in favour of the weird dialouge). Burton is clearly doing a Burton movie, wich is as it should be.

Grown-up Alice has been done before on numerous occations and usually with a good result.

My favorite example is Kate Beckinsale in the rather recent version of Through the looking glass on British Channel 4.
Also reccomendable if you want an adaptation of the plot and characters of just ONE of the two stories instead of mixing them up. There are actually quite few of those…
Nesbitt

I disagree. I can’t name a clunker yet.

Oh boy. Sweeney Todd? Charlie & The Chocolate Factory?

Burton’s best film by a long way is Ed Wood.
mdh

Oh, you go to a visionary directors movies for their plot?
Beanolini

#6, mdh:

I can’t name a clunker yet.

You liked “Big Fish“? I was terribly disappointed by that one.

These stills remind me greatly of “American McGee’s Alice“.

I’m really looking forward to see what Burton does with this, but every Alice film I have seen so far has been less than the sum of its parts. Svankmeyer’s was a great film, but there wasn’t much of Dodgson’s Alice in it. I finally got to see Jonathan Miller’s a while ago, and it was astoundingly dull.
acb

Is it based on the original story or American McGee’s gothed-up Alice?
4mations

Too many young animators are citing Tim Burton as an influence, and failing to produce truly dark, original work of their own.
What do you think?
http://www.4mations.tv/2009/06/films-not-to-make-part-one/
Tdawwg

Good to see we’re STILL strip-mining Dodgson’s dodgy IP for the last little trace of the transgressive uncanny. I can haz new myths plz?
Narmitaj

I liked Big Fish, and the way it illustrates a form of imaginative story-telling where words generate great pictures in the mind.
regeya

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in a Tim Burton movie? Color me shocked!
3.14chan

I liked the idea
AzzaMcKazza

This looks so Typically ‘Burton’ that it inspires nothing inside me. Then I read the synopsis…

“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.”

Meeeeyah. He ‘freshened’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by giving Wonka an uneeded backstory and family conflict.

I’ll wait and see on this one.
Beanolini

chacun Ã son goÃ»t, I guess.
Anonymous

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a better addaption of the book than the earlier Willy Wonka but I’m still fond of that version.

Sweeny Todd and Big Fish were both excellent films but I think they proved to high brow to the prevailing “wanna see shit blow up” generation. Michael Bay has alot to answer for.

Planet of the Apes was yet another pointless remake and I still can’t fathom why Burton was involved in it.
HotPepperMan

As a minor note, Virginia Davis the original movie Alice is still going strong at 91 (I think). She starred in an early Walt Disney movie/cartoon “Alice in Wonderland” from 1951.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Davis

Having looked at the stills it reminds me of one of my favourite shorts from a directors cut DVD of “Dobermann” I watched over the weekend (for the nth time as it is that good). The DVD comes with extras like “Le Dernier Chaperon Rouge” which is a completely surreal trippy version of the Little Red Riding Hood story. The Tim Burton movie looks similar and I suspect he has had some influence from this short.

http://hotpepperman.blogspot.com/2009/06/dobermann.html
El Stinko

One of my old art directors once said that ‘Alice In Wonderland’ adaptations are where everyone goes when they are out of ideas.

I was fond of ‘Sweeny’ but i have to say that a lot of Burton’s material these days feels like thin excuses for outrageous art direction. Wonka was a prime example of this. But his output for a while has been less than satisfactory. This one looks to be shaping up as another extravagantly produced disappointment.
IamInnocent

“Ã€ chacun son goÃ»t” is what you probably meant to write.
bjacques

@#15 HOTPEPPERMAN:

Those Alice comedies were great. Check out “Alice’s Egg Plant,” wherein Alice and a thinly-disguised Felix the Cat get one over on disgruntled hens led by arch-Bolshevik Little Red Henski!
Beanolini

#16, IamInnocent:

I think I actually meant to write “De gustibus non est disputandum”.
feltmountain

I like the scenery from the stills, but I’m unkeen on the very over the top costume designs for Depp and Carter. For those who are comparing it to American McGee’s Alice, I think some are forgetting that the original books was fairly dark and sinister itself. Particularity the Jabberwocky (despite that being in the next book, which is my favourite) Alice has always had a kind of mini goth following, they lap up the old John Tenniel drawings.

I’m a bit wary of this ‘update’ Burton has given on the story, I would rather Alice would be younger (err.. hopefully that doesn’t come across weird)

I haven’t seen that many Burton films, just Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow and Mars attacks. I liked some parts of Sweeney Todd, but I don’t think it flowed together very well, I guess it felt sparse at times.
surreality

Everyone keeps saying that “the books were rather dark”, but I’m not sure about that. Are there original illustrations I’ve missed? OK, I’ll admit that, then. But I never found the writing quite enough that way to call it “dark”. I love Alice and I love the concept of a dark Alice, and while there are parts of original Alice that can be that way (Queen of Hearts?) I’m not sure the whole text is. Or maybe it’s just me.
Talia

Oh man, I loved ‘Big Fish!’ One of my favorite Burton films as well. And I rather liked Sweeney Todd and to some degree Willy Wonka as well.. I really must disagree with the “downhill slide” assessment.

This looks great; I’ll be there.