Once Upon A Disney #13: Alice in Wonderland

Hi diddly ho Disney aficionados!

Well, quarantine has hit and we're all looking for silver-linings – mine is the arrival of Disney+ in the UK, and the likely possibility of consuming many more magical movies in the coming weeks. We're already starting to go a little stir-crazy around the world, so what better film to fall down the Disney rabbit hole with than...

Alice in Wonderland (1951) 

Bye bye sanity 

For some reason which I'll never quite grasp, this was one of my all-time favorites as a child. As in, I was 'wear-out-theVHS-with-multiple-viewings' obsessed. I suppose the bright colours and meandering plot work together to entertain a five-year-old who doesn't quite understand the frightening existential questions Lewis Carroll's disturbing tale provokes. 

Disney's spin on Carroll's classic is surprisingly weird through today's lens – but I suppose when we compare it to previous flicks like Fun and Fancy Free (ft. those ventriloquist dummies) and the abstract sequences in Fantasia,  Alice's adventures are just as sane as can be expected in the 1950s. 

'Umm, ya boring.' 

I won't delve into plot details as we're all familiar with the basics, but I will say one thing – Disney leaves no stone(r) unturned. In fact, the film feels so full of Carrollian content (it's a word now) that it barely holds itself together. The 75 minute runtime is broken up into at least 13 topsy turvy parts, full of riddles, songs, fantastical creatures, and general anxiety-inducing action. 

Curioser still, there is not one likeable character in the film. Alice herself, while the victim for the most part, is a self-proclaimed brat, doling out pompous advice that she seldom takes (she even sings a whole self-pitying song about that). The white rabbit is infuriatingly skittish, the Mad Hatter and March Hare are downright rude, the Cheshire Cat just loves the drama, the Caterpillar has not got time for anyone – and let's not even delve into what the walrus did to those poor oysters. 

When someone tries to drag me up to the dance floor for 'Cotton Eyed Joe.'

However, the constant twists and turns, double-crossings, and the sinister atmosphere is a large part of how Alice in Wonderland keeps timeless appeal. Watching this for the first time as an adult, I found that I had a morbid fascination with what terrible thing might happen next, right down to the Queen of Hearts threatening to chop off our protagonist's head. 

Amid frustration at the illogical, nonsense narrative, we also have time to admire the stunning modernist art style that makes Disney's Wonderland so magnetic. Mary Blair's designs and direction lean into the psychedelic appeal of Lewis Carroll's novel, and the sense of scale is conveyed flawlessly to envelop us in this over-exposed and confusing world. Unlike Tim Burton's later version which leans too heavily on complicated CGI to distract from the story, this earlier, stylised approach is the perfect fit. It's both unmistakably Disney, and unquestionably Alice. 

Trolololol

I don't know if I'll watch Alice in Wonderland again in a hurry but can say that I admire the boldness of this adaptation – and it will haunt my dreams for a while.  

Villain rating(s): Basically every character is a villain in this movie, but let's do this by the book and call on the Queen of Hearts, who's a solid 8/10. Yes, she's pretty two dimensional, but her hobbies of animal abuse and chopping heads are pretty intense.

When I spot someone hoarding toilet roll

Best Song: 'All in the Golden Afternoon,' sung by the snooty flowers, for being a rare peaceful moment in an otherwise tumultuous adventure

Disney Detail: Mary Blair's iconic designs and art direction for the film has served as a clear inspiration for the Disney parks, especially Disneyland Paris, where the bold, colourful props are perfect for creating a fantasy world.

Why it's a Classic: Already based on a classic novel, this adaptation manages to feel intrinsically 'Disney,' whilst leaning into Lewis Carrolls' strange, uncomfortable fever-dream of a story.

Once Upon A Disney #12: Cinderella

Your eyes aren't deceiving you – here's a Disney film you've actually heard of! Rejoice!

We've hit 1950, which you'll be pleased to hear is much less painful than the previous decade. We've got some legit classics ahead of us, kicking off with a quintessential Disney princess' perfect fairytale...

Casting off the stench of 'Fun and Fancy Free'

Cinderella (1950) 

A choir croons the title song 'Cinderella' whilst an old-fashioned fairytale book opens to reveal a glittering castle. We all collectively breathe a sigh of relief. This is more like it. Indeed, the opening to Disney's second princess film might be the most stereotypically 'Disney' there is.

Following the narrator's preamble, which explains the dead dad, the stepmother gone bad, the kingdom's single prince, and Cinderella's servant-state, we get down to business. Cinders awakens from her dream-filled slumber, summoning all her animal friends, including cute bluebirds and talking mice, who are perfectly trained in housework. Cue the first proper song.

'I just had that dream that all my teeth fell out. Thank f**k I'm awake.'

'A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes' has arguably become more popular after Lily James' rendition in the live-action remake, but it's stood the test of time as one of the better Disney princess songs. Unlike Snow White or Aurora, Ilene Woods' vocals aren't childish or operatic, but smooth and sweet, mirroring jazz singers of the time. They also fit the character herself – while she's forced to submit to her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella is quietly rebellious, slyly ridiculing them to her animal friends and never forgetting that she should have it so much better.

The first half of the film relies heavily on Cinderella's relationship with the creatures of the house. Most scenes centre around the mice (Jaq, and new recruit Gus), as they bond with Cinders – they can talk in a squeaky kind of way – and try to avoid the menacing claws of Lady Tremaine's cat, Lucifer.

'FEED ME YOUR SOUL, PETTY HUMAN.'

Lucifer is basically the devil. The literal cat-and-mouse scenes, where the furry fiend is trying to catch his prey, Tom and Jerry style, are ridiculously tense. I was actually holding my breath and yelping at the screen for the mice to get away from his lethal grip. His part in the film's climax is extraordinarily vile, and I'm glad to see the back of him.

Less openly violent but even more sinister than Lucifer is his owner, the formidable Lady Tremaine. Just like her feline counterpart, the vindictive stepmother is introduced to us by a pair of eyes glowing in the dark. Indeed, she is synonymous with darkness, literally throwing shade on to Cinderella wherever she goes. The true power of her menace lies in restraint – while she goads the stepsisters into getting their claws into Cinderella and leaving her in tatters, she simply smirks from the sidelines. Unlike other Disney villains, she has no magical powers, but plays in mind-games. The idea that she could be real makes her even more scary.

Opening your email inbox after a holiday 

In a film that plays very cleverly with darkness and light, the bouncing Fairy Godmother arrives in all her bright, sparkly glory, as a desperately needed beacon of hope. 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo' has become a stone-cold classic, and not just for its earworm quality. It's a tonic to the desperate sadness in that moment, and sets the story on a trail to happiness.

As well as being a well-crafted story with real pathos in its characters, Disney's 12th animated classic oozes style from beginning to end. From the smooth, '50s lilt of its songs and Cinderella's voice, to the colour palette. The palace itself is a designer's dream, the reflective blue and purple glittering surfaces calling back to Cinder's famous scrubbing scene where she harmonises in her own soap bubbles, and reaching forward to the elegant glass slipper which unlocks her freedom and happily ever after.

Me vs. any decent property in St. Albans

Cinderella marks a true return to form, with a perfectly paced story, memorable songs, proper villains, cute sidekicks, and a character you can truly get behind. Bring on the rest of the 1950s.

Villain rating(s): 10/10 for Lucifer, who does nothing to make me into a cat person (pure evil). 9/10 for Lady Tremaine, who really needs a good slap around the face to get rid of that smirk.

Best Song: 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes' (and the mouse reprise) 💖

Disney Detail: Many of Cinderella's tropes are synonymous with Disney Princess movies, but a couple of details are knowingly nodded to in 2007's Enchanted. One is Giselle's opening song where birds and mice are helping her make a dress, another is her reflection in the bubbles during 'Happy Working Song,' and the third is love interest Nancy Tremaine – played by the incomparable Disney legend Idina Menzel – being named after Cinderella's stepfamily. Luckily, she turned out not to be evil at all.

Why it's a Classic: Cinderella brings together the traditional fairy tale format that Walt Disney Studios are famous for, whilst incorporating contemporary style and flair in the animation. Cinderella herself, as well as the Fairy Godmother, are synonymous with Disney magic.