2010’sAlice in Wonderlandwas the movie that startedDisney’s trend of live-action movie remakes, and, despite its failings, it still holds up 15 years after its release for one big reason.Directed by Tim Burton,Alice in Wonderlandwas a live-action reimagining of the famous literary works by Lewis Carroll.Alice’s cast led by Mia Wasikowska and Anne Hathaway, and included Tim Burton favorites Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.Tim Burton’sAlice in Wonderlandwas a box office hit, earning $1.025 billion worldwide, making it the highest-earning Tim Burton movie of all-time.
While not ranking amongDisney’s highest-grossing moviesdue to franchises likeStar WarsandMarvel,Alice in Wonderlandis one of Disney’s highest-grossing remakes. Earning $1 billion at the box office is no easy feat, and a sequel was greenlit and released in 2016. However, more importantly,Alice in Wonderlandsparked an opportunity for Disney to capitalize on live-action remakes as it was evident that they would make bank at the box office. Whether that holds true today is debatable, butAlice in Wonderland’s inspiration for Disney’s future ventures and Tim Burton’s live-action success still holds up today.
Alice In Wonderland’s Live-Action Remake Feels Like A Tim Burton Movie
Tim Burton’s Flair Can Be Clearly Seen In The 2010 Remake
WhenAlice in Wonderlandwas released, most audiences expected a live-action adaptation that would feel like a variant of previous versions, like the 1951 Disney classic. However,Alice in Wonderland’slive-action remake felt different.The 2010 dark fantasy adventure felt more like the work of Tim Burton than a Disney movie, with its bizarre visuals and wacky premisetouching on themes that are prominent in the director’s other works. Burton’s creativity inAlice in Wonderlandwas praised by a dreams expert for being an accurate portrayalof nightmares and a dream-like state, befitting the movie’s premise.
8 Reasons Alice In Wonderland Is Still Tim Burton’s Biggest Box Office Success, 14 Years Later
Tim Burton is a visionary director, with his most successful movie, Alice in Wonderland, coming out 14 years ago, but what made Alice so special?
Alice in Wonderland’sdark fantasy tone and stray away from the source material helped the movie feel less like a Disney film and more like Tim Burton’s own project due to its more mature quality, and this contributed to its box office success. However, surprisingly,Alice in Wonderlandstill suffered from bad ratings, scoring a shocking 50% Tomatometer and 55% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes.As a result, although the Tim Burton movie inspired future Disney remakes because of its impressive box office,Alice in Wonderlandunfortunatelystarted a long list oflive-action Disney remakes with a Rotten Tomatoes rating problem.
Tim Burton Adding His Flair To Alice In Wonderland Made It More Than A Live-Action Remake
Alice In Wonderland Felt More Mature Due To Tim Burton
Alice in Wonderlandis notTim Burton’s only movie remakeas the director has remade a few films, including 2001’sPlanet of the Apesand 2005’sCharlie and the Chocolate Factory. Much like his own original stories, Tim Burton’s remakes all appear to have the same strange Burton flair to them that has made the gothic fanatic so famous. This effect is achieved through a number of methods, althoughthe most obvious Burton flair forAlice in Wonderlandis the inclusion of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, who have both been long-time collaborators of Tim Burton.
Other characteristics of Tim Burton movies include the use of Danny Elfman for the movie’s score, Colleen Atwood as costume designer, characters with pale skin and wide eyes, over-the-top nature scenes, and themes of childhood and exclusion. These attributes can all be seen inAlice in Wonderland.Tim Burton’s attention to detail and purposeful creativity madeAlice in Wonderlandstand out as more than a remake, allowing it to exist separately from the source material. This dedicated approach by Burton made the 2010 movie effective and highlights the possible reason whymodern Disney live-action remakes have not been as successful.
Dumbo Was Considerably Worse Than Tim Burton’s First Disney Remake
AlthoughTim Burton’sAlice in Wonderlandhad a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, there was something to be said for the effort in its crafting of a commercially successful reimagining of the well-loved Disney classic. The same cannot be said for Tim Burton’s second Disney remake. 2019’s live-action remake ofDumboonly earned $353 million at the box office worldwide against a $170 million budget and scored a 46% Tomatometer and 47% Popcornmeteron Rotten Tomatoes, showcasing a clear difference compared to Tim Burton’sAlice in Wonderland.
Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked, Worst To Best
With the premiere of his latest film Dumbo, we look back at the career of director Tim Burton, from his worst film to his best.
Alice in Wonderlandwas considerably better thanDumbo, especially as the latter caused Tim Burton to stop collaborating with Disney as a result of the movie’s failure. In an interview withVarietyin 2024,Tim Burton reflected onDumboand the movie’s critical reviews, stating that “Honestly, after Dumbo, I really didn’t know. I thought that could have been it, really. I could have retired.” Therefore, in contrast,Alice in Wonderlandhad considerably fewer problems, and its significance in inspiring future Disney live-action remakes (despite their questionable qualities) demonstrates that the film still holds up.
Alice in Wonderland
Cast
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton. It stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice, who returns to the magical world of Wonderland to confront the tyrannical Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter. The film features Johnny Depp as the eccentric Mad Hatter and Anne Hathaway as the benevolent White Queen. This reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale combines live-action and CGI elements.
