It appears that in the latest era of 3D films, James Cameron’s, ‘Avatar’ has been totally side stepped by Tim Burton’s, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, a modern adaptation of tales by Lewis Carroll. “Alice in Wonderland”, has been so superbly cinematographed in the 3D version that “Avatar”, looks like baby stuff. Ever since Alice in Wonderland trailers started playing, the movie generated a lot of buzz.

Filming a 3D subject can be quite tough and the outcome is not always perfect what with the objects losing their original form when they get away from the camera. But Burton has very diligently dealt with this prospect by bringing variability to other movable forms leaving the total effect to enhance Alice’s expressions significantly.

History of the 3D movies has shown that way back in 1933, Paramount too had faced tough times to reproduce Sir John Tenniel’s drawings into an action oriented tale. Even the 1951 Disney cartoon’s venture of adapting Lewis Carroll’s tales did not seem up to mark. The same theme filmed in 3D by Burton today, has managed to scale a more realistic foothold being backed by live characters and animation stuff.

Kenneth Branagh’s love, The Red Queen, portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter, is amazingly outstanding in her courtroom while her patronizing subjects are shown to have normal features. W.C. Fields who played Humpty Dumpty in the 1933 version is replaced by current Matt Lucas, a double duty character, playing both Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and portrayed in a much rounder and lovable proportion. Some added cast like The Knave of Hearts is a surprising treat to watch.

Johnny Depp as the The Mad Hatter brings the animation more alive with his adoring ways of running hither and thither. Mia Wasikovska as Alice who cannot wake herself up from her dream and come to reality seems to be a bit dull.

The costumes and sets are adapted very well from Tenniel’s drawings and with the added touch of 3D seem to take the audience very realistically through the rabbit hole along with Alice. Screen writer Linda Woolverton teamed with Burton has judiciously aged Alice to eighteen years in the current version to set the story as her second trip to Wonderland making the story much more different from its earlier version.

The somewhat insipid introductory scenes are taste fully lit up by a new age Alice who is a heady feminist, with latest fashion sense and novel marriage ideas. The current “Alice in Wonderland”, is not just another 3D bedtime story enjoyed by the kids and family, but it is a challenge to today’s film makers to come up with quality family entertainment which truly stimulates and satiates its audience.

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