As a big fan of the original Alice in Wonderland book, I'm often attracted to its multiple adaptations. The vast majority is not all that impressive, to be honest. I expected this one to not be so good as well, especially considering the low score and the negative reviews here in MAL. Boy, was I wrong.
I'm not one to say stupid things like "if you disliked (thing), it's because you didn't understand it," regarding any kind of media, but I really can't avoid thinking that the reason why so many peope disliked Alice in Dreamland was simply because it was very different from what they expected. It is a weird-looking movie, definitely something very different from 99% of anime. It can hardly be called an anime.
But enough introduction, let's go to the review.
• Story - 6/10
The story is about Alice, a girl who loves reading. She is suddenly called back to the Wonderland she had already visited before. However, Wonderland has changed, it was invaded by an entity called Darkness, and the White Rabbit called Alice back so she can become the Queen, defeat Darkness and save Wonderland. It's a very simple plot, but it's enough.
• Art/Animation - 9/10
Here's where this movie shines the brighter. The animation looks weird because while it's said to be stop-motion, the movements were clearly made digitally instead of being actual stop-motion, so it looks kind of off-putting at first. But the art itself is fantastic. The dolls made by Mari Shimizu are simultaneously very beautiful and very creepy. The backgrounds add to the dark atmosphere. Overall, the art is unsettling, and that's what makes it so good.
• Sound/OST - 10/10
The sound is actually my favorite part. The OST made for this movie is very unique, the few songs that have lyrics, that are all connected to the story, fit the scenatio perfectly. The background music also adds to the dark atmosphere, while still being songs that are pleasant to listen. The background sounds and voice acting were also on point. The voice acting gave me the impression of watching a stage play instead of a dubbed movie, and I thought it was fitting since instead of moving drawings we had dolls "acting".
• Characters - 9/10
If you're familiar with Alice in Wonderland (and I assume you are) then you know the characters. Other than the Queen of Hearts, they are all here: White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Humpty-Dumpty, March Hare, Tweedledee and Tweedledum. There's also the new villain, called simply Darkness, and among Alice's "friends" there is a lion that I assume that was borrowed from The Wizard of Oz, and an unicorn that I have no clue where came from. The characters don't really have any development, but considering you're supposed to already know them well, I don't think that was a problem.
• Enjoyment - 9/10
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Out of many Alice in Wonderland adaptations and reinventions, Alice in Dreamland was easily one of the most interesting ones. I think that if you are looking for something unconventional, strange and dark to watch, this movie is a good choice.
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