Alice in Wonderland (1951)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi
Wilfred Jackson
(more)

Writers:

Lewis Carroll (novels)
Winston Hibler (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 July 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

A world of wonders in One Great Picture

Plot:

Alice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.

Plot Keywords:

Rabbit | Queen | Whimsical | Card | Cartoon Cat

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Kathryn Beaumont	...	Alice (voice)
Ed Wynn	...	Mad Hatter (voice)
Richard Haydn	...	Caterpillar (voice)
Sterling Holloway	...	Cheshire Cat (voice)
Jerry Colonna	...	March Hare (voice)
Verna Felton	...	Queen of Hearts (voice)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Tweedledee / Tweedledum / The Walrus / The Carpenter (voice) (as Pat O'Malley)
Bill Thompson	...	White Rabbit / Dodo (voice)
Heather Angel	...	Alice's sister (voice)
Joseph Kearns	...	Doorknob (voice)
Larry Grey	...	Bill (voice)
Queenie Leonard	...	Bird in the Tree (voice)
Dink Trout	...	King of Hearts (voice)
Doris Lloyd	...	The Rose (voice)
James MacDonald	...	Dormouse (voice)
Bill Lee	...	Card Painter (voice) (as The Mellomen)
Thurl Ravenscroft	...	Card Painter (voice) (as The Mellomen)
Max Smith	...	Card Painter (voice) (as The Mellomen)
Bob Hamlin	...	Card Painter (voice) (as The Mellomen)
Don Barclay	...	Card (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stan Freberg	...	(voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Clyde Geronimi
Wilfred Jackson
Hamilton Luske

Writing credits
Lewis Carroll		(novels "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass") (as Lewis Carrol)
Winston Hibler		(story) &
Ted Sears		(story) &
Bill Peet		(story) &
Erdman Penner		(story) &
Joe Rinaldi		(story) &
Milt Banta		(story) &
William Cottrell		(story) (as Bill Cottrell) &
Dick Kelsey		(story) &
Joe Grant		(story) &
Dick Huemer		(story) &
Del Connell		(story) &
Tom Oreb		(story) &
John Walbridge		(story)
Aldous Huxley		uncredited

Produced by
Walt Disney	....	producer

Original Music by
Oliver Wallace

Film Editing by
Lloyd L. Richardson		(as Lloyd Richardson)

Production Management
Ben Sharpsteen	....	production supervisor

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound recordist
C.O. Slyfield	....	sound director
Harold J. Steck	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Blaine Gibson	....	effects animator
Dan MacManus	....	effects animator (as Dan Macmanus)
Joshua Meador	....	effects animator (as Josh Meador)
George Rowley	....	effects animator

Animation Department
Hal Ambro	....	character animator
Ken Anderson	....	color and styling
Dick Anthony	....	background artist
Mary Blair	....	color and styling
Bob Carlson	....	character animator
Les Clark	....	directing animator
Claude Coats	....	color and styling
Tom Codrick	....	layout artist
Don DaGradi	....	color and styling (as Don Da Gradi)
Marc Davis	....	directing animator
Phil Duncan	....	character animator
Norman Ferguson	....	directing animator (as Norm Ferguson)
Hugh Fraser	....	character animator
Don Griffith	....	layout artist
John Hench	....	color and styling
Hugh Hennesy	....	layout artist
Ray Huffine	....	background artist
Ralph Hulett	....	background artist
Ollie Johnston	....	directing animator
Bill Justice	....	character animator
Milt Kahl	....	directing animator
Ward Kimball	....	directing animator
Hal King	....	character animator
Eric Larson	....	directing animator
John Lounsbery	....	directing animator
Don Lusk	....	character animator
Brice Mack	....	background artist
Fred Moore	....	character animator
Charles A. Nichols	....	character animator (as Charles Nichols)
Lance Nolley	....	layout artist
Cliff Nordberg	....	character animator
Kendall O'Connor	....	layout artist (as A. Kendall O'Connor)
Charles Philippi	....	layout artist
Thor Putnam	....	layout artist
Wolfgang Reitherman	....	directing animator
Art Riley	....	background artist
McLaren Stewart	....	layout artist (as Mac Stewart)
Frank Thomas	....	directing animator: "Doorknob"
Harvey Toombs	....	character animator
Judge Whitaker	....	character animator
Thelma Witmer	....	background artist
Marvin Woodward	....	character animator

Music Department
Jud Conlon	....	music arranger: vocal arrangements
Joseph Dubin	....	orchestrator
Al Teeter	....	music editor

Other crew
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Ub Iwerks	....	special processes
Charles Palmer	....	story editor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1954) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2004) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• RKO (1953) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Home Video (worldwide) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Alicia en el país de las maravillas (USA: Spanish title)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Denmark:A (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G (1973) | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

This was the first feature film for which Walt Disney was able to use television for cross-promotion. Disney's very first television program, One Hour in Wonderland (1950) (TV), which was broadcast on Christmas evening of 1950, was devoted to the production of this film. Naturally, the entire program, including the clips from the movie, were in black and white.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Walrus is talking to the oysters, his cigar disappears and reappears between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Alice's sister: [reading from a history book] "... leaders, and had been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for him: and even Stigand..." Alice.
[camera zooms out to show Alice sitting in a tree, playing with Dinah and some daisies]
Alice: Hmm? Oh, I'm listening.
Alice's sister: "And even Stigand, the archbishop of Canterbury, agreed to meet with William and offer him the crown. William's conduct at first was moderate."
[Alice laughs as her daisies fall on her sister's face]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tideland (2005)

Soundtrack:

A E I O U

Maybe not as "charming" as most Disney films...

...and certainly "Pinocchio" had a more popular and memorable song score, but for my money I'd pick "Alice In Wonderland" as one of Walt Disney's top achievements in animation. From Lewis Carroll's story, and filled with knock-out colors (pinks and blues and reds on inky blacks), this episodic tale would not have worked so well if the direction hadn't been so graceful, setting a light, jovial mood, and the songs so tongue-trippingly clever. Alice herself is lovely and funny, the supporting characters appropriately manic, and the quiet moments gently even out the craziness (as with the Tulgey Wood/"Very Good Advice" sequence). Disney certainly runs hot ("Pinocchio", "Peter Pan") and cold ("The Aristocats"), but this fantastic journey into nonsense, from a practically-unfilmable book, is endlessly interesting from a visual stand-point. ***1/2 from ****