Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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"I think Alice got what she deserved. I never wanted to make it in the first place, but everybody said I should. I tried to introduce a little sentiment into it by getting Alice involved with the White Knight, but they said we couldn't tamper with a classic. So we just kept moving it at circus pace."
—Walt Disney's thoughts on the film.

Number 13 in the Disney Animated Canon, this 1951 adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was a long time coming at Disney, seeing as Walt Disney had a longtime interest in the Wonderland books that was reflected in some of his earlier works. They wanted to make it a decade earlier, but another production of the story was being produced elsewhere at the time, prompting the studio to shelf it for a while. Then World War II happened and they lost a lot of their budget on war films. Some Development Hell turned the what-would-be horror flick into more of a wacky, comedic cartoon in the same vein as The Emperors New Groove, making it probably the most surreal and very odd Disney film in memory!

It performed poorly in theaters initially (it made money in re-releases), but over time it grew into one of Disney's funniest films and inspired people to this day, including Tim Burton. If you're looking for the 2010 Tim Burton film, also by Disney, visit here.

It also inspired at least two rides in the Disney Theme Parks. One is a conventional ride through the movie, while the other is the famous spinning teacups ride.

This film contains examples of:

 Doorknob: You gave me quite a turn there! Heh! Rather good, wot? Doorknob, turn?

 King of Hearts: What do you know about this unfortunate affair?

March Hare: Nothing.

Queen of Hearts: NOTHING WHATEVER?!

March Hare: NOTHING WHATEVER!

Queen of Hearts: THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT!!!

  • Hurricane of Puns: "All In The Golden Afternoon".
  • "I Am" Song: Does "I'm Late" count?
  • Ink Suit Actor:
    • Kathryn Beaumont as Alice.
    • Ed Wynn as The Mad Hatter.
    • Jerry Colonna as the March Hare.
  • Insistent Terminology: "Your way?! All ways here are my ways!"
  • Jerkass: Several characters. A notable example being the Cheshire Cat.
  • Large Ham: Who do you think? OFF WITH HER HEAD!
  • Man of a Thousand Voices: J. Pat O'Malley provides all the voices in the "Walrus and the Carpenter" segment.
  • Memetic Outfit: Alice's blue dress with the pinafore, white stockings and black Mary Janes.
    • Hey, don't forget the "Alice Band".
  • Mood Whiplash: "Very Good Advice", in which Alice sings about her personal flaws and breaks into tears, feels out-of-place to some people, especially since it comes in between the parts where Alice explores the Tulgey Wood and the Cheshire Cat tells her to visit the Queen of Hearts.
  • My Friends and Zoidberg:

 White Rabbit: Her Imperial Highness, Her Grace, Her Excellency, Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Hearts!...and the King.

Voice: Hooray!

    • A more traditional example comes when the White Rabbit does roll call at the beginning of the trial:

 Your majesty? Members of the Jury? Loyal subjects? And the king.

  • Mythology Gag: The Cheshire cat sings the beginning of "The Jabberwock" poem ("'Twas Bril-lig/ And the sly-thy toves/ Did gyre and gim-ble in the wabe...").
  • Negated Moment of Awesome: Alice uses the mushrooms during the trial so she could turn giant and give a speech about the reasons the Queen of Hearts sucks, but she shrinks while she says it. No one takes it seriously as a result.
  • Oh, No, Not Again: After Alice eats a treat that says "Eat me", she starts growing again while searching for the White Rabbit's gloves and gets that reaction.
  • Only Sane Man: Not just Alice, but also the White Rabbit at some points.
  • Opening Chorus
  • Panty Shot: The Queen of Hearts' white, heart-printed, ankle-length bloomers are on display after the Cheshire Cat causes her to flip over and upside down, with a flamingo used as a croquet mallet or club to lift up her dress.
  • Parachute Petticoat
  • Pimped-Out Dress: The dress worn by the Queen of Hearts, with the High Collar of Doom, underskirt with the black and gold chevron design, and the overskirt with the ermine trim (although the animation limitations made it look like just a solid white trim in the film).
  • Recitation Handclasp: Alice assumed this posture when she was reciting poetry.
  • Scooby-Dooby Doors: Predating even the trope namer.
  • Second Face Smoke: The Caterpillar does this to Alice.
  • Sidekick Song: "The Unbirthday Song".
  • Sizeshifter: Alice, whenever she eats or drinks anything in Wonderland.
  • Sneeze of Doom: "Well... There goes Bill."
  • "Somewhere" Song: "In a World of My Own".
  • Spelling Song: "AEIOU", more or less.
  • Synchronized Swarming: While Alice is traveling through the Tulgey Wood she meets a group of mome raths, who form themselves into the shape of an arrow to lead her to a path.
  • Through a Face Full of Fur: Three of the characters get red with anger, two of them twice:
    • A furious carpenter turns red when he comes back to find the oysters had been devoured by the walrus and he chases after him with his hammer.
    • The caterpillar turns red twice. Once when Alice inadvertently offends him about his height and he hurriedly puffs away on his hookah before the smoke engulfs him and he turns into a butterfly; the other time after having become a butterfly and Alice bugs him with a question concerning directions.
    • The irascible Queen of Hearts gets red-faced twice. Once after having been turned upside down during the croquet game with a flamingo-for-a-mallet (thanks to the Cheshire Cat) and automatically presuming that Alice was responsible for the act, and accusing her of it; the other time when she shouts for silence at the trial.
  • Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: The King and Queen of Hearts.
  • True-Blue Femininity: Alice's dress, to match the original book's art.
  • Viewers Are Geniuses: The film doesn't explicitly state that the White Rabbit and the Bird in the Tree are nearsighted. The audience is expected to know just from their wearing glasses.
  • Villain Song: "Who's Been Painting My Roses Red?"
  • Would Hurt a Child: The Queen of Hearts is perfectly willing to have a little girl beheaded.
  • Yank the Dog's Chain: When Alice meets the mome raths, they help her find a path out of Wonderland. Unfortunately, as she runs down it and cheers that she will finally return home, a dog with broom bristles on its head and tail appears and sweeps the path away. It's hard not to share Alice's frustration afterward.
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