Here is an adventure for the imagination! Tim Burton’s latest film is a stunning visual feast for the eyes. The characters and surroundings are like magnets, drawing the viewer’s attention to the screen. Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter and makes the character his own with his unique take on the role. His voice and mannerisms and appearance are other-worldly which is perfect for this story. Wonderful characters like the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Dormouse, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum are all part of the journey. The horse fly and dragon fly look like…you guessed it, a real miniature horse and dragon!

Mia Wasikowska is quite good as Alice and in the beginning of the story she is proposed to by a man she doesn’t want to marry. When she sees the White Rabbit lurking about, she follows him, only to fall into a hole to find herself back in the world she had visited as a child. Helena Bonham Carter plays an evil queen with relish, and she knows a certain young girl has been prophesied to destroy her evil reign. That girl happens to be Alice.

The story includes some intense fire breathing dragons and other vicious creatures with large fangs. Young children might be frightened. But this other world is such an obviously fantastic world that we think kids twelve and above will be fine with it, and some a bit younger, depending on the parent’s knowledge of their children. We strongly suggest parents consult the content listing below to make their own informed decisions.

For Alice, the world she travels to is not a joyous escape at times. But for the viewer, a just-under two hour journey into Alice’s world is a journey to the imagination, a remarkable world in which anything can, and often does, happen. We gladly award this film our Dove Seal. It’s a remarkable and stunning visual journey. And the 3-D version is not to be missed!