Synopsis of Movie

Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of an imaginative girl in 19th century England got an all-star treatment in Paramount’s 1933 version of Alice in Wonderland. W.C. Fields, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Edna May Oliver, William Austin, Sterling Holloway, Jack Oakie and others appeared as the fantastical characters encountered by Alice in her journey through the looking glass. The movie actually combined two Carroll novels, Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass.

An imaginative and adventuresome girl, young Alice discovers that her library mirror is a portal to another world. She encounters a perpetually-late White Rabbit, a dodo, a caterpillar, the confusing Cheshire Cat and others as she tries to make sense of this strange new place. There isn't much sense to be found as Alice attends a wacky tea party with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse, then meets the Queen of Hearts.

The film breaks into animation when twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee recite the poem, “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” Giant egg Humpty Dumpty relates another of Carroll’s poems, “Jabberwocky,” then falls off and shatters. Naturally, the poor White Knight can’t put Humpty together again. Before she even knows what's going on, Alice becomes a queen, enrages the Red Queen, and needs to find a way back home before the angry Queen exacts her vengeance.

Just as important as the star-studded cast to the film's success was the splendid art direction of William Cameron Menzies (who also co-wrote the screenplay), faithfully transposing storybook drawings into a live-action setting. The fantastic sets and costumes captured the imaginations of moviegoers, as Alice in Wonderland set the standard for every adaptation of Carroll's classic that followed.

Movie Release History

1933 - Alice in Wonderland (1933)

Movie Sub Categories

animated
live-action
sci-fi/fantasy

Movie Studio

Paramount

Cast

Alice Charlotte Henry
Cheshire Cat Richard Arlen
Fish Roscoe Ates
Gryphon William Austin
White Knight Gary Cooper
Uncle Gilbert Leon Errol
White Queen Louise Fazenda
Humpty Dumpty W.C. Fields
King of Hearts Alec B. Francis
White Rabbit Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher
Mock Turtle Cary Grant
Cook Lillian Harmer
Mouse Raymond Hatton
Frog Sterling Holloway
The Mad Hatter   Edward Everett Horton
Tweedledee  Roscoe Karns
Deuce of Hearts  Baby LeRoy
The Sheep  Mae Marsh
The Dodo Bird  Polly Moran
Tweedledum Jack Oakie
The Red Queen   Edna May Oliver
The Queen of Hearts  May Robson
The March Hare Charles Ruggles
Dormouse Jackie Searl
The Duchess  Alison Skipworth
The Caterpillar   Ned Sparks
The White King   Ford Sterling
White Pawn / The Baby Billy Barty
Two of Spades   Billy Bevan
Alice's Sister Julie Bishop
Garden Frog Colin Campbell
Father William  Harvey Clark
Leg of Mutton  Jack Duffy
First Executioner  Henry Ekezian
Third Executioner  Meyer Grace
Governess Ethel Griffies
The Clock Colin Kenny
Father William's Son  Lucien Littlefield
Five of Spades  Charles McNaughton
The Aunt Patsy O'Byrne
Plum Pudding  George Ovey
Seven of Spades  Will Stanton
Second Executioner  Joe Torilla

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