Alice in Wonderland (1933)

Synopsis
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.

Release History 1933 - Alice in Wonderland (1933)

Sub Categories animated
live-action
sci-fi/fantasy

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