It’s hard to go to the movies this day and age, and actually see a movie that isn’t a remake. A lot of times remakes are seen as nothing more than a failed attempt to make money off of an already love and established franchise. But there is the occasional remake that is good enough to even best the original.

In this, the inaugural article, I will be comparing Disney’s classic animated masterpiece, “Alice in Wonderland,” and the 2010 Tim Burton live-action remake/reimagining. Both are masterpieces in filmmaking, and both are loved by many.

Story:

Both movies are based off of Lewis Carroll classic story about a little girl named Alice, falling into a rabbit’s hole and landing into a world of whimsy and oddities. The classic animated version tends to stay closer to the “Alice in Wonderland” story, while Tim Burton’s version melds the story with aspects of “Through the Looking Glass.” In the animated version, everything was so confusing and not much semblance of a proper plot could be made, much like the original story. Burton takes a much more serious and dark approach to the story, as with most of his movies. It is much easier to follow the plot of the remake because the film takes its time to explain what is going on, dissimilar to Carroll’s original story. And while the animated film is superior in following the book, the point has to go to the remake for its own twist.

Art direction:

The remake has the style Burton has made his career off of. It’s dark, fantastical and yet realistic in a gritty sense. The movie is great to look at, and that can’t be denied. However, I would have to say that the animated version just beats it out. “Alice in Wonderland” is just as its title says: a girl named Alice gets lost in a wonderland. The animated version just pulls off the whimsical nature of the story better than the remake, with its bright, colorful characters that only hand drawn animation can get across. Burton gets props for his stylistic visuals, but the point has to go to the animated classic.

Music:

The remake had an astounding score that complemented the scenes it played for, and was overall top of the line. Yet, nothing really pops out to me when I think of the music of the movie, aside from the song the group 3Oh3 made for the movie. Nothing was really memorable, and some of the songs verged on the line of sounding like stock music. The animated movie had memorable songs and scores that were as whimsical as the movie itself. I still sing “Have a very Merry un-Birthday” to myself when I think of the movie. Hands down this point goes to the classic, for it’s memorable nature and originality.

Acting:

Not much can really be said for the animated movies cast of voice actors. They were fitting for there characters, but that’s about it. No one really stood out aside from the Cheshire Cat and the Queen of Hearts. Burton did a great job with casting in his version of the film. Anne Hathaway, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are all wonderful actors and definitely memorable. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter couldn’t have been a better choice and definitely gives the remake a point.

Lasting impression:

It’s tied and comes down to this final point: which one left a greater lasting impression? Tim Burton’s remake was enjoyable to watch, and had memorable characters. The story was gritty and realistic, which melded well with wonderland’s fantastical nature. But, it’s been quite a while since my last viewing of the movie, and I don’t really feel compelled to watch it again anytime soon; it was good, but nothing really got me really going from the movie. It has also been some time since I last casually viewed the classic animated version, and I still recall it with vivid and joyful thoughts. I want to see it again and I want to get lost in its wonderland.

With that, the final point goes to the classic, making the animated classic “Alice in wonderland” the superior film.