Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

After Disney announced that they would not be doing the next Chronicles of Narnia film, Voyage of the Dawn Trader many wondered what would be Disney's next attempt to clone the success of Lord of the Rings franchise. If not Narnia then why not take another Lewis's successful book, Alice in Wonderland. Though the film has already been done by Disney in the past, that didn't stop them there. Instead, they would hire the director of weird and quirkiness Tim Burton to make a new version in his vision.

Last weekend, I popped into the theater to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Though I've enjoyed Burton's previous works on films such as Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorhands. My hopes were not very high for this film. Mainly cause I still loved Walt Disney's original film back in the day. I was pleased to see my expectations of the film were thoroughly wrong.

The film begins with a young woman named, Alice Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska) who is proposed to by a rich wealthy man. But Alice doesn't love him and soon leaves when she spots a white rabbit named Niven McTwisp (Michael Sheen) and quickly follows. Nearing the end of her chase, Alice falls down a rabbit hole down to the realm known as the Underland or more commonly known as Wonderland as referred to by its locals.

Apparently, Alice has visited Underland before as a child, but has lost all memory of her past journey. She then runs into various strange characters in Underland such as the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). The Red Queen (Helena Boham Carter) has seized control of Underland by stealing the crown from her sister the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) with the help of her pet the menacing, Jabberwocky. Alice must slay the Jabberwocky on the Frabjous Day using the Vorpal Sword.

The plot seems solid but the film falls apart with yet another generic battle sequence in the end. Yet, I have found the rest of the film to be quite enjoyable. Burton's style resonates through the first two acts of the film, but slowly loses its luster in the third act. Also the film is riddled with screenwriter, Linda Woolverton's influence with elements of feminism, which would be quite unrealistic due to the film's set time period.

Other problems I have found with the film was the need for 3-D, which this film undoubtedly didn't need. And with miss Anne Hathaway's performance as the White Queen. Throughout her scenes I begged her to please put her hands down. Though this would've been part of her character, still unsure whether this was the case.

Despite the problems above, this film is enjoyable to all, but I strongly recommend parents not to bring their children. As some scenes may be deemed too frightening. Overall, it was still a delightful experience as expected from a Disney film.

iCritic Grade: B+

Walt Disney's Rapunzel to Disney's Tangled?

Back in February, Disney announced that they would be changing the title to their upcoming film Rapunzel to the new title Tangled. The company has released several statements concerning the film, "Some people might assume it's a fairy tale for girls when it's not. We make movies to be appreciated and loved by everybody," explained Ed Catmull president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. I can't help but feel that the lukewarm box-office performance of Disney's prior animated film, The Princess and the Frog may have influenced this decision.

As of now it seems the changes in the film are not just cosmetic, but rather drastic changes. It seems Disney may be changing the film's story in order to emphasize the male lead, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) and downsize the lovable princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore).

Whatever the true reason behind he name change, it has definitely struck a chord with the Disney fan base. Many fans have criticized the new title negatively, having already fallen in love with the film's previous title. Even some of the former animators of Disney have stated dislike of the new title. "The idea of changing the title of a classic like 'Rapunzel' to 'Tangled' is beyond stupid," said Floyd Norman a retired Disney and Pixar animator.

The film Tangled is now slated for a release date, November 24, 2010. The film will be the first of its kind, combining CGI-animation and traditional animation.

The Princess and the Frog

In January, I saw the film The Princess and the Frog in theaters. At first I had no idea what to expect, this was the first traditionally animated Disney film in about five years. So basically my hopes were very high, but I still had that nagging feeling that something would be amiss.

All I have to say is this is a delightful little film. The characters are cute, there's a sense of whimsical beauty not available in CGI-animated films, and there are a few catchy numbers here and there. But like every critic (hence the name) I had a few problems with the film...

First the name, I know Disney had problems with the title of this film. First, it was The Frog Princess, but it was somehow deemed "racist", "offending", and not "politically correct". I can't explain their reasons, but I can say that they were probably people who just jumped to conclusions. But Disney wanted to please everyone so the title was changed. Unfortunately, that didn't please anyone either. Apparently, some parents were offended by the fact that The Princess and the Frog didn't feature a "princess" but a hard-working, down on her luck girl named, Tiana (a very beautiful name in my opinion) and were amazingly offended by this as well. They claimed the title "lied" to them and caused them to misinterpret the film. In my opinion, the title didn't quite fit the film but it was still fine. Maybe The Frog Princess or simply, The Frog Prince would have sufficed.

Second the music, I'm not saying that Randy Newman is a horrible composer or lyricist. On the contrary, I'm a big fan of his work for Pixar. The song When She Loved Me comes to mind. But for The Princess and the Frog the music lacked memorable lyrics or tunes. The film may have done better with a simple love ballad, in the same vein of A Whole New World, Beauty and the Beast, or Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Ma Belle Evangeline doesn't quite fit the criteria of those other songs. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still tapping my toe to the oh so charming, Dig a Little Deeper and Friends on the Other Side. Even Anika Noni Rose's solo piece, Almost There was catchy. Unfortunately, it seems these songs probably won't be remembered like the other songs aforementioned.

Finally the story, probably everyone knows the story is the most important part of any film. Well, this film lacked one solid story. Instead, it focused on several stories and tried to be clever by combining them together at the end of the film. And sadly this left a severe amount of plot-holes that even the writers couldn't fill. You can justify those plot-holes all you want but if the average movie-goer such as myself can spot them. Then most likely anyone could have.

Other than the problems I have previously mentioned. This film is a delightful film, and I guarantee you will have a fun time. But don't expect The Second Disney Renaissance just yet.

iCritic Grade: B-

Top Track Picks:
Dig A Little Deeper
Friends on the Other Side
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Almost There