Alice Through the Looking Glass | Review
Alice in Wonderland is a Disney classic that I’ve watched at least a dozen times, and I can still find something new and clever hidden inside with each viewing. It’s a favorite story with my family, and we eagerly looked forward to the new live feature opening this week.
I was invited to a media preview of Alice Through the Looking Glass on Tuesday in exchange for a review.
I assure you I’d need to watch this movie at least three more times before I caught “everything.” It’s that kind of movie. A lot is going on!
Claire, my 11-year-old, agrees with me. She was asking if we could buy the DVD before we’d even left the theater.
In this movie, Alice is faced with challenges both at home and back in Underland.
At home, she has returned after a couple years at sea. She’s a successful captain at sea, but finds on land that her job and her livelihood is in jeopardy. Even her mom seems to be working against her, and Alice is distraught.
That’s when she sees Absolem, a friend from Underland. The blue caterpillar turned butterfly admonishes her for being gone too long, and she knows an adventure is at hand.
Side note: I know I wasn’t the only one who let out a small sob when we heard Alan Rickman’s voice. It wasn’t a large part, but I was thankful we had one more moment with him in a theater.
The adventure takes Alice back to Underland where she learns that her friend the Mad Hatter needs her help. He’s slipping away into madness, and only Alice can help turn things around. Thus begins a race against Time.
No, that’s not a typo. We meet the character, Time, played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
He was the most complex and exciting characters in this movie. And he got the most laughs as well.
I knew my daughter would love the film because she’s a big fan of the 2010 film, Alice in Wonderland.
And she absolutely did! She had nothing but praise for the acting, the story, and the visuals.
“There were so many beautiful colors in the movie!” she said.
I liked this movie more than I expected to, to be honest. Even though it runs a little long, I found it enjoyable and I would have no problem seeing it again.
There was a lot going on related to time travel, so I’m not sure if younger children would be able to follow the plot carefully. But they would be entertained by the characters and the basic story regardless. We get a lot of back story in this movie that fills in some of the holes you may have wondered about.
In the end, Alice Through the Looking Glass was a fun film that I’d take my whole family to, even my almost 5-year-old. It had a clear message about girl-power and sexism that I thought was handled nicely. Alice also learns that Time is not a thief, but a gift- a lesson we can all take to heart.
Official Synopsis
In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland to save her friend the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings a unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen in “Alice in Wonderland,” the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll and produced by Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” reunites the all-star cast from the worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas and Helena Bonham Carter along with the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. We are also introduced to several new characters: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.
Alice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) has spent the past three years sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland. Reuniting with her friends the White Rabbit, Absolem, the White Queen and the Cheshire Cat, Alice must save the Hatter and Underland itself, before time runs out.
Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016.
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
Alan Rickman ❤️