15 best screen versions of Alice in Wonderland: from children's fairy tales to hardcore thrillers

The famous book by Lewis Carroll, published in 1865, still excites the minds of millions of fans. Children see it as a funny fairy tale, adults look for philosophical implications. No wonder the story was transferred to screens dozens of times. Each director tried to show something different. Therefore, viewers were able to choose films, cartoons or TV shows exactly to their liking.

Classic film adaptations of the book

In this part of the list, it makes no sense to describe the plot, he repeats the book every time: young Alice is chasing the White Rabbit and ends up in Wonderland, inhabited by playing cards and many unusual creatures. However, each version has its own merits.

1. Alice in Wonderland

Great Britain, 1903.
Fantasy, fairy tale.
Duration: 9 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 3.

Of course, the film adaptation, which is more than a century old, is unlikely to take seriously, and the film lasts only nine minutes. But surprisingly, it briefly showed many of the main scenes from the original. And this is the first attempt to transfer the plot of Carroll to the screen, which already deserves respect.

2. Alice in Wonderland

USA, 1933.
Fantasy, fairy tale, adventure.
Duration: 76 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 4.

The plot of this silent film includes both Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Moreover, most of the production is for play, but the episode about the Walrus and the Carpenter was made animated.

Director Norman McLeod has invited many famous actors to play supporting roles, in particular Gary Cooper and Cary Grant. But they were so unusually dressed and made up that the audience did not recognize their favorites. As a result, the picture failed at the box office and acquired cult status only years later.

3. Alice in Wonderland

USA, 1951.
Fantasy, fairy tale, musical.
Duration: 75 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 4.

The lightest and most childish adaptation of the list. Walt Disney Studios put together a plot from two books by the writer. But all the subtext and deep thoughts were replaced with traditional jokes and dances. It is for the positive atmosphere that this cartoon is loved by viewers of all ages.

4. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Great Britain, 1972.
Fantasy, fairy tale, musical.
Duration: 101 minutes.
IMDb: 5, 8.

A scene from the movie "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

The British production pleases with clear visual references to drawings by John Tenniel - the author of the first illustrations for "Alice in Wonderland". In addition, the film features a host of classic Actors including Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore and Ralph Richardson.

5. Alice in Wonderland

USSR, 1981.
Fantasy, fairy tale.
Duration: 30 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 7.

The Soviet Union also released a cartoon based on the famous book. Moreover, in contrast to the work of Disney, director Efrem Pruzhansky decided to make the visual series in his version quite phantasmagoric, which is very much in line with the ideas of the original.

A year later, the second part came out - "Alice Through the Looking Glass" - in exactly the same style.

6. Alice in Wonderland

USA, 1985.
Fantasy, fairy tale, adventure.
Duration: 187 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 4.

This TV movie in two parts is over three hours long. This timing allowed the authors to convey the plot of both books as accurately as possible. And also in the picture there are wonderful musical numbers. It is not for nothing that not only famous actors, but also musicians starred in it: Ringo Starr appeared in the form of the Quasi Turtle, and Telly Savalas played the Cheshire Cat.

7. Alice in Wonderland

UK, Germany, USA, 1999.
Fantasy, fairy tale, comedy.
Duration: 150 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 3.

Shot from the movie "Alice in Wonderland"

The most famous and revered classic film adaptation was directed by American director Nick Willing in collaboration with the studio of Jim Henson (creator of The Muppet Show). The author not only accurately conveyed the plot, but also copied the classic drawings. Of course, there are minor differences from the original here. But the very atmosphere and wit instantly make them forget about.

Pleases the film and the star cast. Here, even Alice was played not by an aspiring actress, as in most other versions, but by the star of "Water World" Tina Majorino. And there is no need to talk about such stars as Christopher Lloyd and Ben Kingsley. But especially the audience fell in love with Whoopi Goldberg in the form of the Cheshire Cat.

Unusual variations on the theme of the book

And even those who have already watched all the classic versions and are looking for a new look at the famous story, there is plenty to choose from.

1. Alice's Wonderland

USA, 1923.
Fantasy, comedy.
Duration: 13 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 6.

Young Alice arrives at Walt Disney Studios. Animators show her various cartoons, and the girl goes to Wonderland.

This is the first Disney work in which he combined acting and drawing. The plot has a very indirect relationship to the book. But still, the famous animator can be considered the same great storyteller as Carroll, and therefore the continuity is felt.

2. Alice in Wonderland

Great Britain, 1966.
Fantasy, drama.
Duration: 72 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 0.

British director and TV personality Jonathan Miller was the first to try to reimagine Alice in Wonderland as a serious work. In his version, the girl finds herself in the nervous and hectic world of adults. Instead of fabulous creatures, there are business people here, and Sonya the mouse is just a drunken man. Is that the Cheshire Cat was played by a real cat. In such a Wonderland, Alice herself becomes more harsh and sarcastic.

Miller's adaptation is unlikely to be much fun, but it will make you wonder how children feel in a world of busy adults.

3. Alice in Wonderland

Japan, Germany, 1983.
Fantasy, fairy tale, adventure.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 6, 9.

In the Japanese anime series, Alice's story spanned 52 episodes and two specials. At the same time, in the finale of each episode, the girl wakes up, returning to the real world.

In general, the plot of this version is similar to the original, but the relationship of the heroes here is much more complicated: Alice is friends with the White Rabbit, and the villain Jabberwock wants to make a stew out of him.

4. Alice

Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Great Britain, Germany, 1988.
Fantasy, thriller, drama.
Duration: 86 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 5.

The darkest and even scariest adaptation of the famous fairy tale was created by director Jan Schwankmeier. In his version, everything that happens is a vision of a girl who was locked in a closet. And therefore, Wonderland does not at all resemble a fairy tale.

The acting in the frame is combined with the depiction of the puppet characters. But the toys are shown to be harsh and unpleasant: skeletons are chasing the heroine, and the rabbit frightens with huge teeth.

5. Alice in Wonderland

UK, Canada, 2009.
Fantasy, drama, adventure.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 7, 3.

Shot from the mini-series "Alice in Wonderland"

10 years after the release of the classic film adaptation, the same Nick Willing decided to look at the tale from a slightly different angle. As a result, he released a two-part television movie, where he transferred history to the present.

Judo coach Alice Hamidleton sees her fiancé being kidnapped. She chases criminals and ends up in Wonderland 150 years after the events of the original book. Over the years, the wizarding world has changed a lot: the Queen of Hearts fights the resistance, trying to open a portal between the worlds, and the March Hare has turned into a killer with a mechanical head.

6. Malice in Wonderland

Great Britain, Spain, USA, Bahrain, 2009.
Fantasy, detective, thriller, drama.
Duration: 87 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 0.

In the same 2009, another modernized version of the story was released. She tells about the girl Malice, who quarreled with her father and left for London. In the city she is hit by a taxi, and the heroine loses her memory.

Then the story turns into Carroll's phantasmagoria. London more and more resembles Wonderland, only crazy tea drinking here takes place in an ordinary cafe, and instead of the White Rabbit - a taxi driver.

7. Alice in Wonderland

USA, 2010.
Fantasy, fairy tale, adventure.
Duration: 108 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 4.

In 2010, the long-awaited film adaptation of Tim Burton, known for his fabulous paintings, was released. The director showed both a continuation and a rethinking of the story at the same time. In his version, the matured Alice is about to get married of convenience. But he meets the White Rabbit and again finds himself in Wonderland, which she had already visited as a child.

Six years later, a sequel to "Alice Through the Looking Glass" appeared, but it was filmed by another director, and nothing remained of the original book in the plot.

8. Once upon a time in Wonderland

Canada, USA, 2013.
Fantasy, drama, melodrama.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 7, 0.

Amid the popularity of Once Upon a Time, where famous characters like Snow White and Cinderella found themselves in the modern real world, ABC decided to launch a spin-off about Alice.

In the story, the heroine lives in Victorian London and tells everyone about the Wonderland, which she visited. She is mistaken for a madwoman and sent for treatment. Now the heroine needs to somehow save herself, because the world from her stories really exists.