Rick and I went on a date night March 6 to check out Alice in Wonderland. Now I've been hyped up about this movie since I randomly ran across it on IMDB.com and saw previews for it last October-ish. With the cast and the director, I would have found it difficult to not be stoked about it. Needless to say, I went into this movie with REALLY high expectations.

As many of you know, Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) & "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There" (1871) were put together to create "Alice in Wonderland". Carroll was the first to challenge children's literature (whether he meant to or not). Until 1865, most if not all children's books were laced with moralistic and/or religious undertones; Lewis was the first to write about a child challenging authority. That being said, the demeanor of Alice in the movie may make a bit more sense.

Where the original Disney animated classic left off, Tim Burton picks back up a few years later. Alice Kingsleigh is now 19 years old and a marriage has been arranged. But rather than accepting what was considered proper at the time, Alice again challenges tradition and goes to clear her head. There are obvious similarities between the animated movie and Burton's film, but I suppose there really is only one way down a rabbit hole. This second time around, memories of Alice's childhood keep replaying in her head and she believes she is only dreaming. As she remembers more and more throughout her wandering, she slowly realizes that she has been there before and eventually takes up the sword and shield to set right what was set askew since the last time she was there. It's a story about a child coming into adulthood with a totally different outlook on the world at the time - about having the audacity to make your mark on the world. Burton has effectively captured the dark and twisted side of Carroll which the original Disney movie made light of. A few critics complained about a lack of plot, but really it all boils down to a classic tale of good vs. evil in a land where imagination reigns supreme. Some characters that are new to the original movie include the White Queen, the Knave of Hearts, the Bandersnatch and the Jabberwocky.