Underland or Wonderland?

From one of our memorable childhood bedtime stories to the epic blockbuster screening on the big screen, the tale of a girl who fell into the rabbit hole will come to life. The 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who used his then pseudonym name – Lewis Carroll, brought us all into an imaginary world of fantasies.

Century of years later, we will soon get to experience the fun filled fantasy and incredible adventures that Alice encountered during her exploration of Underland (Inhabitants like us call it ‘Wonderland’). The peculiar and anthropomorphic creatures will be brought to the big screen through director Tim Burton’s dark and quirky vision. The combined techniques of live action and motion capture will definitely sweep us away on a realistic and true exploration of Alice’s journey in Underland.

UNDERLAND, says screenwriter Linda Woolverton, is a part of the earth.  “But it lies somewhere far beneath our world. The only way to get there is to fall down a rabbit hole.”  It is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child, but she misheard the word “Underland” and thought they said “Wonderland.”  Alice, now age 19, heads back down the rabbit hole and though she has no memory of her previous adventures in Underland, she is reunited with its inhabitants, including a swashbuckling Dormouse, an off-his-rocker Mad Hatter, a grinning Cheshire Cat, a caterpillar called Absolem, a beautiful White Queen and her spiteful older sister the Red Queen. “Time has passed,” says Woolverton. “The Red Queen rules the whole land. It’s under her thumb. And the people of Underland need Alice.” Underland has come upon hard times since the malevolent Red Queen took over the throne.  It is, however, a truly wonderful land, which might explain why the girl who mistook it for Wonderland has been called upon to help return it to its glory.  But, says Woolverton, “Underland has always been Underland since the Beginning, no matter who sits on the throne. It will remain Underland until the End.”

The creation of the mythical Underland started all from a simple sketch with a pencil and sketchpad.

Thanks to the top notch technology, the transformation of a 2 Dimensional image is generated into the realistic picture we all imagined.

The work does not stop there! In order for us to enjoy the magnificent Underland, animators further enhance the pictures to ‘revive’ each and every single object.

Every single detail is the fruit of the animators and developers labour. Imagine the tedious process they went through to create a realistic and impeccable Underland that we all used to fantasize about when we read the novel.

Aside from the gorgeous landscapes in Underland, what’s Alice in the Wonderland without Alice?

ALICE (Mia Wasikowska) is a 19-year-old woman contemplating her future.  An independent soul, she feels trapped in the narrow-minded views of women in aristocratic Victorian London. Alice Kingsleigh is uncertain how to balance her dreams with other people’s expectations.  Following the death of her beloved father, she attends a garden party with her mother and sister, although, unbeknownst to her, it’s been planned as her engagement party. Just as the arrogant and dull Hamish Ascot proposes to her, Alice spots a White Rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch scurrying across the grounds.  She rushes off after the furry fellow, tumbling down a rabbit hole and into Underland, a place she first visited as a child (and called Wonderland)—though she has no memory of it or its inhabitants.  Alice nevertheless reunites with her childhood friends, including Absolem the caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and of course, the Mad Hatter—and seeks her true destiny. “In the beginning, Alice is very awkward and uncomfortable in her skin,” Wasikowska says.  “So her experience in Underland is about reconnecting with herself and finding she has the strength to be more self-assured in figuring out what she wants.”

Tim Burton’s choice of an unfamiliar actress in the movie allows us to relate to Alice and share her emotions. The dark and mysterious scenes are always Burton’s trademark. This intrigues us to a new level and Alice definitely captivates our heart.

Wonder how Alice wanders around the whimsical land? Mia was shot in front of the green screen for most of her scenes.

Computer generated graphics are added in the post production stage to put Alice in the Underland.

Other elements were then included to complete the overall look of Alice in the Underland.

Every female viewer wants to be THAT Alice in the Wonderland. It’s time for the ladies to search for the rabbit hole!
Up next, how can we ever forget the downright strange character in Underland?

THE MAD HATTER (Johnny Depp) doesn’t just wear his heart on his sleeve—his ever-changing moods are quite literally reflected in his face and his attire.  He’s been anxiously awaiting Alice’s return and is, arguably, her one true friend, believing in her when nobody else does. He is fearless, going to great lengths to protect her at his own risk. Once the proud hat maker for the White Queen, the Hatter has been affected by mercury poisoning, an unfortunate side effect of the hat-making process, and isn’t altogether well. “I always saw the Hatter as kind of tragic,” says Depp. “He’s a victim in a lot of ways. The mercury has certainly taken its toll, but there’s a tragic element to his past in this particular version that weighs pretty heavily on the character.”

Not only did Johnny Depp adapt effortlessly into his role as the Mad Hatter, his costumes and make-up enhanced his credibility. His versatility never fails to impress the audience.

Intricate details of the costume design and make up are extremely crucial to portray the feelings of the queer Mad Hatter. Look at the intensity of Depp’s facial expression, it can only be described in one word – flawless!

“The March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won’t be raving mad — at least not so mad as it was in March.” – Alice

THE MARCH HARE (voice of Paul Whitehouse) hosts the Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties at his Hare House.  Paranoid, anxious and slightly insane, he constantly wrings his paws and ears and has a thing for tossing teapots and other items.  He has a penchant for cooking and is one of the few Underland inhabitants to escape the Red Queen’s clutches altogether.

Would you like the March Hare to host your tea parties? Only if he doesn’t toss my tea sets!

Enough of the insanity from a hare, this tabby Cheshire cat will calm you down in no time, with a grin.

CHESSUR, THE CHESHIRE CAT (voice of Stephen Fry) is a dapper tabby with the ability to appear and disappear. He is all calm, casual sensuality with a seductive grin that masks his cowardice. It’s the cat’s disembodied head that first appears to Alice in Tulgey Wood after she’s been attacked by the vicious Bandersnatch. He offers to purify the gashes on her arm by licking them. Alice declines, although she allows him to lead her to the Hatter’s Tea Party where the Hatter blames him for deserting them on the day the Red Queen seized control of Underland. Using his skills and the Hatter’s coveted top hat, Chessur later finds a way to redeem himself.

The most significant notion of the Cheshire Cat is its grin that resembles the smile of a human trickster.

The Cheshire Cat is fully computer generated and like most fictional characters in the film, he is developed to capture what Lewis Carroll envisioned in his 1865 novel.

The character is then added into an environment for a scene.

TThe addition of textures on the Cheshire Cat’s fur creates a realistic look. Considering the time and effort spent on the character, the outcome looks truly impeccable.

A leopard can never change its spot. Well… the Cheshire Cat can never change its grin.

More characters will be announced on the following Wonderland Wednesday!
Stay tune and anticipate.

Continued…

Last week, we’ve revealed the first 5 characters from the upcoming blockbuster, Alice in the Wonderland. By the end of this post, you will be able to know 5 more distinctive characters that bring you on a magical journey in March.

Who hates animals and uses them as furniture?

IRACEBETH, THE RED QUEEN (Helena Bonham Carter) is the tyrannical monarch of Underland. With her oversized head, fiery temper and propensity to scream for people’s heads to be chopped off, she rules her subjects through fear. “She’s got emotional problems,” says Bonham Carter. “It takes nothing, practically, for her to lose her temper. Her tantrums are that of a two-year-old.” Her younger sibling, the White Queen, has designs on the throne and crown that Iracebeth once stole from her.

Tim Burton visualized the Red Queen by sketching her out then started developing the character, which includes casting and computer generated graphics.

Like all the human characters, Helena Bonham Carter had to go through filming in front of the green screen, then the final scene was generated by the amazing animators.

The Red Queen’s head was increased in size by 3 times on the big screen. Her huge head definitely matches up to her huge ego as well.

Every ‘queen-dom’ will have its her army, and there is no exception to the Red Queen’s.

SILOSOVIC STAYNE, THE KNAVE OF HEARTS (Crispin Glover) is the head of the Red Queen’s Army. Seven feet, six-inches tall, with a scarred face and a heart-shaped patch covering his left eye, Stayne is an arrogant, tricky character who follows the Red Queen’s every order. He’s the only one capable of pacifying her and calming her dramatic mood swings. “I am the martial element for the Red Queen,” says Glover. “The Red Queen has a fair amount of short-tempered reactions to things that people do, and so my character has to be quite diplomatic.” His darker side emerges in the shadows of the castle hallways.

Like the Red Queen, Burton also sketched out Knave of Hearts with the emphasis of the heart-shaped eye patch.

Here are some of the progression stills of Knave of Hearts.

Meet another character who is working for the tyrannical Red Queen, but also a secret member of the Underland Resistance.

TMCTWISP, THE WHITE RABBIT (voice of Michael Sheen) is always late, always in a hurry, always rushing about. Charged with finding Alice and bringing her back to Underland so that she can fulfill her destiny, he shows up at her garden party in an effort to lure her back down the rabbit hole. “He’s a warm character,” says Sheen, “but, at the same time, he can be quite fussy and quite strict with Alice as well. He has an edge to him, a nervous energy, always feeling like he’s behind time. Time is very important to him, but he’s quite brave when called upon.”

Time is a very important element for the White Rabbit; he will always be seen with an antique pocket watch.

Unlike the human characters, a creature like the White Rabbit has to be completely developed by the animators.

Sheen, who did the voice over for the White Rabbit thinks the character itself is so iconic, he did not want to break out too much from the mold.

What is a movie without an adorable character like the tiny Dormouse?

MALLYMKUN, THE DORMOUSE (voice of Barbara Windsor) is a swashbuckling mouse in Underland who wears riding breeches. She refuses to believe that the White Rabbit has found the right Alice, the one who can help return Underland to its true splendor, and is only too happy to poke poor Alice in the ankle with a hat pin when Alice insists she’s only dreaming. But the tough little mouse comes through in a pinch when Alice is threatened by a clawing creature called a Bandersnatch. Her loyalty to the Hatter is unmatched, and she willingly faces the prospect of death to stand by him.

ABSOLEM, THE CATERPILLAR (voice of Alan Rickman) is the all-knowing and absolute guardian of the Oraculum, an ancient document that depicts every major event, past, present and future, in Underland’s history. Alice is taken by the White Rabbit and the Tweedles to meet Absolem, so that he can ascertain whether she is, in fact, the real Alice who first visited Underland as a child, the Alice who is destined to help them. They find the bulbous blue caterpillar atop a mushroom in a mushroom forest surrounded by misty smoke. Several times Absolem challenges Alice to come to a better understanding of herself, forcing her to face the difficult question: “Who are you?”

The last 5 set of characters will be released shortly. Please stay tune.

Meanwhile, enjoy the video.