Product Description

Experience the magic, fun, and adventure of Alice in Wonderland like never before in this new Masterpiece Edition 2-Disc set. Join Alice as she falls into the madcap world of Wonderland and meets extraordinary characters such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the frantically late White Rabbit. And the fun continues with new bonus features including the Virtual Wonderland Party, the newly discovered Cheshire Cat song "I'm Odd," Mickey's "Thru the Mirror" animated short, plus sing-along songs and all-new games. Your family will want to experience this timeless Disney masterpiece again and again!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3600 in DVD
• Brand: Masterpiece
• Released on: 2004-01-27
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Subtitled, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Running time: 75 minutes

Features

• Experience the magic, fun, and adventure of ALICE IN WONDERLAND like never before in this new Masterpiece Edition 2-Disc set. Join Alice as she falls into the madcap world of Wonderland and meets extraordinary characters such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the frantically late White Rabbit. And the fun continues with new bonus features including the Virtual

Amazon.com
Walt Disney seems to have had a special affection for Lewis Carroll's "Alice" stories. "Alice's Wonderland" (1923), a short about a live-action little girl in a cartoon world, led to his first successful series, the "Alice" comedies (collected on Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities--Celebrated Shorts, 1920s -1960s). During the early '30s, he talked about making an animation/live-action feature of "Alice in Wonderland" with Mary Pickford in the title role. But almost two decades would elapse before Disney released his Alice. It's the most uneven of the classic Disney features, juxtaposing brilliant and dull sequences. The Mad Tea Party, the Queen of Hearts' Croquet Game, and Alice's encounters with the Caterpillar and Cheshire Cat fuse the spirit of Carroll's words, the vitality of the polished animation, and the stylized look and brilliant palette of designer Mary Blair. But the song "I Give Myself Very Good Advice" and the unsatisfying adaptation of "The Walrus and Carpenter" bring the story to a halt. Disney's Alice in Wonderland remains a beloved film, and its better moments are truly magical. (Rated G: cartoon violence, some scary moments, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

DVD features
The first title in Disney's "Masterpiece Series" delivers the 1951 tale in its best home video edition. The restored and remastered print looks better than the original DVD release, with slightly brighter colors and more detail in the dark backgrounds. A center speaker channel has also been added for 5.1 surround. The second disc brings on the bevy of extras, albeit with more historical context than most other Disney discs. Here's the precursor to The Wonderful World of Disney, the hour-long "One Hour in Wonderland," a 1950 special hosted by Walt and the live-action Alice (cartoon voice actress Kathryn Beaumont), the first such TV show from the empire. The Fred Waring Show excerpt has Beaumont showing up again as Waring's orchestra performs songs from the movie. Ms. Beaumont also talks about the many songs that were composed for the film but never made it in. One, the Cheshire's Cat's "I'm Odd," has been fully animated as an extra. For kids, the new Virtual Wonderland Party is a live-action activity, much more intriguing than the usual DVD set-top games with games, jokes, sing-along songs, a variation of "Simon Says," and more. Since the choices are random, kids 3 to 9 will want to play it several times. --Doug Thomas