Old films to New 26.2

 For my next project in film studio, we have been given the assignment of Old films to New, where we must choose one film and its remake, and discuss the production contexts around each movie. For my movie choice, I decided to choose the Alice in Wonderland (1951) movie and its 2010 remake; based off the Lewis Carroll novel, originally published on 26th November 1865. I chose these films because they demonstrate interesting progression in the technology that goes into film making, as well as how they continue a storyline from a movie made decades ago. I also know that these films are incredibly popular and would be a fascinating movie franchise to research into.

When discussing these movies and their remakes we must first look at them in comparison to the book, for example in the first Alice in Wonderland film there is a clear reflection of the book, as the majority of the scenes follows the chapters in the novel ; as instructed by the director Clyde Geronimo and overseen by Walt Disney as the producer of the film. This is in stark contrast to the 2010 remake of the film, directed by Tim Burton, who uses the book as a mere guideline to create a totally different storyline,  which takes place after the events that occur in the original book and first movie. The author Lewis Carroll wrote the novel whilst in the victorian era, which explains the setting and era for the movies and the book it was based on.

The main difference between the two films is noticeably that the second Alice in Wonderland is a live action film with real actors playing the characters instead of voice over animation. This demonstrates the progression of technology in the movie industry as special effects have developed so much since the 1950's, evident by the realistic CGI effects used when creating the chesire cat in the remake. The auteurist who directed this film, Tim Burton, again used the majority of the same actors that feature in his other films, for example Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp are a common actor choice for Burton, who are also very well known. Since the 1951 version of Alice in Wonderland came out 68 years ago, most of the younger generation are not familiar with the stars casted in the film, for instance Kathryn Beaumont who played Alice.

Another dissimilarity between these films is the budget, as the budget for both of these films differ considerably.  The original Alice in Wonderland made in 1951 grossed at a much smaller price than the later made film, costing around 3 million dollars compared to 200 million dollars. Their box office earnings also starkly contrast as the original film earned roughly 5.8 million dollars, where as the 2010 film earned around 1 billion dollars.  The only similarity being that the funding from these movies came from american based companies.

The premiere of the first Alice in Wonderland occurred in London on July 26th 1951, as well as in New York 2 days later. The 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland premiered in London on February 25th,  and in the United States on March 5th. Its understandable to see how these movies premiered in both countries, the USA and the UK, as the director and production company are based in America, however it is an english based film based on a novel written by an english author. The distributor for this film was Walt Disney Motion Pictures, a well known, reliable source of successful children movies. 

In my opinion, I believe both of these movies are to be considered mainstream movies as the disney franchise is a very popular brand with decades of successful history behind it. The original and the follow up movie both will remain a childhood favourite as they have remained a go-to for many years. The disney range of films always come into cycle every few years when Disney Studios decide to remake past films, as there is now a third Alice in Wonderland movie called Alice through the looking glass, made in 2016. These films have individually featured in many cinemas, however due to the age of the first film i was unable to find the cinemas it appeared in, the second instead featured in a variety of movie theatres, for example VUE, Grants and the BFI. Both movies are available for all ages to see as they are both rated PG.

In my opinion, its interesting as to why the 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland was rated PG as it seems a lot darker and more adult for younger viewers. The first Alice in Wonderland also had its  eerie moments, in which I believe Tim Burton tried to recreate in the live action version of the film, manipulating special effects to create fog and mist; emphasising the development of Wonderland as its turned into a mysterious forgotten wasteland.

Bibliography

n/a. (26 March 2019). Alice's adventures in Wonderland. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland. Last accessed 13/03/19.

n/a. (n/a). what is the setting of Alice in Wonderland/. Available: https://study.com/academy/answer/what-is-the-setting-of-alice-in-wonderland.html. Last accessed 13/03/19.

5/05/10. (5/03/10). Alice in wonderland. Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/. Last accessed 13/02/19.

n/a. (13/03/19). Alice in Wonderland (1951 film). Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_(1951_film). Last accessed 13/02/19.