There has been a lot of speculation as to who the character of Alice was based on, but the most popular idea is that she was written for Alice Liddell, a young girl that Carroll used to take on rowing trips. In the book, Alice is a determined young girl. She is stubborn, and it takes a lot to wear down her willpower. It’s a flattering piece for women, showing a young girl with strength of mind who can argue with older men rather than submitting. Alice is sometimes punished for her fast tongue, and her spoilt attitude, but ultimately she is a light-hearted character enjoying the experience of exploring her imagination. This could be Carroll’s way of epitomising his idea of how a young girl should behave, contrary to the social norms. In the 1951 film version, Alice’s character changes. She is no longer as stubborn and vocal as her 1865 counterpart, and is more portrayed as a sweet young girl, rather than an argumentative blunt one. This change would be due to the change in societies expectations of women, while women have more rights than they had previously, feminism was still underplayed and to appeal to a wider audience, Alice had to be more acceptable to that audience. Carroll had no limitations when writing his book, he wrote it for Liddell and did not initially intend for it to be published. The film was produced by a conservative body, Walt Disney, whose intention it was to make money and entertain the most amount of people. The 2010 Film version had similar goals, to make money. Alice is several years older, 19 rather than the 7 ½ of the book, and she is more tom-boy, rough rather than sweet and stubborn. She is more perplexed by her surroundings than the original and 1951 Alice, and seems more confident and ready to see where the adventure will take her.
Next we move onto the March Hare, the plot and how it has changed over the years. The book Alice in Wonderland is very light-hearted, with some sinister aspects lurking beneath. Such as the idea of the Red Queen constantly sending people to their death. These sinister aspects were mostly kept the same, with the darker elements such as the serious question of the Mad Hatter’s mental health suppressed in the 1951 film. This was to ‘Disneyfy’ the Alice in Wonderland franchise, keeping it family friendly whilst also retaining some of the original qualities and interest. The 1951 film would be an adaptation, just changing things slightly to suit the era, whereas to 2010 film would be a transformations as it completely changes many aspects of the original. While it is based on the second Lewis Carroll novel, the two stories barely match up. This transformation is action packed, much darker, and the imaging much more vivid than the previous versions. Reasons for this change would be both advancements in imaging technology, change in society’s expectations, and also the history of the director. Tim Burton is known for his eccentric and dark style of movies, and so overplayed those aspects due to his personal preference. Its more visually entertaining than the other movie, and the plot is more exciting than both the previous versions. I still and will always retain that the original is more mentally stimulating and interesting, but the audience of today’s films is not necessarily looking for that.
The Doormouse shows us something about the characters and their changes. Starting with the changes that the Cheshire Cat went through. He starts as a background character, raising philosophical points and confusing Alice, then moves on to become a Disney villain, and attempts to sabotage Alice and finally he ends as a courageous, substantial character who helps Alice and involves himself in the action. Most characters make this change through the course of the novels, from literary, philosophical characters to stereotypical, and finally to memorable characters with substance. The Hatter actually leaves his tea party in the 2010 film. Especially the newest Red Queen.
Mad as a hatter is a phrase coined from the 1800’s, during which time hat making involved dangerous mercury fumes. Hat makers were often remarked to be walking around with dazed and confused looks on their faces. Carroll grew up near Stockport, which was a heavy hat making town. This influenced the character ‘Hatter’ who later became “The Mad Hatter”, though Carroll never called him that.
Society influences all works. We would only know the phrase ‘mad as a hatter’ because we would relate it to Alice in Wonderland; few would know the real mercury huffing origins. Also, not many would realise that the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts are not actually the same person. The 1951 film combined the two characters, and since then they have been recognised as the same person, though their characters on paper are very different. The 2010 Red Queen is substantially different, Tim Burton adding a secret relationship between the Red Queen and the Knave of Hearts, not even alluded to in the original. The hookah smoking caterpillar didn’t even feature a mention in this version, possibly because of the change in attitude towards drug use, especially such obvious drug use as in the 1951 version. The rating would have gone up, and less of the intended audience, the youth, would have been able to see it, and it would lose its family friendly rating. In 1951, smoking was still permitted in the workplace, and smoking in films wasn’t seen as such a rarity that it is now. In 1865, hookahs were still in use so it wouldn’t seem so strange as to include it.
All versions of Alice in Wonderland have some merit, and you are probably able to find a version of it that appeals to your own specific tastes, whatever they may be. The ease of adapting Alice to whatever era she is thrown into, means that it will be a lasting classic. It is a story of imagination and escape from a life of unhappiness, and a story of adventure and exploration.