Alice in Wonderland

I saw Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland last night. It was Tim Burton doing Disney. It had all the details of a Tim Burton movie but not the gestalt. Characters were either good or bad (except maybe the white queen; she might have something hidden in there), and nothing really bad happened except to bad creatures and people. And even if you were as evil as the bandersnatch, you become all good after Alice befriends you.

Visually it was spectacular. I understand it was filmed in 2D and changed by computer into 3D, but it impressed me. I saw it in Imax.

What mostly made it a Disney movie more than a Burton movie was the plot, which is a years-later sequel to  the first Alice. I don't mean to give it away, but it's predictable from the time you see the Disney logo. It even ends with frolicking puppies rescued from the evil Red Queen's clutches.

The lesser characters and details are typically wonderful. We all liked the Cheshire Cat and Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, and we thought the March Hare was appropriately gonzo. People with me thought the Doormouse was over the top, but I liked her.

Depp was Depp. I sighed once or twice.

All in all, I'm glad I went. I'll see his next one, too. But it's not his best.