Alice in Wonderland, 1949

This is a French film with involving stop-motion animation. It plays fast and loose with the actual story and has rather a bit of singing in it.

Charles Dodgson. One of the professors is complaining about Dodgson to the Dean.

Alice.(She's played by a twenty-year-old woman.) Dodgson is considering leaving Oxford since 'nothing changes there.'

Dodgson steals one of the tarts to give to Alice.

The Queen comes to visit Oxford. She meets Dodgson and says she knows he's Lewis Carroll and has read some of his works.

Suddenly we jump to Dodgson in a boat with the three sisters, all of whom look too old for their parts. He starts to tell the story of Alice in Wonderland.

For some reason this film mixes live-action with stop-motion animation. This, obviously, is the White Rabbit.

Alice follows the rabbit.

The White Rabbit goes down its hole. Apparently the budget for this film must have been rather low.

Alice has gotten to the bottom of the rabbit hole.

All the large doors disappear except one (unlike in the story), and that one shrinks down to the small door.

What she sees through the door. In all the other movies and cartoons that I have watched, Alice sees a beautiful garden of some sort. This scene, though, I think would cause a person to question very strongly whether it was a place they wanted to go or not.

Then, in another difference from the story, we go immediately to the three cards painting the roses and it's the White Rabbit who comes along and asks them what they are doing, not Alice.

Unfortunately, things get worse, as the animated rabbit sings.

Then it goes to the croquet game and everyone else is singing.

Unlike in the story the White Rabbit looks back into the room with Alice (who is still very tall) and see's the water (from her tears), then runs away. Alice picks up his fan and gloves.

There's the mouse swimming in Alice's tears. Unlike in the story, the mouse faints when it finds out Dinah is a cat and Alice swims to its rescue.

Then Alice (who has a nice voice) does a song.

Next stop for Alice.

The animals scheduled to take part in the caucus race.

However, there is no caucus race. We jump to the meeting of Alice and the White Rabbit.

Alice has gotten taller and now she's stuck in the house. We get to see the house-related characters.

A pebble turns into a cake and Alice eats it and runs from the house which, for some unknown reason, promptly totally collapses.

The dog appears. It's bell sounds like the Old Tom, the bell at Oxford referred to at the start of the movie.

The animals had chased Alice, she had the run-in with the dog, and now an announcement is made that the Queen's tarts have been stolen. The White Rabbit accuses Alice of being the thief.

Then Alice meets the caterpillar while the other animals are chasing after her, following her tracks.

The 'Old Father William' part is sung by both Alice and the Caterpillar.

Instead of seeing one fish-footman, Alice sees a whole bunch of them (who are also singing).

The Knave with the stolen tarts.

Inside the house of the Duchess. The Duchess sings the song about beating the boy when he sneezes.

Alice meets the Cheshire cat. Then there's another song from the Duchess, singing a song about how the Queen set up the Duchess' personal decline.

They sneeze so strongly the house is destroyed, and then the Cheshire Cat starts singing.

The tea party scene. The Mad Hatter sings a song.

Alice ends up back in the many-doors room. The animals had been chasing her.

Suddenly we have lobsters dancing.

This whole section takes place underwater.

Without any warning we're back to the cards.

Alice is given a flamingo to use in playing croquet.

The White Rabbit accuses Alice of stealing the tarts and she's supposed to be put to trial, but this creature says she's supposed to be executed at sunrise anyhow.

Then the mock turtle appears and starts to tell his story. Then it sings.

Then there's a chorus of other animals singing about the whiting song.

Then, with no attempt to transition smoothly, we're at the trial scene. The King sings the charge and is accompanied by others.

The 'rule 42' scene. Then Alice sings again. The Knave claims he is Alice, and Alice is him.

The cards attack Alice.

Alice thinks the adventure was real.

Then we see the White Rabbit by his hole.


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