Nothing is sacred anymore, but there really should be limits ¡ª even for Disney. ¡°Alice Through the Looking Glass¡± is the sequel to Tim Burton¡¯s somewhat disastrous ¡°Alice in Wonderland¡± (2010), which is where they really should have drawn the line. I regret to report that things in Wonderland have gotten considerably worse since Alice¡¯s last excursion down the rabbit hole. Lewis Carroll, who is credited here as one of the writers (the other is Disney¡¯s prolific in-house scribe Linda Woolverton), is likely turning over in his grave to look for a stiff drink.
Between director James Bobin and Woolverton, almost every trace of Carroll¡¯s original story has been burned to the ground. In its place is a plot of female empowerment themes and fairy-tale whimsy gone berserk. The result is a raucous, bubbling cauldron of confusion. My guess is that the higher powers at Disney decided it was time for a new line of ¡°Alice¡± merchandise, Disneyland rides and attractions, so they approached Woolverton for something that would match their goodies.
There¡¯s something terribly awry about this ¡°Alice,¡± and you can see it from the very beginning. The titular heroine (Mia Wasikowska), who at 19 years old in the 2010 ¡°Wonderland¡± was trying to dodge a marriage proposal, has now matured into a young woman with a full-fledged career as a sea captain. She even fights pirates in a sequence that could have been ripped straight out of a ¡°Pirates of the Caribbean¡± franchise.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.