I wouldn't recommend this version, but I wouldn't say I hate it either. I guess it was just mediocre. I guess the good technically outweighed the bad. The reason I saw this was because it was the longest film version of "Alice In Wonderland". It was weird, because I was expecting this big epic movie. Of course, the Tim Burton movie version and its sequel didn't do it very well. I think this is probably better than those. It seems to capture the spirit of the book more. I really should get around to reading the book.I believe I've seen every movie version of it now and I can easily say the Disney version is the best one. One fault with this movie was how it was, well, too long. It's not a complicated story and it just seems to go on too long. I guess that might be justified in adapting a book, but other versions have done it better. The puppets are pretty good. I am really freaked out by Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire cat. She looks really scary looking and that's actually probably the worst thing about the movie! Still, it's great to see such a cast of talented actors. I found out this was Gene Wilder's last movie and may he rest in peace. **1/2

A lot of people are awfully hard on this version. I thought the Tim Burton movie was just great, but I like this better. For one thing it's more faithful. Tim Burton's movie really wasn't the book at all where this is basically a straight adaptation with only a few adjustments made and liberties taken. For Carroll purist I say this, adaptation always involves change of some sort. That's in the definition of adaptation. Change. What works well in written word doesn't always work well in film, which is the reason why so many of the more cinematic of the 'Alice' films tend to rework Carroll's story. If you want a faithful word by word adaptation, there are stage productions available that do just that. But as good as they are they are not cinema they are stage bound.The acting here is outstanding, especially the fantastic Miranda Richardson as a ear piercingly screechy Queen of Hearts. The marvelous actor who plays her King of Hearts also deserves note for his whimsically daft performance. Whoopi Goldberg is surprisingly cute and funny as the little Cheshire puss( i thought she'd be miscast),and Martin Short is simply hilarious as the Mad Hatter, although he is just a shade too frenetic. The Hatter singing a song called "auntie's wooden leg"(not from the books)is almost hard to watch because it's so freaky and funny. Gene Wilder is wonderful, as is Christopher Lloyd and the rest of the mostly English cast.The production values are really good for television, with lots of nice touches. One particularly charming scene includes Alice opening up a giant sized pop-up book that opens to the little White Rabbit house. The special effects are also very good for television. Martin Short's over-sized head definitely pre-dates Helen Bonham Carter's big headed Queen by almost a decade.Some people don't like what director Nick Willing does with 'Wonderland'. I do. I certainly thought the syfy 'Alice' was pretty bizarre and silly, but it was very hip and very entertaining. But this film is much better. Carroll purist that scoff at this adaptation should note that it was scripted by respected British playwright Peter Barnes. Also it's pretty funny and cool that Alice is played by the same teen-ager from 'Napoleon Dynamite'.

Alice in Wonderland. (1999) Jim Henson's Creature Shop and Hallmark followed up the first rate Gulliver's Travels and Merlin with this TV version comprised of Lewis Carrol's Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass. Any weaknesses in this production are not in the visual department. Alice has never looked this good at any time in history. Full of eye-catching color and splendid visual effects including the strikingly effective warping of several actors to make them appear cartoonish, while still retaining their facial features. Martin Short becomes the mad hatter while Whoopi Goldberg and her big pearly whites get turned into the wide-smiling Cheshire cat. Excellent stuff! All of this visual pleasure is preserved on DVD nicely (and cheaply).Now, there are some soft, mushy spots on this otherwise firm & meaty mushroom. The all star cast comes off as hit or miss. Alice is played very well by the young girl from Kevin Cosner's Waterworld Tina Majorino. She even looks a bit like the famous illustrations from Carroll's book and is capable of pulling off some very animated facial expressions just perfect for this. The Alice role is the most important and I believe they filled it with a competent young actress. The most talked about had to be Martin Short, and he is excellent! The mad hatter tea party has always been my favorite part of the material, book or movie, and it's very well represented here by Short and a couple of very well done animated Henson characters. The march hare is of special note, an excellent effect! I just read on IMDb.com that the Alice actress was afraid of the thing. Heh! Miranda Richardson of Black Adder and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow fame plays the Queen of Hearts role with an insanity above and beyond what was needed. I prefer a more restrained method since that gives it a real world edge while hopefully retaining the insane satire. But Richardson is fun to watch and her makeup is splendid. As for Whoopi Goldberg, all you can do is scratch your head and wonder how they turned her into a kitty cat. Her teeth were sure perfect for the character and that little cat body with her head on it is a trip! I like Whoopi in this. The rest of the cast range from memorable (Gene Wilder as the mock turtle) to lazy and forgettable (sorry George Wendt, your Tweedledee is beneath Robbie Coltrane's Tweedledum). Many actors just needed to inject more energy like Short, Goldberg and Richardson were doing. But nothing railroads this fine production. It's one of my favorite versions and well worth the cost and running time. In fact, I recommend all of the Henson productions mentioned in this review as well as the Henson TV show called The Storyteller. Top quality TV that doesn't get mentioned enough on the net. It's all available cheaply. 8/10

It's very good but I know the books too well to accept all the changes. I was really hoping for what amounts to a literal interpretation of the books.I have a big problem with the combining of both stories. Disney did it and I was hoping this one wouldn't. When you mix the two, both stories are diluted. "Through the Looking Glass" is a sequel both written and set a number of years after "Alice in Wonderland". The feel of each is quite different.I really wish the characters had said exactly what was written in the books. They were written in Victorian England and the style is a bit dated, but completely understandable. Lewis Carroll could have been writing screenplays.The cast is superb. No disappointments there. Highlights are Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle, Christopher Lloyd, perfect as the White Knight, Martin Short as the Mad Hatter and George Wendt and Robbie Coltrane as Tweedledum and Tweedledee.The thing I really couldn't stand was the attempt to string all the experiences together with a storyline about Alice performing in front of family members. In Lewis Carroll's own opinion, the stories are pure nonsense, so to try to make sense of them is pointless.I hope that someone finally makes the literal interpretation of each book that I want, with two separate movies. Each book is short, so the film-maker could spend the length of the movie faithfully recreating them.