after so many others adaptations, it is not easy to say why you prefer it. for cast, off course. for Natalie Gregory in special . for atmosphere. and for the naivety. for the status of story without high ambitions, out of the circle of special effects, childish in delicate manner, unrealistic and , maybe, not real close to the book but brave and admirable and comfortable. and this is a real virtue. to be the same for new generations and ages. for preserve a special flavor who is not prey of a specific definition. songs and actors and the flavor of vanilla pudding. this is all. a show about a girl in front with bizarre characters, against a terrible monster, discovering the importance of small things. and it is enough for a lovely story.

I LOVE the books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and it's sequel Through the Looking Glass. I've read each one inside and out and have even studied The Annotated Alice which has notes in the margins so one could get a sense of the mayhem which isn't really mayhem once you understand where Lewis Carrol is coming from. For the die hard fan, one should check out the almost forgotten movie, Dreamchild. I say almost because, hey, I didn't forget it.1985 saw the production of a big musical production of Alice in Wonderland, based off of both books, complete with acclaimed director Irwin Allen who was known for disaster movies. Poseidon Adventure being one of his most famous.Along with a big name director came a big name cast that included Carol Channing, Imogene Coca, Ringo Starr, Sammy Davis Jr., Shelley Winters, John Stamos, Harvey Korman, and man this list could go on and on.The TV Musical spanned two nights on CBS and was a HIT. Well, it was to me, heheh. I don't know the real stats.Newcome Natalie Gregory played Alice and went on later to play Jenny in Disney's Oliver and Company. Like in that movie, she doesn't do her own singing here either.Once in Wonderland, Alice meets the familiar faces and the casting goes from genius to insane.A stand out would have to be Carol Channing as The White Queen who really makes this character her own. And she turns into a creepy lamb.Shelley Winters in the small part of The Dodo Bird seems very wasted as they do nothing with her and she's a huge name. Come on, she's Shelley Winters, not someone with a small name. Even John Stamos had more screen time than her.Martha Raye as The Duchess, Steve Lawrence as Tweedle Dumb and Eydie Gormé as Tweedle Dee look like they've been doing these parts of years now. It came so natural to them.Pat Morita plays a horse.Natalie Gregory really holds her own next to all these veterans.The music is very energetic and some of the songs contain lyrics from Lewis Carrol's text.That's one thing I LOVE about this production. A lot of Carrol's dialogue is contained which is what prompted me me to read the original books when I first saw this as a kid in the 80s. It was the first book I read. It's still my favorite.If you want an old fashioned, fun, family musical, go check this out, and watch it like how Mark and I watch Bette Midler in Gypsy. Turn off all of the lights, sit in your living room as if you're in a theater and watch it and behave like how you would in a theater. Give yourself a 15 minute intermission even between acts. It's an experience let me to tell ya.Go to My Movie Page:http://neonboy619.blogspot.com

I loved this movie when I was a little girl. I wish so bad that it would come out on DVD so that I can share the fantasy and excitement with my child that the cartoon some how does not manage to portray. My child is 4 and loves fantasy and everything along the lines of that. I love all the actors in the movie. The movie is fantastic for all ages even me at 27 who can't wait to see the movie again. I recommend the movie to every child and family a great movie to enjoy for the whole family. I only wish that I still had it recorded from when it was on the t.v. way back then. Sammy Davis Jr. was so fun in that movie and honestly that is the only movie that I can actually say that I have seen him in

Irwin Allen presents "Alice in Wonderland"--and it's another disaster movie, although not as intended. With gloomy songs by Steve Allen and a redundant teleplay by Paul Zindel, this "Alice" is about as far removed from Lewis Carroll's fantasy as one can imagine. Zindel reduces Alice's adventures down to elemental deductions (the viewer is told exactly what is happening when we can see for ourselves), and Carroll was anything but elementary. In the lead role, young Natalie Gregory chatters away to herself, berating her own behavior, but playing the role constantly on the verge of tears (and always with a disgusted look on her face); she finds all the magically nonsensical characters shockingly rude, suddenly doing an about-face when she spots the Mad Tea Party and exclaims, "Oh goody!" Alice follows the White Rabbit down a thunder-and-lightning enhanced cavern two minutes into the production, and three minutes later is already whining about wanting to go home. Irwin Allen happily filled the many eccentric roles with most of his Hollywood pals, but the cronyism doesn't pay off: everyone looks terribly aged and fatigued. They also appear to have been over-rehearsed, and nobody's actions are spontaneous or exciting. Even Alice's cat Dinah looks non-plussed. The whole production, probably expensive for its time (and for TV), is like canned magic, with a set designer who went crazy with the shrubbery and the stepping stones. Most likely, Irwin Allen meant this to be a treat, but the star-cameos come off like vaudeville turns and Natalie Gregory is childish without being child-like. What happened to all the wonderment?