What makes different interpretations of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland work as an on screen adaptation; how well are the themes and characterisation of the original works transferred from page to screen?

Abstract

Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most well-known books of all time. Over the years it has been the centre of many directors' interests, with hundreds of adaptations ranging across the stage and screen being available for audiences to enjoy. However these adaptations all differ greatly in their style and message, with some adaptations creating a magical place for children to enjoy, whilst others are more graphic creating an adult only world. What makes different interpretations of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland work as an on screen adaptation; how well are the themes and characterisation of the original works transferred from page to screen? There have been over thirty adaptations of Alice in Wonderland on film alone; Johnathon Miller (1966), Jan Svankmajer (1988) Nick Willing (1999 and 2009) and Tim Burton's (2010) will all be studied, looking in to their use of themes and characterisation on screen and how closely this relates back to Carroll's original works. By looking at these adaptations side by side, it is easier to gain a greater understanding of how closely the themes can be transferred from the page to screen, without necessarily having to stick with the childlike magic and wonder that Carroll created for his character of Alice. On the side of this however, there are directors who have created a world of colour and wonder, without being able to keep to Carroll's theme, completely disregarding the heart of his works.