After receiving a surprising, and very public, marriage proposal, 19-year-old Alice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) flees a posh garden party filled with expectant friends and family to think things over. Catching sight of an intriguing white rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen), she is led tumbling down a hole into the magical Underland.
The mystical world invokes strange memories from Alice's childhood, and, bewildered and enchanted in equal measure, she comes across a collection of familiar faces in Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (voiced by Matt Lucas), the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry) and, of course, the Mad Hatter (Depp).
Alice soon learns it is her destiny to slay the Jabberwocky, a fearsome monster controlled by the evil Red Queen (voiced by Bonham Carter). If Alice can fulfil her fate, she will stop the tyrant spreading terror throughout Underland, and pass power into the hands of the kind and compassionate White Queen (Hathaway).
The thought of a director with Burton's imagination adapting Lewis Carroll's classic tale is enough to have you giddy with anticipation, and he manages to instil the film with all the visual wonder you would expect.
Again teaming up with preferred performers Depp and Bonham Carter, who are perfect in their roles, he assembles a brilliant voice cast, featuring a host of British favourites. Fry, Sheen, Barbara Windsor, Alan Rickman and Little Britain's Lucas all help to bring Wonderland's much-loved characters to life, while Wasikowska (The Kids are Alright) is a super Alice.
Choosing not to stick too closely to the original story, the narrative drive is in neutral for much of the film, but this bewitching adaptation is more suited to sitting back, relaxing and allowing yourself to get swept up in its wondrous world.
Alice in Wonderland is a Film programme that first aired in 2010 and has been classified a PG certificate.
