Burton's talent for bringing extravagantly bizarre and wonderful creatures to life is clearly evident on this 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland where we meet new characters meshed together with some of old familiars.
The film takes on an independent story-line, as it is not a remake of the original story found in the book (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll, 1866). Rather, it introduced us to a 19-year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) who has fallen victim to the pressures of impending adulthood and the expectations that come along with it. Before long, however Alice one again finds herself tumbling down the rabbit-hole and into the fantastic and bewildering world of Wonderland, which she had previously only remembered as a childhood dream.
Upon meeting the Hater (Johnny Depp) one again, Alice soon finds out that things having changed quite a bit since her last visit and that the characters of Wonderland are suffering under the rule of the ruthless usurper, the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), who stole the crown from her sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). With a littel help and encouragement from her friends, Alice sets out on an adventure journey to restore peace and justice to the magical underground world, also finding the courage to deal with her above-ground problems along the way.
Burton clainms that he wanted to create a solid story-line that would present audience members with something tangible to relate to, as opposed to having the film simply revolve around a character who wanders from one magical place to the next. This concept is clearly noticeable with the story building up to its eventual climax, as Alice become our strong female lead who undergoes the very human struggles of self-doubt and dealing with outside expectations. These in turn lead to personal growth and resolution.
