Alice In Wonderland Preview

Tim Burton is an obvious choice of director to adapt the story of 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland'. This dark, thoughtful children's tale so perfectly suits his style that it feels like we've seen the film already. If it were Ken Loach say, Clint Eastwood, or David Fincher taking on this surreal tale then curiosity might be at ecstatic levels by now. But the thing is, Tim Burton is too fitting a director for this film. The hype can only be fuelled so far by the cult, although very vocal, following of his trademark sweet and sour, gothic fantasy style. And so Disney, in their wisdom, gave Burton the well-chosen gift of 3D. If it's going to be a Burton movie, they seemed to be saying, let's make it Burton with bells on.

We've seen Edward Scissorhands, we've seen Sweeney Todd and we've even seen Charlie And The Chocolate Factory so we know some of what to expect. His animated creatures from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride adorn rip-off rucksacks, belt buckles and purses on every other street market stall. However crazy or demented the director thinks he'll go with Alice In Wonderland, surely we'll always be ahead of him?

Lewis Carroll's book has seen many cinema incarnations, lots of direct translations, yet more films inspired by the imagery and narrative. 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland' has had a pervasive effect on cinema, literature and music, with allusions cropping up in all corners of culture. Elements of the story have made appearances in films from Donnie Darko to Labyrinth to Jurassic Park, as well as the television series 'Lost', and Marilyn Manson's 2007 album 'Eat Me, Drink Me', to name only a very few instances. There have been silent movies, musicals, X-rated takes and a film starring Cary Grant as the Mock Turtle, so yet another version of Wonderland will have to be out-of-this-world to wow. Disney's new 3D technology might just manage that.

Alice In Wonderland will be one of the many movies lined up to be screened in 3D over the next five years. These digital technological advances are being lauded as important as the advent of sound to cinema by Hollywood moguls. The 'New York Times' reports that a number of Hollywood's most influential figures, including CEO of DreamWorks Jeffrey Katzenberg and Pixar's chief creative officer John Lasseter, are heralding 3D technology as a revolution in cinema.