Friday, September 29, 2017

My Experience With... Adventures in Wonderland (Alice part 5)

Well, I've finished the majority of the Alice series. Technically, that's all I can say about Alice in Wonderland. How about something based off the original whimsy, and is totally the opposite of the Tim Burton film that'll be sure to have a cult following in 20 years?

Alice series:


TA-DA! TODAY'S THE MYSTERY
BLOG POST! (Plus, virtual high-five to the
first to get where this came from.)


I canNOT express enough how much I love the 1988 movie, but this is my absolute 2nd-favorite Alice-related media. If Disney's movie was a snapshot of the adventures described by Lewis Carroll, then Adventures in Wonderland is the HD .png! Just take a look at this!


Catchy, ain't it?! (Please ignore the 90s cheese.)


Adventures in Wonderland was a kids' show on Disney Channel. It had 100 episodes, and lasted from 1992 to 1995 -- a good run for any children's show. It chronicled the life of young Alice (often shown with her cat, Dinah), who had day-to-day issues that she faced, and learned corresponding lessons every time she escaped reality through her mirror into Wonderland. Each episode was a little different, but always featured a claymation story narrated by the Caterpillar (who doesn't smoke a hookah -- it's a kid's show in the 90s), and LOTS of fun songs.

Characters:

Alice: protagonist. I liked her character, and thought her singing voice was pretty cool.


Dinah: it's a cat. Nothing special for me. She's cute and fluffy, I suppose.



Red Queen: For some reason, she reminded me of my mother...


White Rabbit: Yup, it was the 90s, alright. In-line skates, anyone?


Mad Hatter: I remember asking my Mom why he was wearing lipstick.


March Hare: That makeup was super good! I think I was most impressed with his costume.


Dormouse: Awww, he was so cute! I used to wonder how they fit an actor into the teapot. I was 4. Gimme a break.


Caterpillar: Only slightly frightening to me, which was impressive given the fact that I used to scare easily. (Used to???) Zip it.


Cheshire Cat: I used to find him so hilarious.

Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum: My fave characters of all time. I used to think they were the best singers, dancers, and rappers. Never mind the fact that they didn't even look like neighbors, let alone brothers.

This was an amazing show. It had a colorful, diverse set of characters, great musical numbers, and it even subtly taught you fun nuances of the English language! How do you top that?!



I remember being so happy when I got these VHS's, and was hooked ever since. Mom even got to record a few episodes onto some blank VHS's or old tapes that I didn't like. I might still have them somewhere. Let me hit you with the episode "Off the Cuffs" from the "Hare-Raising Magic" VHS for your viewing pleasure.


Basically, it was one of the coolest kids' programs on earth, and I hope to share it with any of my future progeny.

Thank you very much for sticking with me during this 5(ish)-part series! Next week, I'm looking to go back into a previous 5-part series with a new twist. Could a book be better than a movie, even if the movie came out first???? Find out next week on My Experiences With!!! Fridays at Midngith / 9 pm PST!

Okay, that was weird....

Plugging time! YouTube Page.

What old TV show gives you the feels? Has Disney gone down in children's show quality? Is there hope for TV in the future?

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Friday, September 22, 2017

My Experience With.... Alice in Wonderland (Part 4) -- The OTHER "Disney" Version

GURSHFGHWOJAWIFJD.
Here we go.


The first time I heard about this, everything just seemed... wrong. So wrong.

I was a little excited for a few of the actors, though, namely Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne "I Was Born to Be a Fairytale Character" Hathaway. So I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, and figured that this went to the darker side of a dream, the kind of dream that isn't quite a nightmare, but a few more scares will have you seriously re-doubting yourself.

The movie was beyond disappointing for me, at first, mainly because Alice was a grown-up woman, who thought (and understandably so) that Wonderland was a dream. She's involved with all the blandness (no, seriously, look at the scenery) of her reality and it all gets interrupted when -- what else -- a white rabbit catches her eye. Deja vous, right?

Oh, and can someone change the title
to Alice in Underland? Yeah, it's "Underland,"
not "Wonderland." (WHY????)

In the original Disney version of this film (yes, this one IS a Disney version directed by Tim Burton), I mentioned that they combined the best of both of the original novels... here, they take the worst parts, age them in brine, and dress it up in goth clothes.

The whole story centers on Alice's coming of age plus fulfilling a Frabjous Day prophecy. It's that dull. While the concept itself sounds pretty cool, I think that this would be better suited in fan fiction.

I think that seems to be the case with a lot of movies these days, in a world that's dying for original content. If this were a game in a separate franchise, I might think it's cool. It's almost like that Twisted Fairytale spot-the-difference game with Goldilocks and the 3(?) Bears. It creeped me out, but it was a fresh take on a lower playing field. Even the story taking place in "Underland," is not that terrible of a concept, if it were not Disney or Tim Burton. Plus, it seemed very dark and structured for something that was supposed to be like a dreamland.

If you do watch this, try to watch without thinking of the original story, and pretend it's someone's fanfiction that got waaaaaaaaaaay too much funding.


Peace!

Plugging time! YouTube Page.

 What's your take on these revamped classic stories?
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Friday, September 15, 2017

My Experience With.... Alice in Wonderland (Part 3) -- The Disney Version

This week has been crazy for me, but hopefully, you all are doing well.


Alright, we’re week 3 in our Alice series, and this next item I’m reviewing may seem a mite familiar.


If there were any movie adaptation perfect for re-telling the classic tale, it would be the 1980s version. But Disney definitely comes in at a close second. Well, at least the old version does.

I was not one of those kids who grew up watching a whole lot of Disney movies. That definitely came in when I hit my 20s. I watched them to one extent or another, but I wasn’t attached to a whole lot of them. I think my favorites might’ve been Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi. Bambi turned out to be way more dramatic and depressing than I remembered, Dumbo seemed more racist than I remembered (I’ll give it a pass, it was the 50s, and it’s no worse than some cartoons of that era), and Pinocchio – Daddy, I love you, but what were you thinking, letting me watch that? No wonder Mom made me stop watching it. How was I not scarred for life?

Anyway, Alice in Wonderland was definitely not on my Disney list until I was much older. As I grew up, I caught up with my Disney folklore from TV movies and the Library. I think I caught Alice in Wonderland on TV somewhere.

I think that Disney took this story to a very nutty extreme. This really shouldn’t be surprising, since classic Disney movies thrive on insane dynamics. I mean, look at Fantasia! It tells its stories through music and visuals the way an interpreter uses hand gestures and facial expressions. Things are often exaggerated to make a point come across.

By the way, that is not a knock on the deaf / hard-of-hearing community. I
am speaking from experience in watching ASL interpreters for local plays.
It’s fascinating to watch, really.
Even more fun than the actual show sometimes!

One thing I found fascinating about this Disney version of Alice in Wonderland was that they actually blended elements of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Where they didn’t have the mock turtle or the Gryphon (heck, the 1980s version even left him out!), they had the Tweedles, the talking flowers, the poem about the walrus and the chef, and even the Cheshire Cat (voiced by the Winnie-the-Pooh guy) sang the opening/closing of Jabberwocky. And what would a Disney movie be without it’s songs? I still sing the song from the flowerbed sometimes to this day! It’s gorgeous!

So… my opinion of the original Disney version? I love it. It’s a very calming, very zany, very colorful and fun interpretation of the original novel. Would the Queen of Hearts strike fear into a little youngster? Maybe. If that happens, just tell them she’s not real. Then make them act a similar role. Works almost every time.

Next week, you’ll see why I kept saying original Disney version…. ugh.

Plugging time! YouTube Page.

What’s your second-favorite obscure holiday?


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Friday, September 8, 2017

My Experience With.... Alice in Wonderland (Part 2) -- The Novels

If you haven't already, be sure to read these posts. If you have, and you want to re-read them, I don't blame you. ^_^

Alice Series:


Since I've written about the wonderfully surreal 1988 VHS version of the classic story, I may as well tell you about the actual novels!

Trust me, it's not gonna be that long, mainly because everyone knows the story already.

I'm pretty sure I was a teenager when I actually sat down and read the novels. I'd heard of Alice in Wonderland via the 1988 version and the old Disney version, and I heard of the somewhat-sequel from Between the Lions, but I finally got the time to read it for myself. My overall thoughts:


I dunno! I really don't know.

It's okay, I suppose. It sure seemed to reek of insane charm, but maybe it was somewhat lost due to its visual re-tellings.

However, the books are amazing, and you definitely should read them, because books are much better than movies 9.99/10 of the time. Alice trying to figure out capitols was especially hilarious. Maybe Wacko should've taught her.

By the way, I hope you liked the Yakko gif I worked on.

To be fair and honest, I personally prefer Through the Looking-Glass to Alice in Wonderland. This seems to capture more of what a wonderland fever dream / daydream would be. Not to mention, it contains Jabberwocky, which I remember memorizing in 6th grade.

That's it!

Check out my YouTube Page. I put up a video rather recently. ^_^

What sequel did you like better than an original of something?
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Friday, September 1, 2017

My Experience With.... Alice in Wonderland (Part 1). It's not what you think!

It's September now, and I feel like doing a series. Since most of us are either going back to school or back in school, how about something related to literature?


Some of you may recognize this title screen, and to help you with what sound is supposed to go with this barely nostalgic classic, here you go:


You may recall the first time I'd seen this classic story in theatrical form (if you've read my first year's blog posts), but this version is the absolute first time I've ever encountered this tale.

Looking back on it now, it looks like someone's final project they barely got a B- on, but back then, it really seemed to capture the essence of Alice in Wonderland that was palatable for my 3-year-old self. My mom was not the biggest fan of Disney interpretations of classic stories (you'll find out how I encountered that later!), plus I think this might've been just a good thrifty deal at some obscure video store. You really can't underestimate a good deal!

The story starts off with Alice studying Calculus.

Okay, she's not even a teenager.
We really need to beef up our education, America.

She seems bored with Calculus after studying it. I don't know why, Calculus is really fun. But, I guess even I would get sick of it after several hours. In Alice's case, she's so bored that chasing a rabbit seems to be sweet relief for her. As per the popular story, the rabbit has a waistcoat, and a pocket watch, and is late for some appointment. Instead of singing it, he simply goes into a mini panic attack. Alice marvels at this sight and continues her pursuit when he takes off. She falls slowly down a slightly trippy hole, attempts to drink some marmalade, and inevitably falls on her bum.

Alice then walks down a hall of doors, all of which are locked, except one tiny door, which reveals a beautiful garden -- Alice's obsession for a good part of the movie -- and a weird little filler scene involving a race of different woodland creatures, including a snail who somehow wins.

This is not in any other version
I've encountered, and I thought for
sure it was canon for YEARS.

Come to think of it, that was slightly
trippy. In fact, the whole thing was trippy.

Alice wants to go through the door really badly, and eventually comes across the drink me / eat me goodies (back then even I knew that was crazy) that materialize out of nowhere. She shrinks too small to get the key, grows too big to fit through the door (she should've conserved some of the stuff, just in case she needed evidence or experimentation), and cries a literal ocean. The white rabbit comes in and freaks out at Giant Alice, and takes off, leaving his gloves... which somehow end up shrinking Alice.


Why use words when gifs exist?

She swims, along with a field mouse, ashore (again, how)? And they meet up with a dodo and a duck, and they all have a race.

I was going to keep going and explain this, but it's getting harder and harder to understand as I write. You will definitely need to watch this though. That's right. I'm not recommending that you don't watch it.

Like many other movies of my youth, certain scenes and lines hold dear memories to my and my mother. Another reason I liked this movie so much was that it was the perfect essence of a cinematic translation of Lewis Carroll's literary work. It may not necessarily be as wacky or dynamic, or even as saturated in color, like Disney's version (THE CARTOON), but I think that's what makes this so special. Children's media in the 80s had a certain charm about it. It could've been the residuals of the 60s and 70s, but it seemed like everything had a wonderful dreamlike daze about it. This version of Alice in Wonderland is no exception. Its atmosphere does its best to mimic the most realistic of nonsense dreams, and I think Carroll would've been flattered by it.

Now that you've read about the original play and the 1988 VHS, you can get ready to read next week's report of the books I've read!

Me? I'm gonna go ahead and find that tape.
I know I have it somewhere. It's one of my
Mom's best purchases, and I'm sure as heck
not letting it go anytime soon!

Plugging time! YouTube Page.

Enjoy the cartoons below!


Happy Labor Day!

Tell me about your #LaborDabor2017!




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