Life’s Dreams
look·ing glass
noun
a mirror. (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary)
What a treat to head to the newly reopened EL Capitan Theater in Hollywood for the special screening of Alice Through the Looking Glass. The magnificent 4/37 Wurlitzer organ originally built in the 1920s was played by Bob Richards. The music from Disney hits came to life sounding throughout the theater. It was magical! Viewing it in the beautiful 1926 theater that has been fully restored to its original elegance, helped as well.
Louis Carrol wrote a sequel to his earlier book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, with, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Looking in a mirror, you see a backward image of yourself; Alice saw this when she gazed into the looking glass. Things were contrary to the real world and were not as they should be, but Alice already knew that from her previous adventures.
An older Alice returns to Wonderland and more adventures begin after visiting her old friends. Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Helena Bonham Carter (Iracebeth), Anne Hathaway (Mirana) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Time) are some of the cast, and it was directed by James Bobin. The late Alan Rickman was the voice of the butterfly; it was good to hear his incredible voice again!
This is a Disney movie with all the special effects and fantastic costumes and makeup. You can get lost in this story. If you are looking for a movie as it is in Louis Carroll’s book, this is not going to be the one for you. This story is its own, but with the characters, you would expect, as well as a few new ones to see in the place behind the mirror. This movie will appease a child’s mind, and so I did like the film as I am a child at heart.
The stories of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are classics of children’s literature and are beloved by many of all ages. This movie can remind us of wonderful memories of these literature classics and open the pages of a book to the young. That I hope, would be the benefits from this movie.
I enjoyed this movie, but it did fall short in the classic Alice way, but it is Disney, and so the magic did shine through. It does remind you that down the rabbit hole or through the looking glass, life itself is just a dream, or is it?
Side Note: The mirror which inspired Carroll to write these classics remains displayed in Charlton Kings.
~ Laurie
