Who will be making this film?
On November 17th, 2007, Tim Burton signed with Walt Disney Pictures to direct a new version of Lewis Carroll’s novel, “Alice in Wonderland”.

The script was written by Linda Woolverton, who has written the screenplay for other Disney films like Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1993). Richard D. Zanuck, Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd are all signed on to produce the film.

Scenes set in the Victorian era are filming from September 1-October 14. They are being filmed in Antony House in Torpoint, Charlestown, Cornwall and Barbican, Plymouth. 250 local extras were chosen in early-August.

Other production work will reside in London and Sony Pictures Imageworks will design the visual effects sequences.

When will the film be released?
The film was originally to be released in 2009, but was pushed to March 5, 2010.

Will this film be animated, or will it feature live actors?
This movie will use both live actors and motion capture technology.

While Burton will be original with his adaptation of this film, an example of live actors merged with animation can be seen in Jan Svankmajer’s 1988 film Neco z Alenky, a Czechoslovakian version of Alice in Wonderland.

In addition, since the film is being produced by Disney, Burton hopes to have Alice in Wonderland released as a 3D movie, similar to his annual Halloween release of The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is in Disney Digital 3D.

What is motion capture technology?
Motion capture technology is a type of CGI. It’s the same technique used in The Polar Express, Beowulf, and most notably it was used for the character of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Basically, it involves a live actor acting the part and in post production, the character is CGI’ed over the live actor. The motion capture technique will be used for the fantasy characters in Wonderland. This means that the Caterpillar, the White Rabbit, etc. will be motion capture.

However. The recent Trailer suggests that everyone except Alice, The Mad Hatter and The Knave of Hearts will be CGI.

Is this an adaptation of the Alice stories, or is it a follow-up?
The story is a sequel to the first two “Alice” books by Lewis Carroll.

As reported in USAToday on June 21st, 2009, the synopsis is:

Alice is now 17 years old. She attends a party at a Victorian estate. She is proposed to and surrounded by hordes of stuck-up aristocrats. In a desperate escape, she slips away, and, led by The White Rabbit, but unexpectedly finds herself transported to a very curious world. Wonderland, a once peaceful kingdom, has become nightmarish under the reign of the wicked The Queen of Hearts, who overthrew her sister, the White Queen. Apparently, Alice had visited Wonderland 10 years before, but had forgotten. The residents of this strange new world have not been so forgetful, however. The creatures of Wonderland, ready to revolt, wait for Alice to help them.

Will this be a remake of the animated Disney film or a new film version?
Although this film is still being released by Disney, it will be separate from Disney’s 1951 animated version.

On November 17th, 2007, when this project was originally announced, Tim Burton said that he will be trying to stay true to the original stories’ essence. Burton later went on to say that he had always felt that the other cinematic versions of Alice In Wonderland were incomplete.

Recently he commented on the areas of this classic he would like to improve on- where other versions have failed:

“It’s a funny project. The story is obviously a classic with iconic images and ideas and thoughts,” he said. “But with all the movie versions, well, I’ve just never seen one that really had any impact to me. It’s always just a series of weird events. Every character is strange and she’s just kind of wandering through all of the encounters as just a sort of observer.”

He continued: “The goal is to try to make it an engaging movie where you get some of the psychology and kind of bring a freshness but also keep the classic nature of ‘Alice.’ And, you know, getting to do it in 3-D fits the material quite well. So I’m excited about making it a new version but also have the elements that people expect when they think of the material.”

Who is playing Alice?
It was announced on June 23rd, 2008 that 19-year-old newcomer Mia Wasikowska, an Australian actress best-known for HBOs In Treatment, will be playing Alice.

In this sequel to the original “Alice” books, Alice is now 17 years old and someone “who doesn’t quite fit into Victorian society and structure.” She has forgotten all about her past trips to Wonderland, however, she returns accidentally after fleeing adult problems. Her new journey “becomes a rite of passage as she discovers her voice and herself.”

Wasikowska said: “I’m so so excited. The book’s really intrigued me when I was little and I’ve always loved the story. I really love (Burton films) Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish.”

Director Tim Burton said “We met a lot of people, but she just had that certain kind of emotional toughness, standing her ground in a way that makes her kind of an older person but with a younger person’s mentality.”

Producer Richard D. Zanuck had some kind words for Wasikowska: “There is something real, honest and sincere about her,” Zanuck says. “She’s not a typical Hollywood starlet.”

Will Johnny Depp have a role in this film?
Yes. As of September 25th, 2008, Disney Studios and Tim Burton have confirmed that Johnny Depp will be playing the role of The Mad Hatter.

Producer Richard D. Zanuck says that: “This character is off his rocker.”

“He is so much fun and so nutty, I can’t imagine anyone else doing it,” said the producer. Depp transforms into yet another bizarre character, adopting an accent that Zanuck said was indescribable. It has also been revealed that The Mad Hatter and Alice will have a bit of a romance. The character does not require digital manipulation.

This film will be Burton’s eighth project working with Depp. Previous films they collaborated on include Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and the upcoming Dark Shadows (2010).
Will Helena Bonham Carter be involved in this project?
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Yes. As of October 7th, 2008, Disney Studios and Tim Burton have confirmed that Helena Bonham Carter will be playing the role of The Queen of Hearts.

All articles reporting her casting report that her character is called “The Red Queen” (who actually appears in “Through The Looking Glass”), but also report that she will have the famous line “Off with her head”. The photo of the character also depicts her wearing hearts. These things, as well as some information leaked about Woolverton’s script, confirm the characters are merged.

The Queen of Hearts will be mostly a live action character. However, Bonham Carter still had to go through the motion capture process because her head was duplicated in size (like the original illustrations featured in the “Alice” books).

Bonham Carter has worked with Burton on five previous projects including Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).
Are there any other Tim Burton regulars appearing in the film?
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Yes. As of October 1st, 2008, the official website of Christopher Lee, a friend and long time collaborator of Tim Burton, is reporting that he has been cast in the film.

As stated in Empire Magazine, Lee’s character is the Jabberwock, who, in Woolverton’s script, is a monstrous creature and the Red Queen’s evil assistant. It is unknown whether Lee’s face will be digitally added to the creature or if he is just providing the voice.

This film will be Burton’s fourth project working with Lee. Previous films they collaborated on include Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Corpse Bride (2005).

Lee also recorded a narration for the special anniversary release of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and was originally cast in Burton’s film version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), but his role was cut from the final film.

While not exactly a regular, Alan Rickman was announced on October 26th, 2008, to have joined the cast. He will be portraying the Caterpillar, the wisest creature in Wonderland. Rickman was filmed while recording his voice in a studio, and his face will be composited onto a computer-generated character.

Rickman has preivously worked on a project with Burton. He portrayed Judge Turpin in his film version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

Three other actors who have also appeared in Burton’s films have been cast in roles. Noah Taylor, who appeared in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), is playing The March Hare, who is now completely insane due to the tutelage of The Queen of Hearts. Timothy Spall, who appeared in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), is playing a new character called the Bloodhound, a pet of the The Queen of Hearts. Finally, Paul Whitehouse, who appeared in Corpse Bride (2005), will be portraying the Dodo, one of the many animals in Wonderland determined to help stop the reign of the The Queen of Hearts

Who else has been cast in the film so far?
As of September 26th, 2008, it has been confirmed that Burton has cast an English actor, Matt Lucas, to play both the roles of Tweedledee and Tweedledum . Lucas was digitally manipulated into the egg-shaped twins who help Alice during her journey. The two rhyme, complete each other’s sentences and fight, frequently.

Lucas is most well known for creating the popular British variety show Little Britain, which began airing in 2003.

On October 1st, 2008, Michael Sheen was confirmed as being in the cast. Originally, an article written by a visitor to the film’s set reported that he would be portraying The Cheshire Cat. Sheen himself later denied this speculation. It has now been stated that Sheen will be playing the The White Rabbit. it is unknown whether his face will be digitally added to the rabbit or if he is just providing the voice.

Sheen is best known as the Lycan, Lucian, whom hes played in all three Underworld films. He also portrayed the role of David Frost in both the Broadway and film versions of Frost/Nixon.

On October 7th, 2008, Anne Hathaway was announced as being in the cast. She will be playing the White Queen. In this version of the story, she will be the banished sister of The Queen of Hearts. Also in Burtons adaptation, she will need Alice to slay the Jabberwock, the Queen’s guardian and a creature mentioned in Lewis Carroll ’s poem, “Jabberwocky”. Hathaway summed up her character with a caption on a magnet of Happy Bunny holding a knife she was given; “Cute but psycho. Things even out.” Producer Richard D. Zanuck said that the White Queen: “is beautiful but over the top. She doesn’t walk. She floats. She’s very eccentric.” Her character does not require digital manipulation.

Hathaway is best known for her roles in both The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), as well as The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Brokeback Mountain (2005), just to name a few. She was recently nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Rachel Getting Married (2008).

On October 26th, 2008, Crispin Glover was announced as cast. He will be portraying the Knave of Hearts. The Knave is the wicked assistant of The Queen of Hearts. Like Bonham Carter, Glover has to go through the motion capture process because his head is going to be manipulated.

Glover recently starred as Grendel in Beowulf (2007). He has several projects in development, including The Forlorn (2008) and The I Scream Man (2008).

As of February 18, 2009, Stephen Fry was announced as joining the cast. He will be portraying The Cheshire Cat. According to Ain’t It Cool News (who received a sneak peek at the character) his “grin is unnatural, razor sharp and way, way too big. Color-wise, he was gray with a light blue stripes.” The cat will serve as a guide to Alice. Fry will not physically appear in the film in any way. He is providing the voice for an animated character.

Memorable films in which Fry has starred include V for Vendetta (2005), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and MirrorMask (2005). He will also be appearing in the upcoming film House of Boys (2009).

As of June 25th, 2009, Barbara Windsor was announced as being cast as Dormouse. The character will be animated, and is the female sidekick to both The Mad Hatter and The March Hare.

Windsor is famous for appearing in the “Carry On” series, her appearances beginning with Carry on Spying. She is also currently starring on the popular British TV show EastEnders.

Other cast members announced are Lindsay Duncan as Alice’s mother, Helen, Jemma Powell as Alice’s older sister, Margaret, John Hopkins as Margaret’s husband, Lowell, Marton Csokas as Alice’s deceased father, Charles and Frances de la Tour as Alice’s aunt, Imogene.
Who are the Ascots?
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The Ascots are rich, upper-class characters that were created especially for the film. They are the characters holding the garden party that Alice attends at the beginning of the film, before she falls into Wonderland. The garden party, to Alice’s shock, is being held because Hamish Ascot, the son of Lord and Lady Ascot, is going to propose to her.

As of October 26th, 2008, Tim Pigott-Smith’s website has announced that he will be playing Lord Ascot. Lord Ascot is Alice’s late father’s business partner. Pigott-Smith’s most memorable films include V for Vendetta (2005) and Quantum of Solace (2008).

Lord Ascot’s snooty wife, Lady Ascot, will be portrayed by Geraldine James. James has been nominated for a Tony award, has been in many made for TV films, and has notably appeared alongside one of her “Alice” costars, Matt Lucas, in Little Britain. She is currently in production on a film about another famous literary character, Sherlock Holmes.

The Ascot’s son is named Hamish, and he will be portrayed by Leo Bill. He has appeared in films such as Becoming Jane (2007) and 28 Days Later… (2002).
Who are the Chataway Sisters?
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The Chataways are characters created especially for the film. They are Alice’s spiteful peers who appear at the beginning of the film before Alice falls down the rabbit hole.

On September 23rd, 2008, it was announced that Fiona Chataway will be portrayed by Eleanor Tomlinson, who appeared in such films as Einstein and Eddington (2008), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), and The Illusionist (2006).

The other sister, Faith Chataway, will be portrayed by an up and coming actress named Eleanor Gecks.

You can read an article about them here: http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Beverley-girl-star-Johnny-Depp/article-345561-detail/article.html
Will Tim and Helena’s children, Billy-Ray and Nell, be appearing in the film?
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Yes. It was announced on June 21st that both Billy-Ray and Nell will appear in the film. Photos taken from the set show Billy-Ray and Nell both in Victorian era costumes.
Is Danny Elfman composing the film’s soundtrack?
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Yes. On October 17th, 2008, Danny Elfman confirmed that he will be composing the film’s score while being interviewed at the El Captain Theater in Hollywood.

Elfman has composed original scores for almost all of Burton’s films, with the exceptions of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), which used the original score by Stephen Sondheim and did not require an additional soundtrack, and Burton’s biopic: Ed Wood (1994), the music of which was composed by Howard Shore.