Alice in Wonderland (G, 1951)
common sense media says
Surreal animated Disney classic with mild peril.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Disney's classic animated interpretation of Lewis Carroll's tale is a great "starter" Alice for younger kids before moving on to more mature and theatrical versions, like Tim Burton’s trippy 2010 adventure. Disney's 7-year-old Alice embarks on a colorful journey that does include some mild violence (especially when she meets the sadistic Queen of Hearts) and taunting language like "stupidest" and "fat." Three animal characters smoke either a pipe or, in the case of the caterpillar, a hookah.
Educational value:
Not terribly educational, except the film could spark kids' interest in the literature upon which the movie is based.
Positive role models:
Alice is a good role model for perseverance. Like Dorothy stuck in Oz, Alice doggedly finds a way to get out of Wonderland, but not before she defends what’s right. Unfortunately, she also does a lot of questionable things, like going down the hole and eating and drinking strange foods that could be dangerous.
Violence & scariness:
Alice nearly drowns in her own tears. In one sequence, oysters are lured to a kitchen, where they are killed. The enchanted flowers throw Alice out of the garden, thinking she's a weed. Alice grows so tall she nearly destroys Rabbit's house. The Queen of Hearts is a murderous tyrant and frequently sentences her subjects (and Alice) to death, shouting "Off with her head!" dozens of times. During Alice's show-trial, the Queen says "sentence first, verdict later." She sets her army of cards to chase after Alice.
Sexy stuff:
Not applicable.
Language:
Characters (usually Alice) say mild insults like "barbarian," "stupidest," "poo," and "fat, pompous, bad-tempered old tyrant." The enchanted flowers call Alice a "weed."
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
The Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, true to his name, is shown smoking a hookah in every scene he's in. The smoke billows up in Alice's face and makes her cough and sneeze. Two other characters are shown smoking a pipe.
More on Alice in Wonderland
Review It
Most useful reviews by all members
jsg15
kid, 9 years old
kid, 9 years old
kinda dumb
it was ok. the 2010 is more fun to watch though.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
briannathebeas ...
kid, 1 year old
kid, 1 year old
its cool so cool agian and the best wbsite ever thanks smiley miley
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
manay_4511
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Best movie for all ages!!
Its rated G for all ages admitted.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
heymonday101
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Beautiful!
The last good Disney movie that didn't concern Tim Burton. I still watch this frequently. Beautiful!
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
rebma97
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Quirky movie
I thought the book was better, but this film wasn't so bad. This film doesn't really contain violence, but there are a few scenes of peril, and the Queen of Hearts is cruel. She yells to Alice, "Off with her head!" but never actually kills her, although she does sends her minions after her. A caterpillar smokes a pike. Compared to other Disney films, though, this one is mild.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
moviebash
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
I Laughed!
It's a good movie for kids aged 4+.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
R*Q*E
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
very good disney!!!
Alice in wonderland has been a favorite of mine for ages!!! I must admit, the cheshire cat freaks me out a little, but its still a very good movie!!!
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
benbrm
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
It Scared Me When I Was Little
I saw this when I was little and I loved it. I haven't seen it for a while but it is a Disney classic that anyone should be aloud to watch. The scene where she is in the woods and there is the story about these two guys creeped me out and the ending was a bit scary but suitable for ages
5-1/2 because I thought it might be scary for little kids
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
who3697cares
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
The last great Disney movie.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
Lawliet
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Trippy book and movie.
I love both, but they send you into some kind of surreal world; a dream that you won't be done with until it's done with you. It's a great quality, although most likely intentional, that not everybody finds every day. Alice In Wonderland is a nice escape away from what reality is. Oh, and 'I Give Myself Good Advice' is a song that fits me wonderfully, haha.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
letticepalmer
parent of 2 year old
parent of 2 year old
Too Intense To Be Funny For My 2 Year Old
My 2 year old surprised me by sitting through the entire movie. Usually he gets scared by this kind of thing and tells me to turn the movie off. About midway through he became very nervous about Alice getting her real cat back, so refused to stop watching until that happened. He generally likes silly stuff and word play, so I thought he might find some of that stuff funny, but he did not find this to be a funny movie at all. He seemed stressed throughout and very relieved at the end, when Alice does get her real cat back.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
Dominicboo1
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Curiouser and Curiouser
This is the perfect movie for every age, and one that adults won't look forward to being over. Alice might do things you don't want your kids doing, but she realizes she should listen to her good advice. There are some characters that smoke, the caterpilar smokes a hookah.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
mom2twogirls1boy
parent
parent
Great for Young Children
As a relatively conservative parent when it comes to what I will allow my children to watch, I give this one two thumbs up. Although I could have done without the smoking, name calling, and head bonks, overall, it's pretty harmless, and thoroughly entertaining. What I liked most is that the entire movie occurs inside of a dream, which is a good way to address with young children, these are all behaviors/things we don't do in real life. You can control a lot of what happens in real life, you cannot control what happens in your dreams. For my family, this movie has led to several great discussions on why smoking is harmful, how name calling is hurtful, and what kind of things we each dream about. The music is also wonderfully charming, and I enjoy how Alice is self sufficient in the movie....although she goes with strangers, and eats foods she probably shouldn't...at least she is not dependent on a man to achieve happiness!
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
MRW2
kid, 8 years old
kid, 8 years old
Disappointing movie, disappointing violence
Horrible. R movies today are better for kids than this tripe.
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
An independent voice for families
Advice on the big issues
Already seen it? What do you think?
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
