Quote from my 7 year old boy: "I think Disney's Alice in Wonderland is WAY better." This movie frightened my 7 year old. This is a kid who begs to watch Star Wars movies, and Ben 10 alien force. He watches Scooby Doo as well and isn't clueless when it comes to monsters in movies, and cartoons. I regret taking him and should have known better, since this is a Tim Burton movie. As for adults, there is plenty of eye candy, but that is about it. The story is boring. There is one message or theme in the movie, that isn't uncommon for Burton, and in my opinion is inappropriate. This is the idea that it's a virtue to be 'a little off your rocker', odd, strange, etc. Nothing wrong with many counter culture movements, but before you start filling kids heads with ideas about why 'its good to be part of the strange crowd', let's help them understand why being part of mainstream culture, is important. This theme is pretty blatant in my opinion as Alice is being asked to adhere to a stringent aspect of her culture. While we applaud her rejection of this, we should not so because she is 'weird or different', or above the rest, or because she is a counter culture champion. This wasn't Burton's intent. I believe he wanted to show Alice as an individual, who was strong and made her own decisions, and didn't abandon her culture in rebellion. However, this is the point, a 7 year old won't see it this way, he sees that "weird is cool", "insane is OK". Most 15 year olds will have a hard time pulling Burton's intent out of this movie. They'll take the "weird" and leave the rest behind.

I loved this movie! And if I had to choose who the director would be, Tim Burton is the only one that should have been on the list. The movie, just like the book, is dark, strange and wonderful! 3D only makes it even more mysteriously fun!! BUT I agree it is not appropriate for very young children. I also think kids between 7-9 should read the book before seeing the movie.

i watched this movie a dozen times and i still love jonny depp was great a good family movie 8 and over for very very mild action watch it it worth it

I made the mistake of not seeing this movie before showing it to my daughters, aged 9-14. My concerns follow. It begins with ugly images of marriage. Within the first few minutes, my younger girls see a married man making out with someone who isn't his wife. Sorry, it's not just "a kiss" as the CSM review says. Forget the jaded attitude of today's culture; at their age, I was watching "Wizard of Oz," which couldn't be farther from featuring such an adult issue. Alice seems too young to be married and it's something she's being pushed into by the very people who should care for her. (Here we go again, yet another movie where the child is smarter than the parent or, in this case, the older sister, too.) The man who would seem a suitable spouse for her doesn't really love her. And he's not good looking. (Why can't she reject a good looking guy?) Her elderly aunt, who wished to be married, never experienced it and is insane because of her loss. Not exactly the marriage-related messages I want to send to my daughters. There are issues with modesty: once Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she's not seen with her back or shoulders covered again, until the armor scene. Her dress literally hangs off of her, as if she had been assaulted. Preceding these images are Alice's sullen and defiant response and disobedience to her Mother wanting her to wear a corset and stockings. The corset is a bit much, but the stockings seem a small request. Alice's equivalent in present day is the daughter who wears a mini skirt when her parents ask her not to, or perhaps she'll get a tattoo against her parent's wishes. Do we really need young girls admiring or seeing as brave this kind of defiance? Last, in the end, our brave Alice chooses a corporate career over marriage and motherhood. Yes, it's good to see her exercise her options, but my daughters receive enough messages in the popular media directing them away from marriage and toward careerism, money and staying single to avoid responsibility. My point is that, had she rejected marriage only because Hamish wasn't suitable to her, that would have been enough; it seemed to me that the marriage vs. career message was heavy handed.

I really think it should have been rated PG-13 because I thought it was a little too violent and scary for a PG movie. Otherwise, I thought it was a great movie. Really no sexual content or language. Very clear contrast between good and evil. Positive role models and messages.

The beloved Alice in Wonderland has been turned into a heroic adventure quest. This should have been marketed as a re-invention; "Alice in Underland" would have been the perfect title. As the women's movement has changed the story about being a girl, we find good new narratives where girls must step up and take charge of their lives. I was troubled by the strong message of this film, however: a girl who is principled about doing no harm has to get over it and slay a dragon with a sword. It's a war-era movie that teaches kids "if you can't solve problems with words, you've got to use violence." To be fair, the violence was contained to a chess board and the battle was well-defined. But still scary. I wrote more about it here: *wanderingpie.blogspot*/2010/03/mad-about-hatter.html.

It has just the right mix of imagination to let kids know not to let theres go, it has a perfect balance of good and evil and even though at times it can be "jumpy" most kids in this day wouldnt even flinch! It has a wonderful storyline to tell kids not to let others dictate your dreams but to do what is right, no matter whos on your side.

I enjoyed the movie although I would not recommend letting a child watch it alone as it does have some disturbing and violent content. Also make sure to let them know that the film is more like a part two to the original Alice in Wonderland or they may get upset or confused.

Fun movie! It is told as a type of sequel, with Alice returning as a young woman. The story line itself falls somewhat flat as the end of the movie is foretold to Alice and the rest of the movie is about her acceptance of this. But, like the books and the Disney version, this film is captivating and my children (7, 10) very much enjoyed it! If your children do fine with the type of fantasy violence portrayed in the milder Harry Potter films or in the recent Lightning Thief, then there is absolutely nothing to worry about with this film. My kids had more questions about the smoking caterpillar than the violence, so I could have done without the Opium, though I realize it is in keeping with the books. We liked it!