''Alice's Wonderland'' is a 1923
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
short silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
, produced in
Kansas City, Missouri by
Laugh-O-Gram Studio
The Laugh-O-Gram Studio (also called Laugh-O-Gram Studios) was a short-lived film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri that operated from June 28, 1921 to November 20, 1923. ...
. The
black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
short was the first in a series of Walt Disney's famous ''
Alice Comedies
The ''Alice Comedies'' are a series of animated/live-action shorts created by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live action little girl named Alice (originally played by Virginia Davis) and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an ...
'' and had a working title of ''Alice in Slumberland''. The film was never shown theatrically, but was instead shown to prospective film distributors.
Plot
Alice (
Virginia Davis
Virginia Davis (December 31, 1918 ā August 15, 2009) was an American child actress in films. She is best known for working with Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks on the animated short series Alice Comedies, in which she portrayed the protagonist Alic ...
) visits the
Laugh-O-Gram Studio
The Laugh-O-Gram Studio (also called Laugh-O-Gram Studios) was a short-lived film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri that operated from June 28, 1921 to November 20, 1923. ...
, where the animators (including
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
) show her various scenes on their drawing boards. A few of them: a cat dancing to a cat band; a mouse poking at a cat until it moves; a couple of mice boxing, while the animators crowd around cheering and acting as corner-men. That night, she dreams of taking a train to cartoon-land, where a red carpet reception awaits. She appears in live action. They have a welcoming parade, with Alice riding on an elephant. The cartoons dance for her, and she dances for them. Meanwhile, lions break out of the zoo. The lions chase her into a hollow tree, then into a cave and down a rabbit hole. Finally, she jumps off a cliff and awakes back in her bed. Alice is woken up by her mother, and Alice tells her mother about her strange dream...
In popular culture
The eighth episode of the 2014
Cartoon Network miniseries ''
Over the Garden Wall
''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variet ...
'', entitled "Babes in the Wood", contains several direct visual references to ''Alice's Wonderland'', including the Reception Committee scene.
Home media
The short was released on December 6, 2005, on ''
Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts: 1920sā1960s''.
It was also included as a bonus feature in the Special "Un-Anniversary Edition" of
''Alice in Wonderland''.
References
External links
*
*
Alice's Wonderlanda
The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts*
Laugh-O-Gram Studio
The Laugh-O-Gram Studio (also called Laugh-O-Gram Studios) was a short-lived film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri that operated from June 28, 1921 to November 20, 1923. ...
1923 films
1923 short films
1923 animated films
1920s Disney animated short films
American silent short films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Walt Disney
Films produced by Walt Disney
Films set in Kansas City, Missouri
Films set in studio lots
Alice Comedies
Articles containing video clips
Laugh-O-Gram Studio films
1923 comedy films
Animated films without speech
1920s American films
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