There are faithful adaptations of Alice in Wonderland. There are tasteful adaptations of Alice in Wonderland. And then there is Irwin Allen’s Alice in Wonderland—a two-part television spectacular that read Lewis Carroll’s gloriously unhinged classic and in the words of Mandy Ingber’s Polly from Teen Witch thought, “Yeah, I can top that.”

Originally broadcast in 1985, Allen’s version of Alice was the sort of production that could only have come from an era when television executives believed that if you threw enough famous people, elaborate costumes, giant sets, show-stopping musical numbers, and an endless amount of enthusiasm at something, you might just create magic.

And they did.

Magical, but weird. Super weird…

Wonderfully weird.

A celebrity scavenger hunt, the cast had (then) newcomer Natalie Gregory (As Alice) holding her own against Oscar winners like Shelly Winters, Theatrical legend Carol Channing, and show-biz legend Sammy Davis Jr. The production gathers an astonishing collection of performers and then drops them into Carroll’s bizarre little universe with little to no dignity.

Most embrace the madness completely, while yo ucould tell others were very much thinking “I have to get a new agent” while filming. 

Irwin Allen was never exactly a filmmaker associated with understatement. His career was built on spectacle, and Alice in Wonderland gives him an excuse to indulge every last bit of it.

Which fit because Wonderland is supposed to be overwhelming.

While Modern fantasy can be breathtakingly realistic, there is something magical about seeing the seams of an older production like this. I don’t necessarily want Wonderland to look real, I want it to look like a bright and dazzling dream. 

Allen’s Wonderland does.

Watching Alice in Wonderland today is a wonderful exercise in nostalgia, even if you didn’t grow up with it. It still got the magic and wonder that makes Wonderland a well worth going back to.

There will be more retro reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!