Mad About Alice
"Alice" - Arthur Rackham
I finally went to see Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m such an ‘Alice’ fan that pretty much anything based on Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel is a ‘thumbs up’ to me. I couldn’t wait to see Burton’s interpretation of all the curious characters of Wonderland, of which, in my opinion, the Red Queen stole my ‘heart’. Johnny Depp was wonderful as the Mad Hatter but it’s hard to beat Martin Short in the 1999 version. I suffer from vertigo, so the 3D effects and the chase/falling scenes were a bit too much at times, but all in all, a fun adventure!
Alice in Wonderland’s classic theme of a young girl’s search for meaning in a confusing world really strikes a chord with me. This theme can also be found in the Grimm’s fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz” (and, by the way, the Figments Fairy Tale that appears on my website.) One of my favorite artists, Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) illustrated his version of “Alice in Wonderland” in 1907 and his “Mad Tea Party” is featured on the cover of one of my Large Frame Journals.
Rackham's illustration of the "Mad Tea Party"
Figments Studio "Mad Tea Party" Journal
Alice! A childish story take,
And with a gentle hand
Lay it where Childhood’s dreams are twined
In Memory’s mystic band…
-Lewis Carroll
September 3, 2010 at 1:50 am
what a wonderful inspiration you have created. I have 5 going on 6 grandchildren. But I have one grandson that has unlimited imagination. His love for intergrating his imagination with his real life (4 grade) is truly beautiful to see. I am pretty sick now but when I have the funds I will be back to start this wonderful collection which he and his mother will love.
My son’s mother has always kept journals of some kind and all through the years wrote the most awspiring little short stories that could make you think for a moment you could picture where they were.. a great job