Alice (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Alice is a 2009 television mini-series that was originally broadcast on Canadian cable television
channel Showcase and an hour later on American cable television channel Syfy
. The miniseries is a reimagining of the classic Lewis Carroll
stories Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
and Through the Looking-Glass
, taking place about 150 years later with science fiction and additional fantasy elements added. The miniseries was produced by RHI Entertainment
, the company that produced Tin Man
, the highly successful 2007 adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
. The series is three hours long, split into two parts, which premiered on Sunday, December 6, 2009 and Monday, December 7, 2009 respectively. Writer
and director Nick Willing
previously directed a 1999 adaptation
of the books which followed the story more closely; however, Alice is intended to be a modern interpretation, imagining how Wonderland might have evolved over the last 143 years. The mini-series was partially shot in the Kamloops, B.C.
, Canada area.
is an outlandish inter-dimensional city of twisted towers and casinos built out of playing cards, all under the rule of the Queen of Hearts
(Kathy Bates
). The White Rabbit is a secret organization, lead by a character who is also referred to as the White Rabbit that works for the Queen of Hearts and abducts people from the real world (referred to as "Oysters"), so they can gamble in the Queen's casino
. Once people are kidnapped, they are sedated and forced to play in the casino so their positive emotions can be drained by the Queen. These drained emotions have a drug-like effect on the people of Wonderland. The Queen keeps people under control by sedating them with elixirs that provide an instant fix of emotions as a way to pacify them when they become too unruly.
Alice Hamilton (Caterina Scorsone
) is a judo
sensei
in her twenties who is searching for her father who disappeared when she was ten. She lives with her mother Carol (Teryl Rothery
). Jack Chase, a man she has recently begun dating, comes over to her house to meet her mother. After eating, her mother leaves the two of them alone. As they are talking he gets a text on his phone saying, "RUN". He then gives Alice a ring that has been in his family for a long time. Feeling that it is too soon, she tells him that he needs to let her think and they will talk after a few days. He leaves and she starts talking to her mom about the experience. She then finds that Jack has slipped the ring into her pocket. She runs outside hoping to return it. She hears a yell and runs down an alley. She witnesses Jack being thrown into a van by some men. She chases one of them (The White Rabbit) and falls through a looking glass, finding herself in Wonderland.
Shortly after landing in Wonderland, Alice is trapped in a 'honeycomb box' that the White Rabbit had set for her, which is taken up to a White Rabbit ship that will take her to the casino to be sedated and used. Using a hairpin, she escapes the trap and meets an old man who takes her to the Hatter (Andrew-Lee Potts
). Hatter takes her to the leaders of the Resistance, but they are forced to fight and flee after the leader, Dodo (Tim Curry
), attempts to steal the ring by force, which happens to be the Stone of Wonderland, which the Queen of Hearts needs to re-open the Looking Glass, the gateway between the Oysters' world and Wonderland.
The Queen of Hearts sends out Mad March, an assassin that has found himself with the head of a huge rabbit
, to find and capture Alice. He tracks her to Hatter's home. He sees them and they are forced to run. They take a boat across a lake to escape into a forested area, where after escaping a Jaberwock, they meet Charlie (Matt Frewer
), the White Knight, who guides them into a secret area to rest. Hatter and Alice argue and he begs her to forgot about Jack. Alice refuses and he mutters something about Jack being a lucky guy. Alice wakes up early the next day and allows herself to be captured by Mad March, hoping to negotiate to secure the release of her boyfriend Jack and passage for them both back home. However, she learns that Jack is the Queen of Hearts' son and that he is already engaged to Duchess. Jack passes her a watch and says, "He's here." He then leaves with Duchess.
The Queen of Hearts then enlists Doctors Dee and Dum to extract from her the whereabouts of the ring. They torture Alice with her memories of her father's disappearance and her fear of heights. Hatter and Charlie, who followed her and managed to get inside the casino, rescue her.
The Queen of Hearts also orders the Duchess to find out why Jack enlisted Alice to come to Wonderland. Jack feigns being poisoned, knocks out a guard, ties the Duchess up, and escapes the casino.
Hatter, Alice, and Charlie escape on 'flamingos' (airborne pink motorbikes), but are shot down by pursuing security guards, and wash up on shore. Hatter goes back to town to try to send a message to Caterpillar, the leader of the resistance. When Hatter returns Alice asks what will happen to her if she is stuck in wonderland. Hatter sweetly replies that he will make sure she is okay and the two nearly kiss but are interrupted by Jack. Jack, sent by the resistance, meets up with Alice and convinces her to come along with him to meet Caterpillar (Harry Dean Stanton
). Jack insists that she come alone and leave Hatter behind. Hatter convinces Alice to go with Jack alone but he and Charlie follow her anyway.
Jack explains that they want to send all the Oysters back to the real world and that Alice's father is the key to breaking the spell the Queen put on them. However, when Alice meets her father, he does not recognize her, and Mad March soon captures both Jack and Alice. Hatter attempts to free her, but Charlie, who was supposed to rush in and rescue Alice, instead flees into the countryside, while the Hatter is captured.
The King of Hearts convinces the Queen of Hearts to not execute Alice; instead she is to be exiled through the looking glass back to the real world. Jack is sentenced to be held overnight in the Eye Room and executed in the morning. Upon seeing that the Queen's men are capturing young children as Oysters, Alice breaks free and subdues the guards. Hatter is tortured by Dee and Dum, but when Mad March tries to kill him, he beats him and escapes. Charlie comes back, setting up a fake army outside the casino, and the Queen sends all of her security guards to defeat the army. Meanwhile, Jack is locked up in the Eye Room when the Duchess comes and rescues him, telling him that she cared for him all along. Alice and Hatter run into each other and since Alice thought he was dead she jumps into his arms and he is clearly pleased. They lock the casino doors and implore the Oysters to wake up. As the Oysters awaken they start to feel negative emotions such as loss, panic, fear and anger. These negative emotions mix with the positive emotions being collected and start an explosive chain reaction. In the TV monitors, Alice's father also wakes up and goes out to meet Alice. He is stopped by Walrus at gun point. They struggle over the gun and it goes off, wounding Walrus. Security finally breaks through the casino doors along with her father. Alice starts crying after realizing that her father remembers her. They hug, but their happiness is short lived. Walrus, with a gun, shoots at Alice but her dad turns to take the shot and dies shortly afterwards. Walrus is then killed by the Hatter. Who then has to pull the sobbing Alice away from her father and get her to safety.
The casino then becomes unstable and begins to crumble. Everybody flees, except the King of Hearts (Colm Meaney
) who insists on remaining behind as the building collapses. Outside, the Queen of Hearts orders Alice captured but the "Oysters" defend Alice and she turns security guards against the Queen and the battle is over. The Queen surrenders the Stone of Wonderland to Alice.
As the Oysters line up to return home, Jack asks Alice to be his Queen, and she says no that she is not the same girl she was and she wants more. They say good-bye, and hug. He then invites Alice to put the Stone of Wonderland back into the looking glass to reconnect the worlds. Hatter, seeing Jack and Alice embrace, says goodbye flippantly, trying to hide his true emotion. Hatter lightly suggests he met up with Alice in her world for pizza and she replies with "or more." Alice is then taken and pushed through the looking glass. She comes round in a hospital, having apparently been found by a construction worker. When she gets home she starts to put away the things from her search for her father. Her mother then invites her to see the worker who found her named "David". Who turned out to be the Hatter, who decided to follow her into her world and be with her. The two embrace and the mini-series concludes with their kiss.
is mentioned several times, and multiple characters mistake Alice Hamilton for the same character. The Hatter
is presented as a suave character who owns a business that sells the human emotions like drugs, with the Dormouse
in his services.He is bot only depicted to be the same age as Alice but he falls in love with her. The Ratcatcher character appears to be based on the Mouse
from the first book. The Dodo
is head of the resistance against the Queen, and is flanked by the gun-wielding Duck
and Eaglet
(called Owl in the series). The Caterpillar
is the leader of the resistance, and appears as an aging spectacled man. A fusion of the present-day Alice's pet cat Dinah, and the Cheshire Cat
appears in a dream Alice has.
The Queen of Hearts
appears to be a lot calmer and more calculating than the book's version, suggesting that her personality is based on the Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass. The White Rabbit
is used as the name for the Queen's organization, but also the character himself appears as a white-haired man named "Agent White" portrayed by Alan Gray. The March Hare
appears as an assassin
called Mad March, who speaks with a pronounced Brooklyn
accent and has a computerized rabbit cookie jar for a head. The Carpenter
is a human in this adaptation, whilst he is a Wonderland resident in the books, alongside The Walrus
who is also in a human version. Tweedledum and Tweedledee
appear as disturbed psychiatrist-like doctors in the Queen's service. A computer-generated Jabberwock appears in one scene.
in 2007 (which rated the highest in their history). Part One jumped 143% in Adults 18-49, 91% among Adults 25-54 and 89% in total viewers versus the 2009 Sunday 9-11PM (ET/PT) time period average, propelling Syfy to #1 in prime among Men 18-49. Part Two rose +223% in Adults 18-49, +159% among Adults 25-54 and +176% in total viewers versus the 2009 Monday 9-11PM (ET/PT) time period average.
Overall, Alice delivered 1.3 million Adults 18-49, 1.2 million Adults 25-54 and 2.3 million total viewers along with a 1.7 HH rating. Alice boosted Syfy into the #3 cable entertainment network for both Adults18-49 and Adults 25-54 in its Sunday and Monday 9-11PM (ET/PT) time period.
Reviews of Alice varied greatly, with ratings averaging around a 54, or average, on Metacritic
. Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the show three of five stars, saying that it was "charming, but not perfect." Randee Dawn from The Hollywood Reporter
also gave the program a mediocre review, and Nancy deWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal
said that "despite...diversions and whiz-bang special effects, [Alice] drags at times."
Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald
called Alice "fresh and original," lauding the acting and story. TV.com
also praised the show, calling it "a champion of production that fuses modern invention and nostalgic resourcefulness", and David Hinckley of New York Daily News
called it "just plain wonderful," saying that it was "a vehicle to engage the imagination while it amuses and entertains."
Steven James Snyder of Techland.com said: "There's no denying that Alice has put it all on the line. And even when it comes to those who may not think that the whole thing gels perfectly, Alices unhinged creativity is bound to at least earn their respect." Rick Bentley at The Fresno Bee
said: "The result will have you smiling like a Cheshire Cat
. Willing creates a world that's Minority Report
meets Austin Powers
. The real fun is seeing how cleverly Willing has updated the familiar story to make it different from past TV and film versions."
However, Tom Shales from the Washington Post gave the program a very negative review, saying that Tin Man
was far superior, while IGN
said that Alice was "long-winded, uninspiring, and...hardly [did] the original material justice." Robert Bianco from USA Today
gave the show an indifferent review, calling it superior to Tin Man
but saying the plot was "superimposed...with its shifting motives and dreary lectures," ultimately giving it two and a half stars out of four.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel Showcase and an hour later on American cable television channel Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. The miniseries is a reimagining of the classic Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
stories Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
and Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
, taking place about 150 years later with science fiction and additional fantasy elements added. The miniseries was produced by RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment , formerly known as Hallmark Entertainment, is an American producer of television movies and miniseries, founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Jr. and Robert Halmi Sr. as Robert Halmi Incorporated....
, the company that produced Tin Man
Tin Man (TV miniseries)
Tin Man is a 2007 four and a half hour miniseries co-produced by RHI Entertainment and Sci Fi Channel original pictures that was broadcast in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel in three parts. The first part aired on December 2, and the remaining two parts airing on the following nights...
, the highly successful 2007 adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
. The series is three hours long, split into two parts, which premiered on Sunday, December 6, 2009 and Monday, December 7, 2009 respectively. Writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and director Nick Willing
Nick Willing
Nick Willing is a British director, writer and producer of films and television programs.Willing is the son of Portuguese painter Paula Rego and English artist Victor Willing and was largely brought up in Portugal, but settled in England at the age of 12...
previously directed a 1999 adaptation
Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a television film first broadcast in 1999 on NBC and then shown on British television on Channel 4. It is based upon Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass....
of the books which followed the story more closely; however, Alice is intended to be a modern interpretation, imagining how Wonderland might have evolved over the last 143 years. The mini-series was partially shot in the Kamloops, B.C.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada area.
Plot
The story takes place in Wonderland 150 years after the original "Alice's" visit, and WonderlandWonderland (fictional country)
Wonderland is the setting for Lewis Carroll's 1865 children's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.-Geography:In the story, Wonderland is located underground, and Alice reaches it by travelling down a rabbit hole, possibly on the banks of the Thames between Folly Bridge and Godstow...
is an outlandish inter-dimensional city of twisted towers and casinos built out of playing cards, all under the rule of the Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Queen of Hearts is a character from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by the writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll. She is a foul-tempered monarch, that Carroll himself pictured as "a blind fury", and who is quick to decree death sentences at the slightest offense...
(Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
). The White Rabbit is a secret organization, lead by a character who is also referred to as the White Rabbit that works for the Queen of Hearts and abducts people from the real world (referred to as "Oysters"), so they can gamble in the Queen's casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
. Once people are kidnapped, they are sedated and forced to play in the casino so their positive emotions can be drained by the Queen. These drained emotions have a drug-like effect on the people of Wonderland. The Queen keeps people under control by sedating them with elixirs that provide an instant fix of emotions as a way to pacify them when they become too unruly.
Alice Hamilton (Caterina Scorsone
Caterina Scorsone
Caterina Scorsone is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Amelia Shepherd, sister of Derek Shepherd, on Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy and for her role as Alice Hamilton in Alice.-Early life:Scorsone was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is the middle child of five in her family...
) is a judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
sensei
Sensei
' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
in her twenties who is searching for her father who disappeared when she was ten. She lives with her mother Carol (Teryl Rothery
Teryl Rothery
Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate SG-1.-Life and career:Rothery was born in Vancouver, British Columbia...
). Jack Chase, a man she has recently begun dating, comes over to her house to meet her mother. After eating, her mother leaves the two of them alone. As they are talking he gets a text on his phone saying, "RUN". He then gives Alice a ring that has been in his family for a long time. Feeling that it is too soon, she tells him that he needs to let her think and they will talk after a few days. He leaves and she starts talking to her mom about the experience. She then finds that Jack has slipped the ring into her pocket. She runs outside hoping to return it. She hears a yell and runs down an alley. She witnesses Jack being thrown into a van by some men. She chases one of them (The White Rabbit) and falls through a looking glass, finding herself in Wonderland.
Shortly after landing in Wonderland, Alice is trapped in a 'honeycomb box' that the White Rabbit had set for her, which is taken up to a White Rabbit ship that will take her to the casino to be sedated and used. Using a hairpin, she escapes the trap and meets an old man who takes her to the Hatter (Andrew-Lee Potts
Andrew-Lee Potts
Andrew-Lee Potts is an English actor.He attended Intake High School Arts College and began his career in Musical Theatre. Potts is best known for his role as quirky student Connor Temple on ITV's science fiction programme Primeval, starring with his real-life fiancée, Hannah Spearritt...
). Hatter takes her to the leaders of the Resistance, but they are forced to fight and flee after the leader, Dodo (Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
), attempts to steal the ring by force, which happens to be the Stone of Wonderland, which the Queen of Hearts needs to re-open the Looking Glass, the gateway between the Oysters' world and Wonderland.
The Queen of Hearts sends out Mad March, an assassin that has found himself with the head of a huge rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
, to find and capture Alice. He tracks her to Hatter's home. He sees them and they are forced to run. They take a boat across a lake to escape into a forested area, where after escaping a Jaberwock, they meet Charlie (Matt Frewer
Matt Frewer
Matthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
), the White Knight, who guides them into a secret area to rest. Hatter and Alice argue and he begs her to forgot about Jack. Alice refuses and he mutters something about Jack being a lucky guy. Alice wakes up early the next day and allows herself to be captured by Mad March, hoping to negotiate to secure the release of her boyfriend Jack and passage for them both back home. However, she learns that Jack is the Queen of Hearts' son and that he is already engaged to Duchess. Jack passes her a watch and says, "He's here." He then leaves with Duchess.
The Queen of Hearts then enlists Doctors Dee and Dum to extract from her the whereabouts of the ring. They torture Alice with her memories of her father's disappearance and her fear of heights. Hatter and Charlie, who followed her and managed to get inside the casino, rescue her.
The Queen of Hearts also orders the Duchess to find out why Jack enlisted Alice to come to Wonderland. Jack feigns being poisoned, knocks out a guard, ties the Duchess up, and escapes the casino.
Hatter, Alice, and Charlie escape on 'flamingos' (airborne pink motorbikes), but are shot down by pursuing security guards, and wash up on shore. Hatter goes back to town to try to send a message to Caterpillar, the leader of the resistance. When Hatter returns Alice asks what will happen to her if she is stuck in wonderland. Hatter sweetly replies that he will make sure she is okay and the two nearly kiss but are interrupted by Jack. Jack, sent by the resistance, meets up with Alice and convinces her to come along with him to meet Caterpillar (Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
). Jack insists that she come alone and leave Hatter behind. Hatter convinces Alice to go with Jack alone but he and Charlie follow her anyway.
Jack explains that they want to send all the Oysters back to the real world and that Alice's father is the key to breaking the spell the Queen put on them. However, when Alice meets her father, he does not recognize her, and Mad March soon captures both Jack and Alice. Hatter attempts to free her, but Charlie, who was supposed to rush in and rescue Alice, instead flees into the countryside, while the Hatter is captured.
The King of Hearts convinces the Queen of Hearts to not execute Alice; instead she is to be exiled through the looking glass back to the real world. Jack is sentenced to be held overnight in the Eye Room and executed in the morning. Upon seeing that the Queen's men are capturing young children as Oysters, Alice breaks free and subdues the guards. Hatter is tortured by Dee and Dum, but when Mad March tries to kill him, he beats him and escapes. Charlie comes back, setting up a fake army outside the casino, and the Queen sends all of her security guards to defeat the army. Meanwhile, Jack is locked up in the Eye Room when the Duchess comes and rescues him, telling him that she cared for him all along. Alice and Hatter run into each other and since Alice thought he was dead she jumps into his arms and he is clearly pleased. They lock the casino doors and implore the Oysters to wake up. As the Oysters awaken they start to feel negative emotions such as loss, panic, fear and anger. These negative emotions mix with the positive emotions being collected and start an explosive chain reaction. In the TV monitors, Alice's father also wakes up and goes out to meet Alice. He is stopped by Walrus at gun point. They struggle over the gun and it goes off, wounding Walrus. Security finally breaks through the casino doors along with her father. Alice starts crying after realizing that her father remembers her. They hug, but their happiness is short lived. Walrus, with a gun, shoots at Alice but her dad turns to take the shot and dies shortly afterwards. Walrus is then killed by the Hatter. Who then has to pull the sobbing Alice away from her father and get her to safety.
The casino then becomes unstable and begins to crumble. Everybody flees, except the King of Hearts (Colm Meaney
Colm Meaney
Colm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
) who insists on remaining behind as the building collapses. Outside, the Queen of Hearts orders Alice captured but the "Oysters" defend Alice and she turns security guards against the Queen and the battle is over. The Queen surrenders the Stone of Wonderland to Alice.
As the Oysters line up to return home, Jack asks Alice to be his Queen, and she says no that she is not the same girl she was and she wants more. They say good-bye, and hug. He then invites Alice to put the Stone of Wonderland back into the looking glass to reconnect the worlds. Hatter, seeing Jack and Alice embrace, says goodbye flippantly, trying to hide his true emotion. Hatter lightly suggests he met up with Alice in her world for pizza and she replies with "or more." Alice is then taken and pushed through the looking glass. She comes round in a hospital, having apparently been found by a construction worker. When she gets home she starts to put away the things from her search for her father. Her mother then invites her to see the worker who found her named "David". Who turned out to be the Hatter, who decided to follow her into her world and be with her. The two embrace and the mini-series concludes with their kiss.
Cast and characters
- Caterina ScorsoneCaterina ScorsoneCaterina Scorsone is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Amelia Shepherd, sister of Derek Shepherd, on Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy and for her role as Alice Hamilton in Alice.-Early life:Scorsone was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is the middle child of five in her family...
as Alice Hamilton - Kathy BatesKathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as Queen of Hearts - Andrew-Lee PottsAndrew-Lee PottsAndrew-Lee Potts is an English actor.He attended Intake High School Arts College and began his career in Musical Theatre. Potts is best known for his role as quirky student Connor Temple on ITV's science fiction programme Primeval, starring with his real-life fiancée, Hannah Spearritt...
as Hatter/David - Tim CurryTim CurryTimothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
as Dodo - Colm MeaneyColm MeaneyColm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
as King of Hearts - Philip WinchesterPhilip WinchesterPhilip C. Winchester is an American actor. He is known for his roles in The Patriot, The Hi-Line, LD 50 Lethal Dose, Thunderbirds, CSI: Miami, King Lear, Flyboys, In My Sleep, The Heart of the Earth, and Shaking Dream Land.- Early life and career :Philip C...
as Jack of Hearts - Matt FrewerMatt FrewerMatthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
as Charlie the White Knight - Timothy Webber as Robert Hamilton/Carpenter
- Eugene Lipinski as Doctors Dee and Dum
- Alek DiakunAlek DiakunAlek Diakun is a Canadian actor.Diakun was born in Rycroft, Alberta. He began his schooling in Chilliwack, B.C. and finished with a BFA from the University of Alberta. Diakun has been acting for over three decades. He has appeared in over 200 stage plays, and many television guest appearances...
as Ratcatcher - Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
as Caterpillar - Alessandro JulianiAlessandro JulianiAlessandro Juliani is a Canadian actor, singer, and voice actor. He is notable for playing Tactical Officer Lieutenant Felix Gaeta on the Sci Fi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica, and Emil Hamilton in Smallville...
as Nine of Clubs - Zak SantiagoZak SantiagoZak Santiago is a Canadian actor and Disc-jockey.Santiago was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in many television shows, including Young Blades, Smallville, Robson Arms, Flight 93 and The L Word...
as Ten of Clubs - Charlotte SullivanCharlotte SullivanCharlotte Sullivan is a Canadian actress. Her first on-screen role was an extra in a Liza Minelli music video. She has had a starring role in The New Ghostwriter Mysteries and Harriet the Spy as well as smaller parts in How to Deal and Fever Pitch...
as Duchess - Teryl RotheryTeryl RotheryTeryl Rothery is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate SG-1.-Life and career:Rothery was born in Vancouver, British Columbia...
as Carol Hamilton - Nancy Robertson as Dormouse
- Alan Gray as the White Rabbit
Character interpretations
The mini-series is set in the continuity of the books, and a large number of characters and features from the books are used. The characters appear as human with features resembling their usual forms. The original AliceAlice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
is mentioned several times, and multiple characters mistake Alice Hamilton for the same character. The Hatter
Mad Hatter
Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll...
is presented as a suave character who owns a business that sells the human emotions like drugs, with the Dormouse
Dormouse (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Dormouse is a character in "A Mad Tea-Party", Chapter VII from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. He sat between the March Hare and the Hatter...
in his services.He is bot only depicted to be the same age as Alice but he falls in love with her. The Ratcatcher character appears to be based on the Mouse
Mouse (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Mouse is a fictional character in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. He appears in Chapter II "The Pool of Tears" and Chapter III "A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale" ....
from the first book. The Dodo
Dodo (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
-Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland version:The Dodo, who in this adaptation of the book is named Uilleam and is portrayed by Michael Gough, bears a down of brilliant blue and is one of Alice's advisers, who also took first note of her identity as the true Alice. Mysteriously, the dodo vanishes...
is head of the resistance against the Queen, and is flanked by the gun-wielding Duck
Duck (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Duck is a fictional character appearing in Chapters 2 and 3 of the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll . The Duck features with a group of birds including a Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet....
and Eaglet
Eaglet (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Eaglet is a character appearing in Chapter 2 and 3 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, a reference to Edith Liddell, Alice's sister....
(called Owl in the series). The Caterpillar
Caterpillar (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Caterpillar is a fictional character appearing in Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.-Appearance in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:...
is the leader of the resistance, and appears as an aging spectacled man. A fusion of the present-day Alice's pet cat Dinah, and the Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
appears in a dream Alice has.
The Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Queen of Hearts is a character from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by the writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll. She is a foul-tempered monarch, that Carroll himself pictured as "a blind fury", and who is quick to decree death sentences at the slightest offense...
appears to be a lot calmer and more calculating than the book's version, suggesting that her personality is based on the Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass. The White Rabbit
White Rabbit
The White Rabbit works for the Red Queen, but is also a secret member of the Underland Underground Resistance, and was sent by the Hatter to search for Alice...
is used as the name for the Queen's organization, but also the character himself appears as a white-haired man named "Agent White" portrayed by Alan Gray. The March Hare
March Hare
Haigha, the March Hare is a character most famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.The main character, Alice, hypothesises,...
appears as an assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
called Mad March, who speaks with a pronounced Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
accent and has a computerized rabbit cookie jar for a head. The Carpenter
The Walrus and the Carpenter
"The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll that appeared in his book Through the Looking-Glass, published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice. The poem is composed of 18 stanzas and contains 108 lines, in an...
is a human in this adaptation, whilst he is a Wonderland resident in the books, alongside The Walrus
The Walrus and the Carpenter
"The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll that appeared in his book Through the Looking-Glass, published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice. The poem is composed of 18 stanzas and contains 108 lines, in an...
who is also in a human version. Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Tweedledum and Tweedledee are fictional characters in an English language nursery rhyme and in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Their names may have originally come from an epigram written by poet John Byrom. The nursery rhyme has a Roud Folk Song Index number...
appear as disturbed psychiatrist-like doctors in the Queen's service. A computer-generated Jabberwock appears in one scene.
Reception
Alice was the most watched original mini-series on Syfy since Tin ManTin Man (TV miniseries)
Tin Man is a 2007 four and a half hour miniseries co-produced by RHI Entertainment and Sci Fi Channel original pictures that was broadcast in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel in three parts. The first part aired on December 2, and the remaining two parts airing on the following nights...
in 2007 (which rated the highest in their history). Part One jumped 143% in Adults 18-49, 91% among Adults 25-54 and 89% in total viewers versus the 2009 Sunday 9-11PM (ET/PT) time period average, propelling Syfy to #1 in prime among Men 18-49. Part Two rose +223% in Adults 18-49, +159% among Adults 25-54 and +176% in total viewers versus the 2009 Monday 9-11PM (ET/PT) time period average.
Overall, Alice delivered 1.3 million Adults 18-49, 1.2 million Adults 25-54 and 2.3 million total viewers along with a 1.7 HH rating. Alice boosted Syfy into the #3 cable entertainment network for both Adults18-49 and Adults 25-54 in its Sunday and Monday 9-11PM (ET/PT) time period.
Reviews of Alice varied greatly, with ratings averaging around a 54, or average, on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the show three of five stars, saying that it was "charming, but not perfect." Randee Dawn from The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
also gave the program a mediocre review, and Nancy deWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
said that "despite...diversions and whiz-bang special effects, [Alice] drags at times."
Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
called Alice "fresh and original," lauding the acting and story. TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
also praised the show, calling it "a champion of production that fuses modern invention and nostalgic resourcefulness", and David Hinckley of New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
called it "just plain wonderful," saying that it was "a vehicle to engage the imagination while it amuses and entertains."
Steven James Snyder of Techland.com said: "There's no denying that Alice has put it all on the line. And even when it comes to those who may not think that the whole thing gels perfectly, Alices unhinged creativity is bound to at least earn their respect." Rick Bentley at The Fresno Bee
The Fresno Bee
The Fresno Bee is the daily newspaper serving Fresno, California and surrounding counties in that U.S. state's San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and ranks fourth in circulation among the company's newspapers....
said: "The result will have you smiling like a Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
. Willing creates a world that's Minority Report
Minority Report (film)
Minority Report is a 2002 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and loosely based on the short story "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. It is set primarily in Washington, D.C...
meets Austin Powers
Austin Powers (film series)
The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema...
. The real fun is seeing how cleverly Willing has updated the familiar story to make it different from past TV and film versions."
However, Tom Shales from the Washington Post gave the program a very negative review, saying that Tin Man
Tin Man (TV miniseries)
Tin Man is a 2007 four and a half hour miniseries co-produced by RHI Entertainment and Sci Fi Channel original pictures that was broadcast in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel in three parts. The first part aired on December 2, and the remaining two parts airing on the following nights...
was far superior, while IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that Alice was "long-winded, uninspiring, and...hardly [did] the original material justice." Robert Bianco from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave the show an indifferent review, calling it superior to Tin Man
Tin Man (TV miniseries)
Tin Man is a 2007 four and a half hour miniseries co-produced by RHI Entertainment and Sci Fi Channel original pictures that was broadcast in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel in three parts. The first part aired on December 2, and the remaining two parts airing on the following nights...
but saying the plot was "superimposed...with its shifting motives and dreary lectures," ultimately giving it two and a half stars out of four.
Blu-ray and DVD
Alice was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 2, 2010. On some region's DVD releases, the miniseries is presented as a continuous film, instead of correctly in two parts.External links
- Alice at Showcase
- Alice at SyfySyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
- New Alice Event Features Sci Fi Cast, SFUniverse.com