Alice in Wonderland (Burbank Films Australia)

[Alcazam]

I always found it funny how non-Disney studios would make animated movies based on the same stories as Disney, and release them almost at the same time so that parents would buy the wrong version and their kids would cry their tears out.

Burbank Films Australia was notorious for this strategy, but they did manage to make some decent features. I remember my sister getting BFs version of Alice in Wonderland, but she didn't like it as much as I did. I kept looking for the talking door handle though, not knowing that sequence was from the Disney version.

Anyways... this film might be a little cheesy, and the animation is definitely not on level with Disney's version. Still, I think it has managed to create a distinct atmosphere, even if the animation is quite laughable at times. The story choices are quite different from Disney's version. I even like the 80s style soundtrack. (I watched the Danish language version though, didn't understand most of it, but at least it sounded better than the English voices.) Maybe it's nostalgia, but watching this version first I remember being a bit disappointed by the Disney version. The BF version made me actually feel sorry for Alice for some reason, the Disney version... not so much, perhaps because that one throws ideas at you all the time, not really giving you time to take in the atmosphere. That said, I learned to like the Disney version in the end, it really outshines BF's film in terms of creativity and craftmanship.


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I also got BF's The Odyssey. I like it for its darkness and straightforward story progression. But I always wanted Disney to make their own version, just as dark. It's probably never going to happen, seeing as Disney already made Hercules (I think that's a great movie, but I'd like to see a more serious and mature greek tale)

Here's the complete list of animated movies from Burbank Films Australia:

http://www.imdb.com/company/co0101137/