Alice in Wonderland

An early example of watered-down-for-mass-consumption Disneyfication--but a total delight nonetheless--this classic animated adaptation of Lewis Carroll's surreal fairytale about a little girl's trippy dream world of Cheshire cats, mad tea parties, and lunatic face cards has been given the royal treatment for its second DVD release, this time as part of Disney's “Masterpiece Edition” line. Boasting a crisp and colorful digital restoration with remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, the film holds up beautifully after 50 years, and the second disc of bonus features has something for everyone: an interactive virtual tea party, sing-a-longs and games for kids, a 1923 "Alice" short by Walt Disney for cinephiles (it was one of the first films to mix live action and animation), a nifty 1950 TV special called "One Hour in Wonderland" for Disney buffs, and an Alice-inspired Mickey Mouse cartoon called "Thru the Mirror" for, well, everybody. And there's a new song as well, “I'm Odd,” sung by the Cheshire cat. Highly recommended. (R Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 1, 2011—Walt Disney, 2 discs, 75 min., G, $39.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1951's Alice in Wonderland (60th Anniversary Edition) sports a great transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include a “Through the Keyhole” picture-in-picture track with interviews from historians, the 1950 TV special “One Hour in Wonderland” (60 min.), excerpts from The Fred Waring Show (31 min.), a “Reflections on Alice” featurette (14 min.), a “Deleted Materials” section with a cut scene, storyboards, and original song demos (12 min.), an “Operation Wonderland” behind-the-scenes featurette (11 min.), a “Thru the Mirror” Mickey Mouse short (9 min.), “An Alice Comedy: Alice's Wonderland” live-action clip (8 min.), TV intros by Walt Disney (4 min.), the newly discovered “I'm Odd” song (4 min.), “Reference Footage: Alice and the Doorknob” (2 min.), a brief pencil test of Alice's shrinking scene, the interactive games “Painting the Roses Red” and “Virtual Wonderland Party,” a set-top activity game, an interactive art gallery, a bonus DVD copy of the film, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this Disney animated classic.]