My ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Review
Disclosure: This event and trip to LA was an all expense paid journey sponsored by Disney. All thoughts, opinions and experiences are 100% my own!
My ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Review
A few days ago I spent time in LA covering the premiere of Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass and earlier in the week I shared with you my time on the Red Carpet Premiere of Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass and then yesterday I shared my interview with the darling Mia Wasikowska who plays Alice.
It’s no secret that I love Disney and I’m the first to admit that I get overly gushy and rarely find any flaws with these films. I find things that I love in each of them, and in true Disney fashion, they all find their way to a special place in my heart (and in our DVD library). As a Disney fan, that’s just how it works. BUT. This movie is a little different. Let me tell you why.
Why this movie works.
This movie latched itself onto the “mama” in me. I love the messages in this film and I am excited to share them with my children. I love the messages in this film for both of my kids but to be honest, I’m really excited about the messages that I can share specifically with my daughter.
As a girl who has always been fairly independent myself, I am raising my daughter to be the same. I want her to stand up for herself and for others who might not be able to. I want my daughter to care less about what other people think and more about doing what’s right. I want her to understand that I am there for her 100% – that I believe in her always and that I will always be there in her corner. I want her to be a good friend with a kind and compassionate heart and I want her to know that I understand that she won’t always succeed at these things, but that life is about learning from our mistakes, letting go of regrets and making the most out of every situation. That’s a LOT to ask, right? It is and yet it isn’t. It’s really just a way of being. If we choose to intentionally live that way, it’s actually quite simple.
It is my hope, that my daughter will learn these lessons much earlier in life than I did and I love that this movie will help start conversations about these important things.
About the movie.
The story of Alice Through the Looking Glass, while it is wild and colorful and chaotic and full of amazing one liners (the one liners alone will be a reason to see the movie twice!) this movie is ironically also quite simple too. Life is about time, what we do with it and and the people that we share it with. Simple.
I’m dead set against spoilers, so I won’t give you too much more than that except to tell you that this movie will take you on a journey that is both magical and thought provoking. It will have you laughing and wishing at times that you could push a rewind button to hear something again. Which is why, thank goodness, we have the dvd to look forward to later in the year. This will definitely be a film that we watch over and over again!
There are so many little details in this film. Watch the backgrounds closely for fun objects and purposefully placed items. I just love movies like this because they generate so many thoughts and ideas. And wonder. Curiouser and curiouser was never more true.
About Alice.
Alice owns who she is. She owns her friendships and her actions. She is fearless, yet kind and compassionate. She doesn’t give up and she isn’t afraid to speak up for herself or her friends. She fights for things that she believes in and while she is stunningly beautiful, it’s a very natural and easy look. One that makes her very relatable.
She has a diverse and somewhat random circle of friends. They all care for each other deeply and are loyal to the core. These are ride or die type friendships. All for one and one for all stuff going on here. The 2 am phone call answering type of friends. You know, the real deals. The kind of friends that you would dream up, if friendships were dream-up-able. Right? Oh yea. Things are getting deep.
“A dream is not reality,” said Alice to Hatter
“…but who’s to say which is which?” he replies.
One of my favorite moments from the film, when Alice and The Mad Hatter meet “back in time” … I just love the interaction between these two dear friends:
It’s about what it Wasn’t. (wait, what!?)
For me, my love for this movie was almost as much about what it wasn’t than what it was. (I’m talking in crazy Mad Hatter talk now, aren’t I!?) But it’s true! There isn’t a crazy love story in this film. In fact, there is really no love story at all. It’s not about a princess looking for a prince. It’s not about a search for treasure or riches. It’s not about cliche lost love or (blech) good looking heroes.
It’s about real things. Friendships. Family. The preciousness of time. It’s about believing in yourself. Being who you are. Muchness, if you will. It’s about finding your muchness and owning it. There. Now go see it. You much. Errr, you must!
“Alice can do whatever Alice chooses” ~ Alice’s Mama
And we all know. Mama knows best.
Alice Through the Looking Glass is rated PG
If you are wondering about the rating and what ages might be appropriate for viewing this film, I would say that this film would be great for the entire family … really! Unless of course you have an aversion to imagination, bright colors, silliness, time travel and dream chasing. I took my kids (8 and 11) to see the film last night and they LOVED it. We can’t think of any moments in this film that would be too much or too scary for little ones, there is no swearing, no kissing or romance. There are a few exciting moments, but nothing dark or frightening.
This movie prompted some deep thinking and I loved the conversations with my kids AFTER the movie. We had fun sorting through the characters in Alice’s world, and exactly what it all means. My favorite discussion was about The Mad Hatter and his relationship to Alice and how at times in the film he didn’t know who she was. My son (11) was quick to point out that the Hatter not believing in her, was really her not believing in herself. (that’s my boy!) He thinks that the March Hare is hilarious and his laughter over some March Hare moments in the movie had me giggling too.
My daughter (8) chimed in that the reason that Alice can do anything is because she always finds a way to do the impossible, because she never gives up, and her friends always support her because they believe in her too. She has a lot of BFFs, Alice does. One point that really stood out with my daughter, was when Alice wore the oriental dress to the ball. She LOVED that Alice didn’t care what other people thought, and I love that my daughter loved that. On that note, a colorful oriental Alice dress has been added to the newly started birthday list 🙂
My daughter also loved the storyline between the two queens, and the chain of events that occurred because of one teeny.tiny.little fib. Another great conversation starter!
Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS hits theaters May 27th!!
If you haven’t yet seen Disney’s live action ALICE IN WONDERLAND, I highly recommend it!
You can purchase that ALICE IN WONDERLAND on Amazon right now for under $10, and it is one of our favorites… so excited to see what our favorite characters will be up to in THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS!
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ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
opens in theaters everywhere on May 27th!
Meet the author – Keri Lyn
The creative and frugal mind behind She Saved for over 12 years now, Keri Lyn shares her adventures in parenting along with her love for family travel, country living and brand marketing. A self-proclaimed “brand loyalist”, Keri Lyn is known for her strong and enthusiastic voice when it comes to the products and brands that she loves. She Saved has become a community for like-minded consumers who appreciate saving money, time and sanity by getting the best deals on quality products and experiences.
