A Celebration of that Magical Day when the Girl Alice left the Real World behind and followed the White Rabbit UnderGround

A Brief History

Years ago, myy ex and I started this tradition on a whim, but it quickly developed into an obsession. We thought it would be fun to commemorate the day that Alice went down the rabbit hole with appropriate games, movies, food, etc. It was so much fun, indeed, that we couldn't wait until the next year and threw another such party on November fourth, when Alice went through the looking glass. On this page, I have put my ideas for Alice Day celebrations based on my own experiences. By the way, Lewis Carroll chose May fourth for Alice's adventure because it was the birthday of the real Alice Liddell.

Alice Day Activities & Decorations You must center the day around a tea party, of course. If one of the guests is male, he can wear the Mad Hatter's 10/6 top hat. Women can dress like Alice. Stuffed animals can be the rabbit and doormouse. The table is laid with a tea set. Add to this oversized and/or miniature bottles of alcohol (with "Drink Me" tags) and cakes marked "Eat Me". Other intoxicants can be consumed if desired *. Try to achieve, by whatever means, a sufficiently surreal state of mind. A child-like approach to the day is also good - games are played, cares are dismissed, ice cream is served for breakfast, etc.

I recommend watching every available film version of the Alice stories that you can find. My favorite so far is by Jan Svankmajer, but there are dozens. (See my list of Alice Movies below.) The books, or portions thereof, can be read aloud to all the guests. Games include chess (the obvious choice), plus there are Alice-themed board and card games out there (check ebay). There are even Alice coloring books, and a tarot deck! I also suggest a round of blindfolded "pin the grin on the Cheshire cat". Be prepared for an otherworldly experience, and have fun! Also check out Mad Hatter Day

* An especially appropriate choice would be amanita muscaria (fly agaric), recognizable as the mushroom on which the Caterpillar traditionally sits with his hookah. It is psychoactive, and still legal! For more information, look it up on Erowid. Always do your homework before experimenting with any substances.

Alice Movies

Movies I have seen so far.... (recommended are starred)

• *Alice* - 1987, written and directed by Jan Svankmajer, live Alice and many puppets. My favorite Alice yet. Incredibly surreal, it captures the darkest side of Carroll's tale. Also has the best White Rabbit I've seen, a taxidermy display come to life. When Alice shrinks, she turns from a real girl into a small doll. Many of the creatures are constructed from animal skeletons. Very disturbing, just how I like it! Very little dialogue, mostly action.
• *Through the Looking Glass* - 1998, made for tv, starring Kate Beckinsale as Alice, directed by John Henderson. My favorite strictly Looking Glass adaptation. Has the best Tweedledee/Tweedledum, strangely reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange. Also a good performance by Ian Holm as the White Knight.
• *Alice in Wonderland* - 1950, starring Carol Marsh as Alice, with puppets by Lou Bunin, somewhat hard to find but worth it. Begins with live action depiction of Alice's life, with stop-motion puppetry once she's in Wonderland. Not bad for a musical version (I'm not fond of musicals) and has a great Cheshire Cat.
• Alice in Wonderland - 1985, produced by Irwin Allen (also has a second part I haven't seen yet). Packed with stars such as Sammy Davis Jr. (as the caterpillar) and Ringo Starr (the mock turtle). However, not one of my favorites, especially considering the songs.
• Alice in Wonderland - 1999, distributed by Hallmark, starring Martin Short as the Mad Hatter and Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat. Better than I had expected, but not great.
• Alice in Acidland - 1968, directed by John Donne. Not very Alice-like, really, but I had to rent it for the title. Horrible film warning of the dangers of pot and acid, similar to Reefer Madness.
• Alice in Wonderland - 1976, awful porno version starring Kristine DeBell. Alice is an uptight virgin librarian who finds the door to a Wonderland filled with lascivious characters. Bad.
• Alice in Wonderland - 1951, the Disney cartoon classic. I like the Cheshire Cat in this one, too. Combines both books into one storyline.
• *Dreamchild* - 1985, with Wonderland creatures by Jim Henson's studio. A wonderful story of the real Alice Liddell, in her 80's, travelling to America for the centenary celebration of Lewis Carroll. While there, she has flashbacks of her life with Carroll (portrayed perfectly by Ian Holm) and scenes from the Alice books. A great tea party scene with truly creepy Mad Hatter and March Hare.
• Alice Through The Looking Glass - 1966, made-for-tv musical starring (among others) Ricardo Montalban and Jack Palance (as the Jabberwocky). Pretty awful, I had a hard time watching it till the end, especially the musical numbers.
• Miyuki-chan in Wonderland - 1995, anime version of the story, with strange sexual overtones. All the characters are buxom women.
• *Alice in Wonderland* - 1966, directed by Jonathan Miller with soundtrack by Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar. Black and white. Very surreal, dreamy quality, hardly any dialogue, but captures the mood very well. One of my favorites.
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - 1972 all-star musical with Michael Crawford, Fiona Fullerton, Peter Sellers, etc. I found this insanely dull. It follows the book almost perfectly, but without any inspiration. The songs, as is often the case, are agonizing.
• Alice in Wonderland - 1983, stage production, starring Nathan Lane, Richard Burton, Kate Burton and Colleen Dewhurst. Interesting use of the original Tenniel illustrations as the backdrops, otherwise fairly boring, with an uninspired performance from Alice. However, the Cheshire Cat scene with Geoffrey Holder is worth watching - definitely one of my favorites.
• Alice Through the Looking Glass - 1995 animated version, only barely relevant to the original story, but amusing in parts.

Haven't seen yet.....

• There are too many Alice movies in existence to count. There's even a Care Bears in Wonderland! For a fairly comprehensive overview, check out this Alice in Wonderland site, or look it up on imbd.com.

Non-Alice movies appopriate for viewing on Alice Day

• Labyrinth
• Legend
• Wizard of Oz
• Return to Oz
• Spirited Away
• Mirrormask