The New Alice by Yuri Khmelnitsky and Why Audiences Expected a Different Film

The new version of Alice in Wonderland by Yuri Khmelnitsky unexpectedly became a box office hit and earned over one billion in three weeks, yet received low ratings. Almost everything can be explained by the fact that viewers expected a Russian version of Burton and were disappointed to see a completely different film. Instead of a large scale fantasy production, they were presented with a musical fairy tale based not on Carroll’s book, but on Vysotsky’s audio play. Visually, the film resembles a theatrical television performance shot in Sochi and Abkhazia rather than a Hollywood fantasy dream.

The creators clearly aimed at a female audience. Anna Peresild, Milos Bikovic, and Sergey Burunov were cast to attract their fans. However, most discussions focused not on the acting, but on Alice’s dress. It was considered too simple and not fairy tale like enough. Audiences were also surprised to learn that a similar outfit could be found on a clothing website for four thousand rubles. Costume designers explained that they deliberately avoided aesthetics associated with Burton’s films. The result is visually pleasant and occasionally inventive, but hardly memorable, especially compared to the dark gothic style of the 2010 film.

Khmelnitsky completely changed the plot. Alice becomes an ordinary Moscow schoolgirl struggling with her studies and having a crush on a boy from a parallel class. Wonderland turns into a reflection of her everyday life. Her mother becomes the Red Queen, her father the Mad Hatter, and her classmates appear as characters with exaggerated traits. As a result, the fairy tale transforms into a familiar story about growing up, first love, and family relationships.

The creators отказались from complex computer graphics because they did not want to risk trying to replicate Burton’s visual level. As a result, there is no Cheshire Cat and no animated caterpillar. Almost everything is conveyed through costumes and sets. Only one scene, where an avalanche comes to life after a clock is activated, briefly recalls classic adventure cinema.

The most interesting feature of the film is that it is almost political. The disrupted flow of time sustains the eternal power of the Red Queen, while Alice’s appearance changes the balance of forces and triggers a struggle for the throne. The girl becomes a symbolic black swan, a tool for others’ intrigues, and later a victim of a system that uses and destroys her. Alice’s trial turns into a satirical depiction of the absurdity of laws and a verdict known in advance.

If the new Alice is viewed not as a continuation of Burton’s tradition, but as a free fantasy inspired by Vysotsky, its features are perceived much more calmly. It is an unusual film, sometimes naive, sometimes sharp, striving to be at once a teenage story, a family musical, and an allegory about power. Not a masterpiece, but certainly not an empty film.