The Many Wonders of Alice in Wonderland

From Mad Hatter to March Hare, the influence of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland has had a global impact on literature and culture that cannot be overstated. The enduring story of one curious girl who fell down a rabbit hole has captured the creativity of countless people, spawning a wide variety of adaptations and spinoffs across different media. Here are just a few of our favorites.

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1. Alice in Wonderland, 1951  

If not the book, it is highly likely that your introduction to Alice’s story was through the Disney animated film. Filled with bright colors, a dream-like art style, and an easy-to-follow plot, this adaptation of Alice in Wonderland is popular for a reason. I’m sure many of us still have fond memories of the Cheshire Cat’s first appearance, the Walrus and the Carpenter sequence, and the singing flowers. 

2. Alice in Wonderland, 2010 film by Tim Burton

In one of Disney’s earliest attempts at adapting an animated film into live action, Tim Burton takes the helm for Alice in Wonderland and its eventual sequel, Through the Looking Glass. In this version of Alice in Wonderland, Alice has already been to Wonderland and returned to England. Now aged 19, she escapes a marriage proposal to follow a familiar white rabbit and ends up falling into the rabbit hole again. This time, however, Wonderland isn’t the same place she once visited—and even worse, Alice is in denial.

3. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, 2013–2014

This is a spinoff of the popular ABC series Once Upon a Time, in which the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming is destined to save the realm of the Enchanted Forest and all the fairy tale characters living in it. In the same vein, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland tells the story of Alice, who is taken to an asylum to be “cured” of her memories of Wonderland following the apparent death of her true love, Cyrus. The Knave of Hearts and the White Rabbit break Alice out in order for her to save Cyrus, who is still alive in Wonderland.

4. After Alice, 2015

Best known for penning the novel that inspired the hit musical Wicked, Gregory Maguire is no stranger when it comes to reimagining popular children’s tales and turning them into action-packed adventures. This reimagining tells the story of Ada, Alice’s friend and neighbor, who falls into the rabbit hole after Alice. After Alice deals more with the life that Alice left behind in 1860s England, as well as the characters Ada meets after Alice has encounters with them.

5. Alice in Borderland, 2020–present 

This Netflix series is a sci-fi thriller that takes elements from Alice in Wonderland to tell a fast-paced tale of a futuristic, parallel Tokyo. Based on a manga of the same name, the story follows Ryohei Arisu and Yuzuha Usagi as they play increasingly dangerous and sadistic games in order to extend their “visas”—or face execution.

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