Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
Rotten Tomatoes 59%
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland was created by Jane Espenson, Zack Estrin, Adam Horowitz, & Edward
Kitsis and is a drama, fantasy, and adventure show. It started early this month (October 10, 2013).
The only actors in the cast that I knew were John Lithgow who is the voice of the White Rabbit (and also from 3rd Rock from the Sun) and Keith David who is the voice of the Cheshire Cat (and also the voice of Flame King from Adventure Time & Mongul from Young Justice). The rest of the actors consists of people born in the United Kingdom so I haven't the foggiest who they are.
The plot to this series revolves around Alice and her love for a genie named Cyrus who subsequently came from Agrabah (both pictured to the right). She is also thought of as crazy in her hometown which is why she feels more at home in Wonderland. The whole thing is a mash up of Aladdin characters and Wonderland characters. The thing that I liked most about the story is that it answers the question of what happened to Alice after she came out of that rabbit hole as a child and where her life went. It is a little confusing with the method that they have chosen to tell the story. The begin is rather jumpy and odd to follow, but the more I watch the series the less confusing it seems.
The main thing that bugs me about the series is the CGI use. It feels like it came from a decade or two ago rather than the turn of the century. I could live with the crappy CGI backgrounds, but the CGI characters are what truly bug me. The White Rabbit and the Caterpillar are just not that great; and the White Rabbit is in much of the first episode. Their designs are also kind of creepy; and not even like Tim Burton cool creepy, just straight creepy. There is also a fight scene with the Cheshire Cat where Alice should have been getting cuts, but there is no marks left on her at all. (Red Queen pictured to the left)
While the CGI didn't have the feel of being smartly used, the camera angels are done beautifully for most of the other scenes. There are a lot of action and fight sequences that have truly been thought out. Not just the camera angles are wisely chosen, but also the choreography for the fight sequences is done smartly. It all truly feels thoughtfully done which I truly appreciate, because crappy fight scenes can kill it in my book.
When the series first started, it felt very rushed. So episode one left me not really caring about the characters at all. After watching the second episode, the speed is slowed a little so I kind of care. I'm hoping that the series will slow to a better pace because at the moment I think they are just trying to fit too much into any given moment. It isn't aided by the fact that there are two bad guys within this series. There is the Red Queen and then there is Jafar. Even weirder, they both seem to want the same thing yet they are still fighting with each other. There is also a weird sexual tension between them that makes their scenes rather uncomfortable.(Jafar pictured to the right)
One thing that I look forward to with each episode is the randomness that Wonderland has to offer. There are dragonflies that are actual dragons. There is a conversation about needing a ferry to get across a lake. So after clapping at the lakeside, a fairy shows up. That made me giggle for a bit. There are other random things that don't make sense to me, however. Apparently genies and silver don't mix, I always thought that was just a werewolf thing.
Overall, I wouldn't suggest this series to people who already have like a full line up of shows that they love to watch. My line up had a gap that needed to be filled by something a little ridiculous. This show completely fits that build. I also have a feeling that the storyline is just building to be something cool (or it could sadly fall flat). With each episode, the series just seems to be getting better. Alice also surprised me when she tricked everyone, because she doesn't seem quite capable of doing so at first. It is also worth mentioning that I may just fancy the Knave of Hearts which may be why I
enjoy the show. It bothers me slightly that I already like the non-love
interest character more than the actual love interest character. Though, I do
appreciate the use in actor choices, because Alice has a proper English accent
because the actor is from England. I'd rate this show with a 6.5/10 after having seen only two episodes. (I'm hopefully that the series will get better and move up to a 7 or 8). (Knave of Heart pictured to the left)
All this pictures, and more, can be found at the ABC link provided at the top of the page.
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